NASCAR Roundtable: Does Kyle Busch's criticism have merit?

With the comments shared by Kyle Busch, and later by his brother Kurt, do you feel there is a bias from NASCAR in marketing its 'younger' drivers?

Jim: NASCAR is in a tight spot. It's had a lot of popular and successful veterans leave in recent years so there is naturally an influx of young talent. Unlike other pro sports, NASCAR holds its biggest event as its first of the year. NASCAR doesn't want the winner of that event to be unknown to fans, or the race the first time fans have heard of the name (similar to what happened with Trevor Bayne in 2011). I have no problem with NASCAR highlighting these newcomers so long as they tend to focus on their achievements that got them into the position they are today. Promoting them simply because they are "young" or "new" is a disservice to the sport in general.

Lee: Certainly, NASCAR allocates more marketing dollars to promote the younger drivers with NASCAR Next and as they rise through the K&N Pro, trucks and Xfinity Series ranks. In the Monster Energy Cup Series there’s been a good balance—until this year with top stars such as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Tony Stewart fading away. The push has been towards building the brands of the newcomers as even more veterans and champions such as Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick retire in the next few years.

Nick: Yes, NASCAR does push the younger drivers more because they are the future and the sport would be foolish not to establish their names. However, they also can't forget the ones who have been here for so long. It's a fine line to walk. Kyle could have used better language in voicing his displeasure, but I tend to agree with Kurt, who essentially said that they need to promote the young guns that have proven their worth and not promote them just because they're a fresh face.

Tim: I think there is a need to draw newer and younger fans to the sport and NASCAR is trying to attract them by promoting drivers they feel can connect more to the younger fan base. Is it fair to the veterans, maybe not, but the veterans have more of a following built in than the younger drivers do at this point in their careers. I feel Kyle has a point, but I don’t think NASCAR has done anything maliciously.

With all the uncertainty of a couple of Cup teams, most notably BK Racing, on whether or not they will compete in 2018, do you think we could see numerous races this season in the Cup series with less than 40 cars?

Jim: Yes, in fact we had some in 2017 as well. For the most part, there is little reason - financially or otherwise - for a non-charter team to compete these days. Except for a few races - such as the Daytona 500 - I doubt there is any financial incentive to enter as an "open" team, especially when you know going in there is a 99.9 percent chance you're not going to win the race.

Lee: It’s certainly possible, particularly after Daytona. Atlanta did not have a full 40-car field last year and as the Cup tour headed west, the count remained at 39 before dipping to 38 at Martinsville Speedway. It wasn’t until Texas Motor Speedway—the seventh race of the season with one of the top-paying purses—that 40 cars returned to the field.

Nick: We saw it a bit in 2017, so it wouldn't surprise. With the Charter system, it wouldn't be surprising to see 36-car fields in the future. And personally, I'd rather have a smaller, more competitive field than more field fillers.

Tim: Just like last season, I expect we’ll see races in all three national divisions with less than full fields at some point this season. While it is not the norm, I would rather have 36 Cup cars racing instead of seeing 40 cars with four or more of them ‘riding around’ to collect a paycheck. You don’t need a full field of cars to have a great race. I would rather see competitive racing than a full field.  

What do you feel has been the biggest NASCAR news this offseason?

Jim: I would have to say the move of Richard Petty Motorsports from the Ford camp to Chevrolet and housing its operation on the campus of Richard Childress Racing was probably the biggest offseason move. That combined with RCR downsizing from three to two teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series makes for a lot of change in Welcome, N.C.

Lee: Danica Patrick reuniting with GoDaddy for her NASCAR farewell would have to top the news stories. While I didn’t see the ThorSport manufacturer change coming or a media tour without a state-of-the-sport speech, it has been a rather quiet offseason. 

Nick: It's been a fairly quiet offseason, but the manufactuer switches and Danica's GoDaddy reunion have ti top the list.

Tim: Based on the past couple of years this has been a very quiet offseason in NASCAR. For me, seeing Richard Petty Motorsports and Thorsport Racing both switch manufacturers is the biggest offseason news to me.

Do you think ThorSport Racing's late switch to Ford will hurt or help them this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series?

Jim: I would tend to think it will hurt, only because the move was so late. But without knowing how far along the organization was in preparation for the 2018 season, it's hard to say. The also completed their driver lineup just recently, which could also affect their cohesiveness. Of the group, veteran Matt Crafton will likely have the easiest adjustment. He's pretty much seen and done it all in the Truck Series and seemed pretty enthusiastic about the move during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.

Lee: It can’t help. But ThorSport was likely tired of playing second fiddle to Kyle Busch Motorsports under the Toyota brand. Although Ford did not anticipate having truck teams in 2018—its F150 is already the best-selling truck in the U.S.—ThorSport will receive some support. The first three races will likely be tough for the Sandusky, Ohio-based team. However, there’s a three-week break after Las Vegas and more than a month to prepare trucks between Martinsville and Dover. 

Nick: With how sudden it was, there will have to be an adjustment period. I will be surprised if they come out of the box swinging, but this is an established team with plenty of resources. 

Tim: I think they might struggle early just because of the late switch in manufacturers, but their base of drivers, led by Matt Crafton, has the talent and experience to score a win later on in the season and once again contend for the playoffs. I do feel for the crew guys as I’m sure they’ve been going 24/7 for the past few weeks getting ready for Daytona.