As of this season, I am officially a devout Nationwide series fan.  In the past, I tried to give the series serious attention, but I would usually find something else to do on Saturday.  The junior series Daytona races were interesting with Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick duking it out for the win, but that was pretty much it.  What changed this year?  I went right past partial interest all the way to  “Don’t Want To Miss A Race” fan. After reading other blogs and articles and the comments that followed, I realized I am not alone.

So what has made the Nationwide series more interesting and is there more that could be done?For starters, the Sprint Cup drivers are no longer allowed to run for points. Although not the biggest factor, I do believe this rule change has played a part in changing our perception of Nationwide. Kyle Busch, Edwards and Keselowski are usually up front, but at least we can exclusively track the Nationwide regulars in the points standings. This season, I feel as if I get to watch a race within a race.  A Cup regular for the win and the Nationwide regular for the points lead.

The points restriction also helps the Nationwide drivers receive more recognition during the broadcasts. The points leader and race winner are now often different drivers. Before, Keselowski or Busch would be leading the points and dominating the race. Now, regardless of who is in the lead, the announcers also comment on the Nationwide points battle and the drivers vying for the title.  Naturally, we then get to know the drivers better.  Would we know as much about Ricky Stenhouse Jr. if he was fighting for fourth in points rather than first?

On the other hand, increased notability does not automatically increase the excitement of the actual racing. Yet, I do believe the 2011 races have been more exciting.  This year, the racing is more exciting because of new and unique talent and the support they receive from great race teams. We should thank teams like KHI, Roush Fenway, Jr. Motorsports, and JGR for supporting these new drivers. They give their drivers great equipment, teams and training.

Jack Roush’s expertise and encouragement, as well as his well told patience,  have turned Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into a recognizably great driver. Kevin and Delana Harvick gave Austin Dillon the chance to show potential sponsors and owners that he has what it takes to compete in the Nationwide series. Dale Jr. presented Danica Patrick with the chance to see if she can race a stock car. Each of these teams has given talented drivers the opportunity to shine.

These new drivers and their great equipment allows them to compete with the invading Cup drivers. We have enjoyed Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. battling for the lead in what we can assume to be equal equipment. Watching Stenhouse Jr. compete with and even outrun his Cup driver teammate adds another level of excitement.

Kevin Harvick (33) & Nationwide regular Trevor Bayne (16)

NASCAR still has some work to do regarding Cup drivers participating in Nationwide events. This is most evident in this season’s winners. Nationwide regulars have only won four of the twenty-two races thus far. If a driver elects not to seek Nationwide points, he should be limited to a certain number of races.

In no other sport do the major athletes participate regularly in development league events. I understand that the difference between Cup and Nationwide circuits is not directly analogous to baseball’s minor leagues or Arena Football to the NFL.  Cup drivers clearly see Nationwide as a competive alternative.  Also, Cup drivers participating in Nationwide races enhances Nationwide attendance – think Michael Jordan in the minors selling out the stadium for the Birmingham Barons, a rare example in professional baseball but a weekly reality in NASCAR. The presence of Cup drivers obviously helps with marketing and gives Nationwide regulars an opportunity to measure their skills, but I think the Cup regulars should back down. I find that it gets old to watch Carl Edwards dominate Saturday after Saturday, when I can watch him on Sunday, too.

I think NASCAR should limit the number of Nationwide races a Cup driver can enter each year. It is time to give the face of the series back to the Nationwide regulars without completely barring Cup points getters. The Nationwide men and women have proven this year that they can give us exciting races, filled with entertaining talent.

If you cannot already tell, Bristol is my favorite racetrack. The track facilities are very similar in both size and shape to a bowl football stadium. This allows for the chance to be up close and personal with the race cars.  Every lap is filled with sliding cars, flaring driver temper and simply good racing. I believe everyone would be a NASCAR fan if they could experience a race at Bristol.



Anyone can see that Bayne is a competitor. He races to win, but this focus is not what drives him. He is racing for so much more than just a win. Bayne races to bring God glory. Whether or not you are a believer, you have to admit that there is something different about this twenty year old. His entrance into the sport is unlike the entrances of Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. Bayne has talent just as they do, but he hasn’t let that talent get to his head. One can see that Bayne recognizes he is here to learn and gain respect from the NASCAR community. That respect is something Bayne will cherish in the years to come. Drivers like Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Bobby Labonte, just to name a few, all have respect in the garage area. Bayne has definitely begun the process of gaining that same respect in these past few weeks. Names such as Darrel Waltrip and Jeff Gordon have shown their support for this rookie. To let a rookie push you in the Daytona 500 says a lot about respect. Gordon put his race on the line by working with Bayne and it paid off.

2011 Auto Club 400

Bayne also seems to recognize the burden placed on those in the spotlight. Whether or not all stars want to admit it, being in the spotlight means you are being watched and therefore have the responsibility to be a role model. Some say they didn’t ask to be a role model. I believe that it is not a choice. If you put yourself on a platform, people are going to watch you. I believe our culture has lost this sense of responsibility. The focus on individuality often goes too far in the culture of stardom. We have lost concern for the way our actions influence others. Some would say that this influence is not one’s responsibility to another, but I argue that it is. As humans, we are shaped by our community. We cannot help it. Bayne seems to recognize the responsibility of being on a platform for all to see. This recognition is evident in his demeanor on and off the track.

I want to thank Bayne for being a new inspiration to the sport. I urge him not to lose his responsibility to something higher than simply driving a race car well. He has entered the sport at a prime time. So many things are changing. Older drivers are moving on. Drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have become the veterans. The next generation of NASCAR drivers is emerging and Bayne has the power to challenge them to be accountable to a higher standard.

For the last four seasons, Kurt Busch has uncharacteristically flown below the radar. He has not been nearly as successful as he was in the past and has kept his arrogance in check. This is quite a drastic change. During interviews, he says just the right thing, complementing other drivers and even NASCAR’s leadership skills. At first I was skeptical. Is this just really good PR work? Or has he changed? Up until these last few weeks, I was sticking to the former. I thought that the perfection of his interviews was deceiving. I often wondered if he knew how obvious he was. But, I am beginning to think this really is the new and improved Kurt Busch. I am very close to believing his change is sincere. I never would have allowed those words to come out of my mouth a year ago, but I do not think someone can flawlessly pretend to be good for over three years.

However, I still cannot completely believe he is changed. It seems that all the current facts point against me, but I cannot let go of what happened in the past. Is this wrong?  I am beginning to think it might be. If I had gone through a change like it appears Kurt Busch has, I would long for acceptance. I would get tired of the boos I no longer deserve. I would begin to question if anyone would give me a second chance. So, should I and the rest of the NASCAR world believe in him and give him a second chance? Or is there still good reason to be skeptical?

Despite Kyle’s success on the track, the race fans and drivers do not seem to be falling for him. Even the broadcasters have difficulty speaking highly of the 23 year old. Can any driver be a true champion without the respect of the NASCAR community? I believe the answer is no. I think the NASCAR community considers Dale Earnhardt a champion. Earnhardt definitely showed equal if not more talent than Kyle Busch, but there is one other thing Dale Earnhardt possessed that makes him a true champion and that is respect. Memories of Dale Earnhardt the Intimidator may be coming to many of your minds. NASCAR fans either love him or hate him.

This love or hate relationship is what I believe distinguishes Dale Earnhardt from Kyle Busch. Most of the NASCAR community dislikes Kyle Busch, but Dale Earnhardt had respect for the other 42 drivers on the race track. He did not just drive to win pushing anyone out of his way and talking poorly of his team and fellow drivers. Kyle Busch, I believe, lacks this respect for others in the NASCAR community. This is not only evident on the race track, but off the track as well. Kyle’s interviews pretty much follow two formats. This first format applies when the race goes well and Kyle speaks of how the race went and what he did to win. The second format applies when the race does not goes so well and Kyle speaks of what the other drivers did incorrectly or the mistakes of his own team. This is not a way to gain respect. In order for Kyle Busch to be considered a true champion he must earn the respect of the NASCAR community. He should begin with simply showing them some respect.

To give you a better idea of this abnormality, I thought I would briefly explain the events of any given NASCAR weekend. Typically the NASCAR teams arrive early Friday morning to unload and set up and then, spend the early afternoon and evening in multiple practice and qualifying sessions. Fridays are open to the general public for a low ticket price. I have been to at least ten Friday events and I have watched even more on TV. The typical crowd present for this day usually fills 20% of the grandstands. Saturday morning is spent in more practice and qualifying sessions leading up to the Nationwide, the lower division, race. The crowd on hand at the start of the race typically fills 75% of the grand stands. And then comes Sunday, the big race! Sundays almost always have a sold out crowd.

With this in mind, you can see why I was surprised to see the crazy number of people present this last Friday. The same proved to be true on Saturday. What is different about Las Vegas Motor Speedway? Is it the facilities? The fans? As I thought about this throughout the weekend, I came to some conclusions. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is overall very fan friendly. I have been to 8 NASCAR race tracks throughout the country and Las Vegas was definitely the cleanest and most up to date. On top of this, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a unique infield set up, very much like a theme park. They call it the Neon Garage. The driver’s garages are set up in a circle and each garage can be viewed through windows up top or down below. Fans are charged to enter the garage area, but are able to watch the drivers and teams at work in their element. To have this experience at all other tracks, fans must have a hot pass, essentially a press pass and they are incredibly difficult to get unless you are a journalist or know someone who knows someone. I wonder if the Neon Garage will catch on at the other racetracks.

My answer would be yes. Rookies with little experience need more opportunities to advance their skills. Practice sessions just a few days prior to race day is not enough. You have drivers going to racetracks they have never been to before. In 2009, during the Spring Talladega Nationwide race, rookie Joey Logano hit Michael Waltrip a bit too hard, sending him down the track taking Clint Bowyer with him. Logano’s mistake could have been prevented with a little more track time. In a post race interview for ESPN, Logano apologized to Waltrip and said, “learned my lesson on that one.” Bump drafting is a skill that takes drivers much time to master. Logano recently received his clearance to race at restrictor plate tracks. This plus the no-testing policy have limited his opportunities to hone the skill of bump drafting. Something needs to be done to prevent incidents like Logano’s from causing tragic results in the future. Although the new policy has had a positive effect on the competition, NASCAR needs to take a look at other effects.

My proposal to fix this problem is to alter the rule, allowing rookies to test. Provide the teams with a select number of test sessions at the more difficult tracks. In order to keep the competition between rookies as equal as possible, perhaps NASCAR could regulate the number of test sessions per team, keeping them all equal. Like the rest of us, NASCAR has had to adjust to the current economic times, but the safety of the drivers still needs to be their highest priority.

As I often do in a situation like this, I made a list. I came up with ten answers to the question, “why NASCAR?”.

1. It is family owned and operated.

2. It has a close community.

3. The athletes’ careers generally last longer than in other organized sports.

4. Fans have more access to the athletes.

5. Strategy is key.

6. The race is about more than just the athlete.

7. The veterans are still very much involved.

8. The season is long.

9. The “playing field” switches up weekly.

10. A good relationship between the athletes is encouraged.

I read the list over a few times and noticed that seven of the ten answers could be summed up by the word community. It has been said before that NASCAR is like a family, and I really think there is something to this. For one, NASCAR is the only family owned sport franchise in America. The France family started NASCAR back in the late 40’s and are still managing the sport today. The fact that they have kept the sport in the family is valued by the participants and fans and the effect of this can been seen in most every aspect of the sport.

NASCAR itself has become a family. The athletes are much more interconnected than most sports. Unlike team sports such as soccer or basketball, the drivers “play” against each other every week. The 43 drivers starting each race varies a little, but the top 35 usually stay the same week in and week out even over the course of a few seasons. This allows the drivers and teams more time to interact. After all, they are with each other 38 weeks out of the year.

Because these drivers spend so much time in the same vicinity, they cannot make any real enemies. Sure you can avoid a guy for a few laps, maybe even an entire race, but the reality is you are going to run into him sooner or later on or off the track. When something does happen between two drivers, the unwritten protocol is to call each other and smooth things over before the next race. This does not happen in any other sport.

Another aspect of the family side of NASCAR is the veteran involvement. Names such as Petty, Waltrip and Wallace mean even more to the sport then just their legacies. Richard Petty still attends each race and will head up his own race team for the 2011 season. Michael Waltrip is continuing the family name through Michael Waltrip Racing. Darrell Waltrip is still a popular personality even though he has not raced in decades. Rusty Wallace has become an ESPN analyst and owns a Nationwide team. I believe due the involvement of names like these, the sport has stayed grounded in its roots. The focus on tradition gives the sport a personality like no other.

Aside from the family aspect, the strategy and changing “playing field” switch up also add to NASCAR’s uniqueness. A race does not merely consist of 43 cars turning left. There is strategy involved with each lap. How many tires will everyone take, will a wedge adjustment work, should I pit now or in five laps? The answers to each of these questions can change the entire outcome of a race. The driver has to be able to accurately describe what is going on in the car to his crew chief and the crew chief has to be able to apply those concerns to an immediate solution.

In addition to important strategy and communication, the “playing field” of NASCAR, otherwise known as the track, changes each week. Yes, the cars still drive in circles for hours at a time, but strategy and skill must be adjusted each week. What worked last week, probably won’t work next, some drivers excel at certain tracks while others struggle but do well elsewhere. It keeps the driver, teams and fans on their toes.

All this to say, I find NASCAR to be much more than 43 cars going in circles. It is a sport that has a unique familial foundation. The experience is a traveling city with a small town feel. NASCAR has held true to its past and values its roots. As far as the specific races go, between strategy and driver-team communication, a race is composed of much more that driving left. I hope this article will inspire readers to attend a race and give NASCAR a chance. When you walk around pit road, the unique personality of this amazing sport will be hard to deny.