Wave of the Future

"Team owners in Nascar are making a short-term profit from the flow of open wheel talent flocking to the sport. But are they mortgaging their future away with a lack of homegrown talent? "

"Nascar will benefit, as will its team owners, from landing big name drivers like Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr., but are they shutting out a whole generation of drivers in the process?"

These are some of the questions that are being asked by concerned Nascar fans about the state of their sport. The answer to these questions is easy to find. Everyone knows that sponsors like a name. Let's face it Dario Franchitti is more recognizable to a consumer than Travis Kvapil. Next year's Sprint Cup rookie class will be star studded for sure, but do you really see that being a trend? Most things in life go through an ebb and flow cycle. If for the next three years, superstars flock from Grand-Am, F1, and IRL to Nascar, will it spell doom to young, unproven drivers? Not really. Smaller Cup teams are always looking for young drivers on the cheap. A driver with some personality and upside will always attract a sponsor.

This year is unique because the number of new seats available for rookies is slim to begin with. With the open wheel drivers filling most of the vacancies, fans may think that their sport is turning away young unproven talent for experienced drivers. While many Cup fans do not seem that exicited over the "migration" of open wheel driver into Cup, fans must remember one thing. Many teams have opted for a proven winner, over a young prospect, in order to get the most money out of a sponsor. Sponsors want a name not a project. It sadly is the nature of the Cup this year.

However, who is to say we won't have a bushel of new talent in 2008? Open rides in Cup fluctuate from year to year. And unless Sam Wheldon, Danica Patrick, Michael Shumacher, and Lewis Hamilton all decide to leave their respective series to come over to Nascar, plenty of 20-year old rookies will get a chance at Cup racing and stardom next year.