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October 17, 2002
Should Winston Cup regulars compete in Busch series races? This is one of the longest running debates in the sport. Every time a Winston Cup driver dominates a Busch race the topic resurfaces. Veteran Winston Cup drivers who compete in the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) have been dubbed "Buschwhackers". Many feel there is no place in the Busch series for these crossover competitors.
The most common argument is that the Buschwhackers rob the series’ regulars of their already limited purses. Let’s take a look at the actual numbers. After Saturday’s race the total winnings for the top forty drivers in Busch points was a little over $20.3 million. Of this total Winston Cup regulars pocketed less than $2.1 million. This is a small price to pay for the opportunity to race against the best stock car drivers in the world. How much would it cost the Shreveport Swamp Dragons to bring Barry Bonds in from San Francisco for a few games? Both Major League Baseball and the NHL have minor leagues. The "farm teams" are each affiliated with one of the premiere teams. This system allows scouts and coaches to recognize, recruit and develop the future stars of their sports. However, NASCAR owners and sponsors want immediate success. Few are willing to invest the years required for a championship team to evolve. NASCAR is a performance-based sport, in which drivers that don’t produce are quickly replaced. In a refreshing move Richard Childress has chosen to nurture a young driver rather than replace him. RCR recently announced 2001 NBS champion, Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter will share driving duties in the #21 in 2003. The primary sponsor will be Hershey Foods and their PayDay candy bar. A Winston Cup regular, Harvick will drive in fifteen events. Sauter will compete in the remaining races. A proven winner, Sauter claimed the 2001 American Speed Association championship. However, he has struggled during his rookie Busch season. Sauter feels working with a veteran driver will help hone his skills. He said, "Kevin knows what it takes to win…I can learn a few things from him." Childress agrees, "Kevin's a proven champion in the Busch Series and Johnny's got all the potential in the world to be a champion himself so the two of them working together is going to be exciting to see." Winston Cup drivers do have a place in Busch Series events. They are there to teach by example. Less experienced drivers need to compete with these veterans. There are many lessons to be learned and there is no textbook for this course. KUDOS – To the Coors Light team and Jamie McMurray. Exhibiting patience beyond his experience McMurray prevailed through cautions, pitstops and restarts. Quite a feat for a newcomer. He then held off Bobby Labonte to claim his first victory in only his second Winston Cup start. McMurry may be a natural but a great deal of the credit goes to the #40 team. Flawless pitstops and the superb leadership of Lee McCall and Tony Glover were also key to the victory. Jamie also seems to be a natural with the press. In the post-race interview McMurray was asked what his thoughts were as the laps wound down, "Actually I was thinking of everyone in this room. All of you had asked Chip so many times why he hired me. Tonight, I wanted to answer all those questions." His answer seems to have been, "I am the real deal." TO THE WOODSHED – This week Todd Bodine gets a trip to the "shed of dread". Todd, Todd, Todd when you drive in wet grass, lose it and take out a quarter of the field own up to your mistake. It’s time to grow up and stop the injured innocent act, it's growing old.
Other articles by Orlena Miller.. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.
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Do the Buschwhackers Belong?
