Junior: NASCAR must fix 'suffering' Busch Series
Past championship driver, owner says Cup influx is a problem
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
July 8, 2006



JOLIET, Ill. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. says NASCAR needs to address the increasingly large number of Nextel Cup drivers in the Busch Series soon.

"The series is suffering,'' he said.

Inside the Numbers
Dale Eanrhardt Jr.'s driving record in the Busch Series
Starts 89
Wins 21
Top-5s 44
Top-10s 56
Poles 9
Avg. Start 10.3
Avg. Finish 11.8

Earnhardt has experienced the Busch Series as a driver and an owner. He won two championships [1998, '99] as a driver before moving fulltime into Cup and won two more the past two seasons as an owner for Martin Truex Jr.

He still drives a limited Busch schedule, winning last week's race at Daytona and running in Saturday's race at Chicagoland.

But Earnhardt doesn't think Cup drivers, who won 16 of the first 18 Busch Series races before Chicagoland, should be a regular in NASCAR's secondary series.

"It's a challenge running in the Busch Series,'' Earnhardt said when asked if current situation hurts the development of young drivers. "It's fun to have days like we did last weekend where we won the race and I was able to enjoy racing in the same car that I own and have so much pride in.

"[But] I would like to see some limitations on Cup drivers as far as their ability to compete. For the sake of the series and longevity of the series, what's happening right now is slightly detrimental to that.''

Earnhardt said his Busch team is fortunate because it has a relationship with Richard Childress Racing's engine program. He can't imagine how teams without resources from Cup teams survive.


While NASCAR would like to use the Busch Series to develop young drivers, officials also attribute the rise in attendance and television ratings to the influx of Cup drivers.

Busch Series director Joe Balash said there's no easy way to rectify the situation.

"As far as the competitiveness, we've taken a look at it from a number of different perspectives,'' he said. "There's not one easy answer to say is there a limitation? Can you keep people from competing? We want to have a series where it's open for everyone to compete.''

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mrsmopar12 Fan Club Member #1
Intimidator1951-2001
If this was the 1950's, Jeff Gordon would be Pat Boone and Dale Jr. would be Elvis....both were great singers, but we know who had the most fans.

I totally agree with Jr, if you race in the Cup Series you should stay there and not invade the Busch Series, it takes all the competition away for the Busch regulars.

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i think that it's ok for them to race there, but they need to put a cap on the prize money that a cup driver can take home, like no matter how good he finishes, he should get one pre-set amount of money. the points should not be awarded to cup drivers, unless they are like harvick and commit to running the whole series. then for the guys who double dip in cup and busch, there should be a limit to how many starts they can make in a season.

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mrsmopar12 Fan Club Member #1
Intimidator1951-2001
If this was the 1950's, Jeff Gordon would be Pat Boone and Dale Jr. would be Elvis....both were great singers, but we know who had the most fans.

Maybe they should make it to where the Cup Regulars race in the Busch Series on 7 times a year maximum. If it wasn`t for the Nextel Regulars, Paul Menard would be leading the Busch Series points right now.

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well, we cant discourage Harvick for his Busch participation, he's running the whole schedule, so Paul would be 2nd

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mrsmopar12 Fan Club Member #1
Intimidator1951-2001
If this was the 1950's, Jeff Gordon would be Pat Boone and Dale Jr. would be Elvis....both were great singers, but we know who had the most fans.

I still think it`s rediculous, what`s the point of running in a racing division if you`re going to dominate it?

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Maybe now that someone NASCAR might listen to is complaining, something might be done. I doubt it, though.

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"Why do so many people need help? Life's not that complicated. You get up, go to work, eat three meals, take one good s***, and go back to bed. What's the f***ing mystery?" - George Carlin - Complaints & Grievances

It's all about "butts in the Stands". In the Hotel biz it's called "heads in beds" That equals dollars all the way around. Food sales in the concession stands,T shirt sales, all the driver memorabilia, Tv rights,commercial airtime during a big race. All of that adds up to bilions of dollars.That is why Buschwackers are in there. Its not about the racing or being the proving ground for up and coming drivers. Its money money money. If you knew how much money the france family pulled down in a year its insane! The bottom line will drive the decisions to where it is most profitable. Here are a couple of quotes from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and wikapedia.

"Members of the France family, which owns NASCAR, are among the wealthiest people in the country, with more net worth than Oprah Winfrey and Arthur Blank, according to Forbes magazine."

"Bill France Jr., Brian France's father, and James France, his uncle, are worth $1.6 billion and are ranked No. 198 on the Forbes list of the 400 Richest Americans."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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International Speedway Corporation Type Public (NYSE: ISCA)
Founded 1953 (as Bill France, Inc.)
Location Daytona Beach, Florida
Key people Bill France, Sr., founder
Industry Service
Products Sporting activities
Revenue $754.63 Million USD (2005, November)
Operating income $412.15 Million USD (2005, November)
Net income $162.09 Million USD (2005, November)
Employees 1,000 (full time)
Website www.iscmotorsports.com
International Speedway Corporation (NYSE: ISCA) or ISC is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. About 55% of the stock in ISC is owned by the heirs of NASCAR founder William France Sr. and the remainder trades on the stock market. Although ISC is the private property of the France family, it is separate from NASCAR.

The corporation owns California Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Richmond International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, and the Watkins Glen International road course and owns a minority interest in Chicagoland Speedway. Together these tracks hold slightly less than two-thirds of the events on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series schedule. ISC has also agreed to purchase 600 acres (2.4 km²) on Staten Island in New York for the construction of a new speedway.

In 2005, Kentucky Speedway filed a lawsuit against ISC and NASCAR, claiming that NASCAR violated federal antitrust laws by not awarding them a Nextel Cup race, noting the close relationship between NASCAR, ISC, and the France Family.

The company's other holdings include the Motor Racing Network, a radio network that broadcasts NASCAR events, Americrown, a food service business that operates concession stands at its tracks, and DAYTONA USA, an attraction just outside Daytona International Speedway. In 2006, ISC partnered with Speedway Motorsports, Inc. to form Motorsports Authentics, a company that markets and distributes NASCAR-related souvenirs and collectibles.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Speedway_Corporation"

I am not faulting anything that this family has done. It is a true American success story. We as fans that watch and attend racing for the excitement of "rooting" for our favorite driver,sponsor or whatever do and even if you won't admit it out loud, love the the rubbing,the pushing, the shoving , the rivalries and even the crashes. The France family has been managing and growing this sport for a very long time and have prospered handsomely from it. They will continue to do so with profits in mind.
Just my thoughts.-Chef-

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Life is short, Eat it HOT!

This is why I love NASCAR!

The current France family involvement in NA$CAR is what will eventually kill the sport as it was once known. Everyone should gain as much wealth as you can but it shouldn't happen at the expense of the sport itself. I'm sure there will always be a NA$CAR but it will slowly turn into another WWF sport.

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