If you can't run with the big dogs then stay on the porch.
Here's a couple of articles that I found from a little earlier this year:
From Bleacher Report> It is indeed a hot topic with some when the CUP drivers infiltrate the lower NASCAR series intended to be developmental for the drivers who may one day be stars at the top level in the sport.
The whiners are quick to complain about the domination of CUP drivers in the second and third tier of NASCAR's top series.
Truth be told, attendance will continue slipping from the already light turnout we have at most of the tracks for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.
Television ratings are hardly impressive for the lower series even with Cup drivers dominating. Some fans will make an extra effort to attend a race or watch on television with the special appearances of Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Danica Patrick.
There is a lot of great talent in first-class equipment that make up the regulars of the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.
Until those drivers achieve wins against the CUP drivers, show some good rivalries and unique personalities, the series will flounder without the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
There has to be some draw for the fans. Currently there just isn't much more reason to watch a Nationwide race than there is to watch a K&N Pro Series race without some star power.
The fans that travel to watch the up and coming drivers, who may one day be superstars, are hardly fighting for tickets, especially with the economic times that currently exist.
Even the great venue of Bristol Motor Speedway had a fan turnout for the last Nationwide series race that verged on embarrassing.
NASCAR is trying to be as fair as possible with drivers in the lower series. They forced the drivers to choose a series thereby eliminating CUP drivers from contending for the championship against the future stars.
NASCAR isn't about to eliminate CUP drivers from the lower series. Pure business sense precludes them from such a move.
Those who feel allowing CUP drivers in the Nationwide and Truck series serves injustice to the regular drivers in those series just need to get over it, as do the drivers who complain about them.
Until the young stars like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier, Reed Sorenson, Steven Wallace and so many others step up and beat the CUP drivers, all is fair.
Stenhouse Jr. challenged Carl Edwards at Iowa Speedway and snatched the win with both driving Roush Fenway Racing equipment.
Even former CUP drivers like Elliott Sadler and Jason Leffler can't seem to beat Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards.
CUP drivers also set an example during Nationwide races that provide guidance like showing them the line to drive on the track and making moves to gain advantage.
Prior to the Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway, Austin Dillon told an ABC television pit reporter, "It's good to race against the CUP drivers, so we can go out and prove ourselves."
Sadler was the pre-season pick to grab the NASCAR Nationwide championship with his KHI equipment.
He is currently in the points lead and in theory is a CUP driver that no longer had a good ride in that series.
The Nationwide series is designed to be developmental for young drivers, but many veteran drivers remain in the series or drop back from CUP to run there.
The NASCAR media transcript of the press conference Brian France had in Charlotte prior to the Sprint All-Star race addressed CUP drivers in the Nationwide series.
France stated, "I think you're going to see us take a slow, steady look at making sure that we're getting the most out of the Nationwide series which needs to be analogous to college football and being able to build some stars that come from Saturday to Sunday for us."
France added, "We'll be looking at ways to enhance the young drivers and their talents, and new owners, for that matter, in the Nationwide and other national series that don't just get this, you know, [proliferation] of CUP drivers to the point where it just homogenizes Saturday and Sunday."
It is all about competition and a good show for the fans. The best of the regular drivers have the same level of equipment as the CUP drivers who compete against them, even though their budgets are tighter.
If drivers are to be future stars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, they best amp up their on-track showing.
It's time to stop whining about CUP drivers dominating in the lower series.
If they don't continue to race there, those series will face a slow death with sponsors dropping out and fans turning away unless Brian France has some swell tricks up his sleeve.
From MRD.com> Elliott Sadler met with the media at Iowa Speedway on Saturday as the series points leader. It was his first time racing there and his comments were interesting. But what struck me as I sat on the aisle, three rows back and had a straight on view of him, were his comments about the series itself and the topic of the Sprint Cup drivers competing in the series as well. He spoke sternly and with passion. We all took note. So I thought I should share his point of view with you. After the race on Sunday, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jack Roush both also commented on the subject.
Q: All of the Nationwide races so far this year have been won by cup drivers. But, coming here you having the point lead, and you having top fives over half the races, you gotta feel like you are one of the drivers knocking on the door for NW to looking for that win.
Sadler: “I am so glad you asked me that – because we get it every week – ‘All the cup guys are winning all the Nationwide races’. I’m going to start giving you some stats.
Carl Edwards races against us every week, he’s leading the Sprint Cup Series points.
Kyle Busch races against us every week. He has the most wins in Sprint Cup Series this year.
Kevin Harvick races here pretty much every week. He’s tied for the most wins in Sprint Cups Series this year.
Denny Hamlin runs with us a lot, he had the most wins in Sprint Cups Series racing last year.
Clint Bowyer races against us, he’s made the Chase the last four years in a row.
In other words, the guys that are coming racing against us are not ordinary guys. They’re not middle of the pack guys that you see on Sundays. They are the real deal.
I think it is awesome they run down here. I think it is good for our sport. I think it’s good for the tracks. I think it’s good for up and coming young drivers that want to match their talent and see where they stack up at.
No, we have not won a race yet. Do we want to? Yes. But we race under a different set of rules too. Those guys can take a lot more chances than we can on the race track making it two wide, three wide. They can take a lot more chances, they do a lot of short pitting, every week the 22 short pits. They can do that. They’re not racing for points.
So there are two different races going on at the same time but the level of competition we have right now in the Nationwide series is pretty good. Yeah, I know those guys are coming down but they’re some of the best drivers in the world. Not only on Saturday but they’re kicking everyone’s butt on Sunday too.
We gotta do a better job, we gotta start leading more laps, and we gotta start trying to go for winning races. But we are doing what we need to do to try to win this Nationwide Series Championship. That’s what we want to do. We’re being consistent every week. But our time will come.”
He was thankful for the question. Sadler said, “I hear it every week but people forget who we’re actually racing against. It’s not like they’re running 25th every week on Sunday.”
After winning his first NASCAR Nationwide race on Sunday, here is what Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had to say about the Sprint Cup drivers competing in the Nationwide series.
Q: Ricky, talk a little bit about what it means for a Nationwide driver to win after so long.
Stenhouse Jr.: “Yeah, I think Justin Allgaier was the last one to win last year. But for us to get it I think it feels good for the Nationwide guys. You know I don’t think we’re the only Nationwide regular that’s going to win a race this year.
Everybody is running strong. They’re finishing top five. Whether the cup guys are there or not, all of us regular Nationwide guys are competing with them.
To be that first one it feels good and I feel like since we got the first one out of the way, hopefully the next few will be a little bit easier. Man this series is tough. Nationwide does a good job with it and I’m just glad to be able to race in it.”
Jack Roush’s Comments:
Q: What’s your opinion – do you think the Cup drivers should be limited in the number of races they run in the Nationwide series?
Roush: “The short answer to that is no. But I don’t really mean absolutely no. There is an entertainment component of all the racing we do with NASCAR, and the folks that do the market surveys and the ratings analysis that come from the TV audiences will tell you what we ought to have.
The Nationwide series is not a series singularly for developing new talent. If all you have is 43 drivers that are not known, you wouldn’t have the crowds that you want to have to be able to build the stadiums and align the sponsorships. You wouldn’t be able to generate enough money for it. It takes a balance and what that balance is is something that I don’t have a strong feeling about either way.”
Stenhouse Jr. added: “I personally think that I like the cup guys coming down and racing with us. I thnk that is the only way you are going to get prepared to go to that next level if you are racing with them each and every week. If you can’t race with them on Saturday, I don’t feel like there is any reason to go race with them on Sunday.
I feel like it gives us a better opportunity to showcase what we have to run against them. Not just for myself, but I mean there’s cup teams that come pit these cars and we’ve got a developmental pit crew and it’s the same way with them. When they can compete with the cup guys coming down to pit some of these cars, they feel like they’re ready to move up. So I think that having them come down is a good thing.
