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Interesting article form the Hartford Courant regarding the differing views in WC about driving in other series. I you were a driver/owner where would you stand??
Driving Game Of Risk
Racing At Lower Levels A Gamble
July 17, 2002
By SHAWN COURCHESNE, Courant Staff Writer
Over and over, Steve Park had pleaded with his car owner, Dale Earnhardt. After three seasons of racing exclusively in Winston Cup, Park wanted some extracurricular racing in the Busch Series.
"When Dale was alive, I would jump up and down begging him to let me drive a Busch car," Park said.
But Earnhardt didn't want him to do it and neither did officials from Pennzoil, Park's Winston Cup sponsor. Earnhardt didn't want his driver gambling with his racing career just to get in a Busch car. He finally relented after the 2000 season and gave Park the green light to run a handful of Busch races.
"And then their worst fear was realized," Park said. "Exactly what they had told me over and over they were afraid would happen, did happen."
In September at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Park's career was forever changed by a crash in the Busch race the day before the Mountain Dew Southern 500.
Tonight at Thompson International Speedway, Tony Stewart will drive in a match race against local driver Ted Christopher. While the event is expected to be a tame exhibition, Stewart still will be daring fate by cruising at over 100 mph in an SK Modified.
Week after week, many Winston Cup drivers put it all on the line, their careers, their multimillion dollar sponsorships and salaries - not to mention their lives - racing outside NASCAR's premier division.
Most of them reserve their moonlighting for the Busch Series, NASCAR's Triple A division. But a handful compete at the lowest levels of stock car racing, barnstorming local short tracks for amusement.
"I think in some instances it can help guys, but you've got to be careful," car owner Ray Evernham said. "On one hand, you want your guy to focus on your Winston Cup stuff, but if what he's doing is going to help his Winston Cup career, you've got to let him go with it. There also is a point to where you can worry so much that you don't want the guy walking down the street unassisted. You've just got to be careful. Racing is dangerous, but so is traveling back and forth to the grocery store."
Other owners won't let their drivers near anything but a Winston Cup car.
"We get concerned about that," said Richard Petty, who owns three Winston Cup teams. "We've got too much invested in our drivers to be letting them run anything else."
Petty drove in an era when all drivers were barnstormers.
Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti doesn't agree with his owners' philosophy. Petty refused to allow Andretti to compete in this year's Indianapolis 500.
"If you're measuring what you want to do because of risking something, you're wasting energy," Andretti said. "I love what I do and I feel like I'm risking more on the interstate than I've ever risked in a race car."
Stewart and Ken Schrader are the two Winston Cup drivers known most for their willingness to drive anything, any time, anywhere.
"It's pure racer mentality to want to race everything," said Winston Cup driver Jimmy Spencer, who competed in 18 of 33 Busch races last year. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. A lot of people say you shouldn't do it, but there's also enjoying life. And enjoying life by going out and racing somewhere else, that's fun sometimes."
After finishing third Sunday in the Winston Cup race in Joliet, Ill., Stewart shuttled out of the track quickly to make it to a Midget race that evening in Kokomo, Ind.
"You've got to give a guy his personality," Evernham said. "That's what makes Tony Stewart Tony Stewart and that's what makes Ken Schrader Ken Schrader. Just because a guy is driving your car, you don't have a right to change his personality. Would Tony be as good as he is in Winston Cup if he didn't do all those things? Nobody knows."
Many weeks during the Winston Cup season, Schrader will spend three or four evenings competing at short tracks.
"I run, by far, more miles a year in this Winston Cup car than anything else and it goes a lot faster and hits a lot harder than anything else I drive," Schrader said. "I just play the odds. If I'm going to get hurt in a race car, it's more than likely going to be in that Winston Cup car. So it doesn't make any difference to me."
Park is still recovering from the brain injury sustained in the Busch wreck last year at Darlington. At the time of the crash, the former Ellington resident seemed to be finding his way toward becoming a championship contender. He was 10th in the Winston Cup points before the crash.
"And they would say to me, `What happens if you're running in the top-10 points and you get hurt.' I said, `That's never going to happen.' And boom, it happens," Park said. "I begged and begged for them to let me do it and they did and I let them down. I'll never do it again."
Park's injuries forced him to miss the final 12 races of the 2001 season and the first four races of 2002. In the 14 races since his return, Park's best finish is 20th, with seven finishes of 32nd or worse. His contract ends after this season, and it appears his days with Dale Earnhardt Inc. are numbered. If he is labeled damaged goods, Park's chance of getting another Winston Cup ride is not strong.
"And why?" said Brett Bodine, who will not race outside of Winston Cup. "Just so he could do someone a favor and run their Busch car. I just don't get why guys do it.
"Maybe it's my engineering background, but I always look at things in a risk vs. reward fashion. I worked my whole career to get into Winston Cup racing. Why do I want to go back and take the risk? Any time you drive on that racetrack, there's a risk. Why do I want to do that? What's the reward?"
A number of Winston Cup drivers refuse to race in the lower levels.
Many drivers say the reward in racing a Busch car is the chance to feel the tendencies of a track the day before the Winston Cup race.
"There's obvious risk in a Busch car," said Jack Roush, who owns four Winston Cup teams. "But no more than there is in a Winston Cup car. . ... My encouragement to my drivers is get as many laps as they can. Now, I'm not anxious for any of my drivers to go race Indy and I'm not anxious for them to go race cars that are totally unrelated to Winston Cup. But to get experience on the racetracks that we race in Winston Cup, with cars that are similar, I think it's worth the risk they take."
Driving Game Of Risk
Racing At Lower Levels A Gamble
July 17, 2002
By SHAWN COURCHESNE, Courant Staff Writer
Over and over, Steve Park had pleaded with his car owner, Dale Earnhardt. After three seasons of racing exclusively in Winston Cup, Park wanted some extracurricular racing in the Busch Series.
"When Dale was alive, I would jump up and down begging him to let me drive a Busch car," Park said.
But Earnhardt didn't want him to do it and neither did officials from Pennzoil, Park's Winston Cup sponsor. Earnhardt didn't want his driver gambling with his racing career just to get in a Busch car. He finally relented after the 2000 season and gave Park the green light to run a handful of Busch races.
"And then their worst fear was realized," Park said. "Exactly what they had told me over and over they were afraid would happen, did happen."
In September at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Park's career was forever changed by a crash in the Busch race the day before the Mountain Dew Southern 500.
Tonight at Thompson International Speedway, Tony Stewart will drive in a match race against local driver Ted Christopher. While the event is expected to be a tame exhibition, Stewart still will be daring fate by cruising at over 100 mph in an SK Modified.
Week after week, many Winston Cup drivers put it all on the line, their careers, their multimillion dollar sponsorships and salaries - not to mention their lives - racing outside NASCAR's premier division.
Most of them reserve their moonlighting for the Busch Series, NASCAR's Triple A division. But a handful compete at the lowest levels of stock car racing, barnstorming local short tracks for amusement.
"I think in some instances it can help guys, but you've got to be careful," car owner Ray Evernham said. "On one hand, you want your guy to focus on your Winston Cup stuff, but if what he's doing is going to help his Winston Cup career, you've got to let him go with it. There also is a point to where you can worry so much that you don't want the guy walking down the street unassisted. You've just got to be careful. Racing is dangerous, but so is traveling back and forth to the grocery store."
Other owners won't let their drivers near anything but a Winston Cup car.
"We get concerned about that," said Richard Petty, who owns three Winston Cup teams. "We've got too much invested in our drivers to be letting them run anything else."
Petty drove in an era when all drivers were barnstormers.
Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti doesn't agree with his owners' philosophy. Petty refused to allow Andretti to compete in this year's Indianapolis 500.
"If you're measuring what you want to do because of risking something, you're wasting energy," Andretti said. "I love what I do and I feel like I'm risking more on the interstate than I've ever risked in a race car."
Stewart and Ken Schrader are the two Winston Cup drivers known most for their willingness to drive anything, any time, anywhere.
"It's pure racer mentality to want to race everything," said Winston Cup driver Jimmy Spencer, who competed in 18 of 33 Busch races last year. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. A lot of people say you shouldn't do it, but there's also enjoying life. And enjoying life by going out and racing somewhere else, that's fun sometimes."
After finishing third Sunday in the Winston Cup race in Joliet, Ill., Stewart shuttled out of the track quickly to make it to a Midget race that evening in Kokomo, Ind.
"You've got to give a guy his personality," Evernham said. "That's what makes Tony Stewart Tony Stewart and that's what makes Ken Schrader Ken Schrader. Just because a guy is driving your car, you don't have a right to change his personality. Would Tony be as good as he is in Winston Cup if he didn't do all those things? Nobody knows."
Many weeks during the Winston Cup season, Schrader will spend three or four evenings competing at short tracks.
"I run, by far, more miles a year in this Winston Cup car than anything else and it goes a lot faster and hits a lot harder than anything else I drive," Schrader said. "I just play the odds. If I'm going to get hurt in a race car, it's more than likely going to be in that Winston Cup car. So it doesn't make any difference to me."
Park is still recovering from the brain injury sustained in the Busch wreck last year at Darlington. At the time of the crash, the former Ellington resident seemed to be finding his way toward becoming a championship contender. He was 10th in the Winston Cup points before the crash.
"And they would say to me, `What happens if you're running in the top-10 points and you get hurt.' I said, `That's never going to happen.' And boom, it happens," Park said. "I begged and begged for them to let me do it and they did and I let them down. I'll never do it again."
Park's injuries forced him to miss the final 12 races of the 2001 season and the first four races of 2002. In the 14 races since his return, Park's best finish is 20th, with seven finishes of 32nd or worse. His contract ends after this season, and it appears his days with Dale Earnhardt Inc. are numbered. If he is labeled damaged goods, Park's chance of getting another Winston Cup ride is not strong.
"And why?" said Brett Bodine, who will not race outside of Winston Cup. "Just so he could do someone a favor and run their Busch car. I just don't get why guys do it.
"Maybe it's my engineering background, but I always look at things in a risk vs. reward fashion. I worked my whole career to get into Winston Cup racing. Why do I want to go back and take the risk? Any time you drive on that racetrack, there's a risk. Why do I want to do that? What's the reward?"
A number of Winston Cup drivers refuse to race in the lower levels.
Many drivers say the reward in racing a Busch car is the chance to feel the tendencies of a track the day before the Winston Cup race.
"There's obvious risk in a Busch car," said Jack Roush, who owns four Winston Cup teams. "But no more than there is in a Winston Cup car. . ... My encouragement to my drivers is get as many laps as they can. Now, I'm not anxious for any of my drivers to go race Indy and I'm not anxious for them to go race cars that are totally unrelated to Winston Cup. But to get experience on the racetracks that we race in Winston Cup, with cars that are similar, I think it's worth the risk they take."
