Carl Edwards weighs in on Brian France's planned Nationwide tour changes, and offers suggestions
Carl Edwards (R) and Nationwide crew chief Drew Blickensderfer (2nd from right) (Photo: Autostock)
By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
So Brian France wants to change up the Nationwide series for 2011 and give new drivers and new team owners a better shot at getting a foothold in NASCAR....and cut back somehow on the dominance of the Sprint Cup crossovers.
Carl Edwards, the Cup star who is battling fellow Cup star Brad Keselowski for this year's Nationwide championship, says France should consider what advantages Cup drivers have:
"Full-time Cup drivers have more track time....we've got more experience...and some of us have teams that might have more resources," Edwards says. "So I would hope that if they're going to make some changes, that they address those issues.
"I would say 'If you're a full-time Cup driver, or in the top-25 in points in the Cup series, and you want to race Nationwide, you get hardly any practice.'
"Go out and make a couple runs and get your car as good as it is and then go park it.
"Then I would also say that no matter where you qualify, you start in the back. So Kyle Busch, Keselowski and I all start dead last. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a 300-mile race, or whatever, and if we can't make it to the front, we don't belong there.
"That does a couple things – As a fan I'd like to see some fast guys start in the back. That's exciting. Some drama is going to happen, and there's going to be some passing...and it also gives those guys (Nationwide regulars) a leg up and a head start. They get clean air, and a little more recognition and TV time, and experience racing up in the front.
"I do believe it's important to still let us race for a championship."
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I disagree that Cup drivers
I disagree that Cup drivers should still be allowed to race for the Nationwide championship, but otherwise I like his comments about less practice and starting in the back. I'm just glad NASCAR is even taking a look at this problem...I honestly never thought that would happen!
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i think if you were in the
i think if you were in the top 25 in sprint cup the year prior no nationwide races. or you run for money not points
That is ridiculous. You
That is ridiculous. You should not be allowed to race for a championship in more than one division, and you should not be allowed to race nationwide for a cup car owner if you race full time cup. Its that simple.
I get so frustrated trying to explain how Carl Edwards can race cup and be the Nationwide champion to people who don't follow racing.
Can't believe it, Carl said
Can't believe it, Carl said something I like.
Carl, you have zero right to
Carl, you have zero right to race Busch/Nationwide races. Period. Don't enter and NASCAR needs to disband all Winston Cup participation in support series, BGN and Trucks.
Was Carl sober when he made
Was Carl sober when he made these comments? Of course Cup drivers and Cup owners have more resources to compete in the Nationwide Series. That's why they dominate, and that's why they don't need to be racing in these series. But, of course, it's going to take away some of their payday so they aren't going to give an unbiased opinion. I don't know what's worse, Cup drivers bragging about dominating the lesser series or fans of those drivers who pay to go watch the support series races only because they are in it.
If France is finally going to make some changes, it's about 15 years overdue. Better late than never, but I want to see what they are before giving any "amens" to them. Unless they limit the number of Cup drivers in each race and keep them from running for points the changes will be meaningless.
here's an idea: no purse
here's an idea: no purse money for cup guys in nationwide. they're in it, partly, for sponsorship angles, and economics of scale, and all that. but maybe nascar should put the purse money in the hands of the real nationwide teams.
I do not think that any cup
I do not think that any cup driver should be allowed to run in the Nationwide series. They take away from up and coming future drivers who need to get the experience to move on to the next series when the time is right. There are enough new drivers and teams that the cup drivers take away the sponsorship and the money needed for them to be able to run each week. I can't believe that Carl Edwards is so naive to make such statements.
in a perfect world, perhaps
in a perfect world, perhaps yes, bar the cup stars. but promoters are busting hard to sell tickets, and they need some cup names. one problem: if sunday cup races were sellouts, like they used to be, then promoters could force fans to buy a saturday ticket too in order to get a sunday ticket. promoters cant do that now. so saturday nationwide events are facing a precarious situation. i think carl edwards' plan of putting all the cup guys in the back for the start might be a good idea. but i think nascar needs to do more. i think the nationwide series needs its own champion, not a cup star winning the title. on top of all that, consider sponsorship issues. i walked through the nationwide garage at daytona, and i was stunned at how many teams really have no legitimate sponsorship. truck garage is the same. i dont know that this sport at the moment can support all three national series, certainly not at the traditional level. i'd try a salary cap of some type on nationwide and truck.