If the early reports are true NASCAR drivers will have to declare one series to earn championship points.
Although NASCAR officials have scheduled an announcement in Daytona, during an open tire test on January 21st with testing at Daytona with president Mike Helton and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton, NASCAR.com has report of a rules change.
Kenny Wallace told the website that on his license application contained the following language:
"A driver will only be permitted to earn driver championship points in one (1) of the following three series: NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Please select the series in which you would like to accumulate driver championship points. Choose one."
A little perspective is required to understand this, possible, policy shift. Many years ago when NASCAR junior circuit was then called Late Model Sportsman (and later Busch) the drivers tended to stay in just one series except for big weekends when Cup-level drivers would also race in the Saturday “preliminary,” to help the promoter sell tickets.
Over time Cup drivers came to race regularly in the Busch (now Nationwide) Series earning the sobriquet Buschwackers because they would in cars prepared by their major league teams and take away prize money from the Triple-A regulars.
Even before the big economic downturn purely Nationwide teams struggled to raise finances to compete with the Cup teams and the number of Nationwide teams started to dwindle.
At the same time, promoters needed the Cup drivers to fill seats on Saturday.
As a result of all Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide series young, upcoming drivers had less of an opportunity to learn their craft while the solely Nationwide teams were clinging the ledge by their fingernails to remain in NASCAR.
If this rule change comes to pass it will be a compromise, it appeases the promoters by having the Cup drivers in the, mostly, Saturday, support events and will put more prize money in the pockets of the Nationwide teams allowing them to continue racing and provide a training ground for upcoming drivers.
Unless and until NASCAR adopts a Major League Baseball-type farm system this may be a solution to the ongoing financial issues.
On the other hand, if the rule was in place in 2010, Brad Keselowski might not have been able to run for the Nationwide title thus leaving Roger Penske without a NASCAR series owner’s title.
Although NASCAR officials have scheduled an announcement in Daytona, during an open tire test on January 21st with testing at Daytona with president Mike Helton and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton, NASCAR.com has report of a rules change.
Kenny Wallace told the website that on his license application contained the following language:
"A driver will only be permitted to earn driver championship points in one (1) of the following three series: NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Please select the series in which you would like to accumulate driver championship points. Choose one."
A little perspective is required to understand this, possible, policy shift. Many years ago when NASCAR junior circuit was then called Late Model Sportsman (and later Busch) the drivers tended to stay in just one series except for big weekends when Cup-level drivers would also race in the Saturday “preliminary,” to help the promoter sell tickets.
Over time Cup drivers came to race regularly in the Busch (now Nationwide) Series earning the sobriquet Buschwackers because they would in cars prepared by their major league teams and take away prize money from the Triple-A regulars.
Even before the big economic downturn purely Nationwide teams struggled to raise finances to compete with the Cup teams and the number of Nationwide teams started to dwindle.
At the same time, promoters needed the Cup drivers to fill seats on Saturday.
As a result of all Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide series young, upcoming drivers had less of an opportunity to learn their craft while the solely Nationwide teams were clinging the ledge by their fingernails to remain in NASCAR.
If this rule change comes to pass it will be a compromise, it appeases the promoters by having the Cup drivers in the, mostly, Saturday, support events and will put more prize money in the pockets of the Nationwide teams allowing them to continue racing and provide a training ground for upcoming drivers.
Unless and until NASCAR adopts a Major League Baseball-type farm system this may be a solution to the ongoing financial issues.
On the other hand, if the rule was in place in 2010, Brad Keselowski might not have been able to run for the Nationwide title thus leaving Roger Penske without a NASCAR series owner’s title.