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This is part of a story by David Poole of the Charlotte Observer. What's your opinion ?



Myth No. 4.

4. Open-wheel racers are killing stock-car racing by taking away rides.

Isn’t it amazing that a lot of the same people who say that qualifying should come down to who can go the fastest and nothing else are the same ones who don’t want to see drivers from other forms of motorsports come to NASCAR?

If you think it should be about who’s the best, shouldn’t that apply across the board? Juan Pablo Montoya has shown that he can be competitive in a stock car. Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr., Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Speed and whoever else might come this way each deserve a chance to show that, too.

Some of them are going to succeed. Some are going to fail. That happens with drivers with every other kind of background. There are some drivers with great records in sprint cars who’ve flat failed as NASCAR drivers. That doesn’t mean it was a bad idea to give them a shot.

Most of the folks who subscribe to this myth have their hearts in the right place, sort of, at least.

They believe that owners who’re turning to still-unproven – in terms of stock cars – guys from other types of racing are turning their backs on drivers who’ve paid their dues in more “traditional” types of preparing to race in NASCAR’s top series.

There are really two types of drivers who fall into the group of those who’re being left out of rides taken by drivers from open-wheel circuits.

First, there are veterans like Sterling Marlin, Tony Raines, Ward Burton and so on who are still looking for places to race in 2008. The complaint is that if Dario Franchitti weren’t coming over from the IndyCar Series there might be a place for these guys.

Well, that’s just not true. It’s possible that David Stremme would still be in the cars Franchitti will drive for Chip Ganassi this year if Franchitti had stayed where he was. But it’s far less likely that one of the older veterans would have gotten that ride, or any other big-time ride, especially those who’re 45 years old or more.

Professional sports are dominated by younger participants, and even though a Harry Gant comes along once every three or four racing generations there’s a reason for that. The average age of a NASCAR race winner is just over 33.6 years. You can look that up. I have.

If open-wheel drivers weren’t coming to NASCAR, it’s possible the veterans could add a couple more years to their careers. But is that what’s good for the sport? Isn’t it better for NASCAR to competitors at or near the top of their game instead of people who’re more or less making long-term farewell tours?

It’s more likely, though, those rides could go to younger drivers. Three years ago, THAT was the problem everybody was complaining about. Everybody had a 15-year-old or six in a driver development program and each of them was supposed to be the Next Big Thing. Some of them have made it and some more will, but some of them got washed out, too. If you’re as talented as guys like Joey Logano or Brad Coleman or Bobby Santos appear to be, somebody’s going to give you a shot.

That is, of course, unless the sport falls completely into the trap it seems to be flirting with more and more. That’s this business of giving rides in lower series not to drivers who’re talented, but to drivers whose fathers have more money (and ego) than sense or who’ve managed to find a sponsorship Sugar Daddy to bring with them to the table.

NASCAR rides should be based on a meritocracy. If it ever completely turns into an auction, that’s when people actually should be worried.

[Bob Tanner]

I totally and unequivocally disagree with this postulate. Open wheel drivers have been a part of NA__AR competition since the very beginning. Do the names Dick and Jim Rathman and Al Keller ring any bells? Look them up.

"Open-wheel racers are killing stock-car racing by taking away rides."

I disagree. I think securing spots for 35 out of 43 drivers is killing stock car racing. How absurd. When was the last time your boss told you it was okay not to give your job 100% everyday because you were going to keep your job even if you weren’t prepared for it? This is what giving a guarantee to those 35 teams tells them. Don’t y'all remember hearing several drivers and owners talking about how they didn’t really need to bust to qualify because they knew they would be in the race any way so they spent more time on race trim than qualifying trim while those outside the top 35 spent the first practice on qualifying trim.

My question is…if those top 35 teams are supposedly the better teams why do they need protection and who are we protecting them from? Shouldn’t they be able to make races without “protection” in the form of a guaranteed race spot if they are the better teams? And if they come to the track and blow an engine or wreck the car in qualifying and turn a lap that places them 47th in the field shouldn’t they go home because they weren’t good enough to race just like those teams outside the top 35?

I think any team that enters a race should have an equal opportunity to try to get into the race. The top 35 doesn’t allow that to happen. It doesn't have anything to do with which race series a driver comes from or which country he was born in.

[Racer Duck]

Yes, I disagree with the myth.

And I'll ask Mr. Poole if the name Menard, rings a bell. There's many who believe daddy bought that ride.

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As much as I don't like theidea of drivers from other series entering NASCAR I believe I'd like to see more important changes occur before I get to worried about what type of car was the last one that driver "X" drove.