Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s argument that Sprint Cup drivers should not be allowed to compete in the Nationwide Championship Series.
Before we get to the REAL heart of the debate, I will quickly touch on why NASCAR loves the idea of Sprint Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide Series.
Consider the Albuquerque Isotopes. During the three-game series where major leaguer Manny Ramirez was assigned to their minor league roster, the 15,000 seat stadium they play in was completely sold out. Pre-sold tickets for that series numbered near 7,000, compared to “average” sales which number normally in the hundreds.
The “big names” in sports are draws at any event and any location. It makes good business sense for NASCAR to continue this practice.
But, enough about that. Nobody really cares if NASCAR benefits financially from it. What I want to discuss is whether or not this is good for the sport, and whether or not it benefits drivers and fans.
For me, this comes down to one simple principle – To be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best!
While some feel that it is unfair for Sprint Cup drivers to race in the Nationwide Series, I would argue that the up-and-coming Nationwide drivers are actually in a position of advantage over many of their minor-league counterparts in other sports.
Do you know how many minor league pitchers would give their non-pitching arm just to show what THEY can do against guys like Albert Pujols? Imagine being a shortstop for a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. Do you think they’ll have ANY opportunity to showcase their skills in the majors as long as Derek Jeter is around?
Well, for the drivers in the Nationwide Series, they DO get that opportunity… and they get it often. These drivers get to show what they have against some of the best that stock-car racing has to offer. Sure, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards currently sit at first and second in the standings, but third in the standings is Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski, who races #23 for the Keith Coleman Racing Team, joined the racing circuit in 2007. After finishing 25th in the standings his rookie season, Keselowski finished third in the standings last year, and currently holds the third place ranking this year by nearly 150 points. Keselowski, who just last weekend beat Kyle Busch heads-up at Iowa Speedway, has already notched two wins this year, along with 11 top five finishes. While Keselowski is undoubtedly thrilled with his win, it is the fact that he beat Kyle Busch heads-up which makes the win impressive!
In 2008, Keselowski finished higher in money standings than series champion Clint Bowyer, a full-time Sprint Cup driver (Bowyer finished fifth in the final Sprint Cup standings), and finished more than 300 points ahead of Kyle Busch in the final standings.
Critics are quick to point out that Busch has finished at second or better in the last nine Nationwide races. What they do not point out, however, is that the only other time this feat was accomplished happened in 1983. If this were some pedestrian accomplishment that happened just because Busch is that much better than the Nationwide field, wouldn’t it have been accomplished more than twice ever, and more than once in the last 26 years? Yes, Kyle Busch is having a tremendous season in the Nationwide Series, but that does not mean that he should be prohibited from racing in the series because he is too good!
When you consider Busch’s previous seasons in the Nationwide Series, he has only finished one season in the top five, coming in second in the standings in 2004. That means that 2009 (if the standings hold) will mark only the second time he finishes in the top five, despite joining the league in 2003 and racing full time in it for many of those seasons. As a side note, Busch’s Sprint Cup standings have not been much better, with his best results being fifth and tenth place finishes in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Racing against the “Buschwhackers” provides a better litmus test for up-and-coming drivers in the Series. Previous champions of the series (before buschwhackers) such as Brian Vickers and Martin Truex, Jr. have struggled after moving on to the “big-leagues.” Perhaps if they had an opportunity for more experience against some of the Cup drivers while “developing” they would have been better prepared for their transition. When Keselowski eventually moves on to Sprint Cup, he will definitely be better prepared than his predecessors!
By allowing Sprint Cup drivers to race in the Nationwide Series, the fans, the drivers, and NASCAR all win. NASCAR benefits financially, Nationwide Series drivers can test their mettle against the “best” in racing and gain more exposure, and the fans get more opportunities to see the biggest names in the sport. How can any of that be bad?!
Because our scope is so large here at The Sports Debates, we decided it was time for another racing topic. This topic suggestion comes to us from our friend @NSCRTWTR who loyally follows and interacts with us on Twitter (don’t worry… we did not get the ESPN Twitter ban memo!).
Today’s debate question, as NSCRTWTR delivered it: Should [Sprint] Cup drivers be allowed to race and compete for [the] championship in the Nationwide series?
Currently the Nationwide series includes several Sprint Cup drivers. In fact, Sprint Cup drivers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are first and second in the points and well positioned to win the championship. Is that fair?
This is an interesting debate for a few of reasons. One, it is easy to relate to other sports – like baseball – and draw comparisons on how this talent model would work in other multi-tiered sports. Two, it is easy for true racing fans to see the some actual differences in the two series. Three, there is a business side to this debate that is difficult to ignore.
The Sports Debates’ expert debates will explore all sides of a surprisingly complex issues – should the prime talent of NASCAR racing be allowed to compete for the championship at a level of racing that is generally considered appropriate for up and coming drivers trying to break into Sprint Cup?
Bleacher Fan will argue that it is plausible and acceptable for the most talented, polished racing drivers in the NASCAR family to compete for a championship in the Nationwide Series – a series originally designed to showcase up and coming talent.
Loyal Homer will argue that Sprint Cup drivers are too talented to compete in a lower levels of competition within NASCAR.
Remember, the question here is not about a potential merger of the two series (which will never happen). Currently these are two distinctive series with enough difference between the cars (Sprint Cup cars are loaded up with more horsepower) to genuinely be two separate series. Let’s treat ‘em that way.
In reading these arguments, I’ve come to a realization – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is neither a NASCAR driver nor is he a member of Hendrick Motorsports… at least not primarily. First and foremost, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a brand.
How that brand came to be is a story all its own. He was blessed with the good fortune to share a name with one of the greatest and most beloved racecar drivers in the history of NASCAR. It’s the equivalent of a soft drink that boasts the name “Coca-Cola” or being a politician with the last name Kennedy. Some people are just born with an advantage.
Dale Jr., son of “The Intimidator,” was a recognizable name before he ever stepped on the gas pedal at a motorway.
When he won the Pepsi 400 on July 7, 2001 – a race that doubled as both the first Cup race at Daytona AND Junior’s first win since his father’s tragic death on that same track earlier that year – his celebrity status was cemented. Just as the sporting world grieved with Dale Jr. when his father died, they cheered for him as the checkered flag waved in a moment of glory and honor for the whole Earnhardt family. He was THE quintessential fan favorite!
Since then, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had many financial successes. He was named the 11th highest earning athlete of 2008 in Sports Illustrated’s Fortunate 50, for example. But, his success on the track has been elusive. As Sports Geek points out, Junior has yet to win a championship, has had only three victories in the past four seasons, and has not won a race in the last year and a half. Despite those shortcomings, the Dale Earnhardt Jr. brand still races right along!
But, is that enough to warrant Dale Jr.’s continued participation in a sport once ruled by his father? Loyal Homer seems to think so, arguing that sunny days are on the horizon for Junior. Despite a slow start with new crew chief Lance McGrew, Loyal Homer feels confident that Dale Jr. is just a few modifications away from restoring the honor of the Earnhardt name.
I’m not that confident. No matter how much money the Earnhardt brand can generate today, it HAS to be backed up by performance. A name can only carry a brand so far. Eventually, people will turn away from the ‘fashionable’ #88, for a more ‘fashionable’ winner, such as #14 or #24. Imagine if LeBron James or Kobe Bryant suddenly could not shoot better than 20%, and only averaged 8 points per game. You would eventually see a lot less #23’s and #24’s walking around!
Regarding his previous successes, I don’t think that should earn him a bye, either. He has been paid previous money for previous success. If you or I consistently failed to perform in our occupations, we would not be given any forgiveness because of our previous success. NASCAR racing is (or at least should be) no different.
People love a famous face, but they love a winner even more. While Earnhardt Jr. can claim marketing prowess today, he still operates in a pay-for-performance league. If he does not perform, the money will go away, and I just don’t see him performing up to the bar set by his far more successful teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin.
As such, it is my recommendation to the Hendrick Motorsports team to cut their ties with a sinking ship now. Sometimes the wisest investment is knowing when to cut your losses! Dale Jr. has not demonstrated an ability to compete at the same level his father once did, and should not be racing in NASCAR anymore!
Taking the checkered flag for this debate… Sports Geek!!!!!
It’s not popular to say, but I feel I’m stating the obvious – Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not deserve a high profile ride in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series for one reason – he is not a very good driver.
Car owner Rick Hendrick was recently quoted as saying, “This is the most pressure I’ve felt in racing,” when referring to the pressure to turn Junior into a winner.
And, that’s the point right there – turn Junior into a winner. Why is everyone so eager to turn him into a winner? Because he’s not a winner. He must be transformed into one… and that simply isn’t happening.
Consider Junior’s history with his now former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. (Hendrick finally fired him at the end of May). That tandem was responsible for three consecutive finishes of 27th or worse, including an embarrassing 40th place finish at NASCAR’s biggest “home game” of the year, the Coca-Cola 600.
Here’s the truth – in a sport where everything has a sponsor’s logo slapped on it (this comment is brought to you by Mountain Dew, by the way), a team cannot afford to suck, or worse, look as if they do not care. That’s a quick way to lose respect and sponsorship money (in that order). Hendrick did the right thing in jettisoning Eury Jr., but that simply is not enough. NASCAR has to realize that Junior just is not a good race car driver, and they cannot afford for the most popular driver in the series to not be up to the standard of driving set by the rest of the field.
Good race car drivers are competitive – even when they don’t have the best car – regardless of series. Look at the 2009 Formula One season and Ferrari driver Felipe Massa for evidence of that. Even though Ferrari has struggled mightily this year – as much as a second and a half off the pace per race to start the year (which is an eternity of F1) – Massa has willed an inferior car to fifth in points and his first podium finish (third) of the year last weekend at the German Grand Prix. There are countless other examples, but the point is clear – good race car drivers find a way to be competitive even when they’re chasing the car all day… or all season. Junior simply hasn’t done that.
Perhaps you’re thinking that he just isn’t a very good driver in Sprint Cup cars. Wrong. The only time he’s ventured out of his comfort zone he raced Chevrolet Corvette’s in Grand-Am and the American Le Mans (ALMS) sports car racing series. He raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona with his dad in 2001 and raced at Sonoma (a NASCAR track, mind you) in 2004 in the ‘Vette. While the sister car to Junior’s car won the entire 24-Hour racing event (a BIG deal), the Earnhardt Corvette CR-5 suffered many “spins” – you can guess who the culprit was. In his defense, though, driving out of the pits can be tricky. In case you missed it, here’s what Junior did to the Corvette (and the wall) in WARM UPS before the ALMS race at Sonoma. He got out safely, but proved his skill is overmatched in a true racing car.
Here are the facts – he’s never won a championship. He’s only had one season with more than three wins. He’s had only three victories in the last four and half years. Of his 18 career wins – in a career spanning 10 seasons – seven of his wins have been on restrictor plate tracks, where speed and ability often take a back seat to luck and friends.
Bottom line, Dale Junior is likable and marketable – but not a good race car driver. It’s the classic case of young potential never becoming real talent, and Dale Jr.’s drive should go to someone who actually has a chance to compete week in and week out. It’s not tenable to have the star of a sport be a failure. The unfortunate fact is that his failure is a big reason the sport’s audience is dwindling. Until NASCAR finds a way to minimize Earhardt’s influence, they’ll continue to watch ticket sales fall as quickly as the doors swings atop Junior’s pit box.
In all fields of work – as in all aspects of life – children often hero-worship their parents. Many times that childhood adoration can even foster a desire to “follow in their footsteps.”
Think about some of the names of those who attained success by following the paths forged by their parents…
Dale Jr. began his racing career in the late 1990’s, and had some early successes, which include winning the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Nationwide/Busch Series Championships.
Those championships were 10 years ago, though. When you consider Dale Jr.’s performances in more recent times, his resume doesn’t quite hold a candle to Dale Sr.’s.
His best Sprint Cup Series finish was third, back in 2003, and he has only finished in the top 10 once in the last five years. He hasn’t won a race in over a year, and he hasn’t even seen the top 20 in the current standings.
So, the question I am posing to Sports Geek and Loyal Homer today is…
Does Dale Earnhardt Jr. deserve to stay in NASCAR racing?
Loyal Homer will argue that Dale Jr. does deserve to stay in NASCAR racing. Every athlete can hit a dry-spell, but he can still compete with the best of them.
Sports Geek, on the other hand, will argue that Dale Jr. has no business being in NASCAR anymore. Despite some early successes, he has given no evidence that he will ever be able to consistently compete with the big boys of racing, and is living more off of his father’s name than his own successes.
As Loyal Homer points out, there is money to be made from winning a NASCAR race. No argument from me on that. But, as is the case with most sports, the ability to earn revenue OFF the track is just as important as winning on the track. And, endorsements usually come with wins… that is for everyone but Danica Patrick. In fact, her lone win the IRL – last April in Japan – failed to score any new endorsement deals. That means before the win she had the following deals already active:
Marquis Jet
Tissot
Peak Antifreeze
Kaenon Polarized Sunglasses
Alpinestars
Motorola
AirTran
GoDaddy
Folks, that’s with only one win – and without using that win to land new endorsement deals. In short, Danica doesn’t need to win vast amounts of races (the metric Bleacher Fan would have you use to define success) to be successful or wealthy. With her tremendous marketing appeal, the time is right for her to move to a stage worthy of her star power. Danica Patrick should drive internationally, in Formula One.
The seemingly ideal scenario awaits Danica Patrick with the announcement of the U.S. Formula 1 team which will begin competing in 2010, and testing in November of this year. There she has the opportunity to maximize her exposure (easy, boys) worldwide while preserving her reach and popularity in the United States. It would also be an ideal scenario for Formula One racing, which recently lost their lone States-side race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway because president of Formula One Management, and all around bizarre human being, Bernie Ecclestone, doesn’t think the U.S. is a big enough market.
For Danica to gain global popularity she just has to show up at these races, not win them. Plus, she’s good for controversy because she does care deeply about winning, and refuses to shy away from a good pit-side shouting match with another driver.
But more important than all of that stuff is that Danica Patrick is a good racecar driver. While she has won only one race (at this point), she is always competitive and her lack of multiple wins is more a result of the poor job her pit crew has done, than to her failure on the track.
Because she is a talented racecar driver, I’m going to say something that SOMEONE should have told her a long time ago – If you want to be respected as a good racecar driver, don’t use sex appeal to sell that idea. Of course she’s attractive. But the more she uses her body to sell her brand, the less credible her driving becomes, and the more she appears as a sideshow, instead of THE show. She’s good enough to be the show.
She has the talent to win in Formula One, and the appeal to attract endorsements on an international stage, boosting her far above the handful of six figure endorsement deals she has now. If an opportunity exists to jump to F1, Danica must take it to prove she belongs as a great racecar driver, while continuing to rake in gobs and gobs of cash.
Notice a trend? As far as the first four names are concerned, each realized success in a particular field, then foolishly attempted a change to a different platform – with abysmal results. I say ‘foolishly’ because they allowed a moderate level of success to fool them each into thinking that they were, for lack of a better term, bigger than they REALLY were.
For example, Shelley Long and David Caruso, after a season each on the hit TV shows Cheers and NYPD Blue, respectively, decided they would walk away from what were surely to be long and successful runs in order to pursue movie careers. Or Jesse Ventura and his transition into politics after making a name for himself in professional wrestling and TRYING to make a name for himself in acting (Predator WAS a cool movie, though). Then there’s “Neon Deion Prime-Time” Sanders, who thought that a guest spot on a Hammer video, combined with talent on the football and baseball fields, qualified him as a musician.
There are two reasons why a switch from Indy to NASCAR would be worthwhile for Danica. The first is if she believed she could successfully compete against the field at Bristol, Daytona, Martinsville, or the Brickyard. Considering the fact that she is only now beginning to actually compete in standings within the IRL, though, it would seem foolish to me that she throw all that away to start anew in NASCAR.
If we’re being completely honest, Danica Patrick is not a racing powerhouse. Despite being in the IRL since 2005, her first (and ONLY) career win did not come until 2008 at the Japan 300. As for her final season standings, she has never finished better than sixth in IRL Championship standings, and is currently only in fifth place for the 2009 season.
In her defense, she has shown signs of promise. She finished third at the Indy 500 this year, and has progressively climbed higher and higher in the season standings with each year. That said, she is in no way considered to be among the elite drivers in the sport.
I think it’s safe to say that her notoriety has come more from her presence in front of a camera (click the link… you’ll thank me for it!) than it has to do with her prowess on the raceway. So, if the proverbial “IT” ain’t broke, then why try to fix it?
Reason number two to jump is if the change in some way advanced her celebrity status, which also seems an unlikely outcome. Despite a lack of consistent success on the track, Danica is still the undisputed point’s leader when it comes to celebrity standings within the league.
Think about the other names in Indy Car racing (if you can). Guys like Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Dan Wheldon aren’t exactly showing up on a Wheaties box any time soon. In fact, short of the racing legends that are the Andretti’s (one of which happen to be Danica’s teammates), there’s not another name in the Indy series right now more recognizable than Danica Patrick. She is, regardless of where she finishes on the track, the face of Indy racing.
If she were to make the move to NASCAR she would no longer be the standout face in the crowd. She would instead be in the same league as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. These aren’t just guys who drive cars. Each of these men (and many others like them in NASCAR) have made millions because of franchising a number! Think of all the number 24’s you see on the highway, or the jackets and ball caps you see with the number 14. The celebrities of NASCAR have built an industry for themselves that Danica Patrick could not even dream of realizing.
It is a fraternity (pardon the expression, Ms. Patrick) that is exclusive only to those who can legitimately drive on racing’s biggest stage – NASCAR. If Danica tries to make that switch, her only accomplishment will be getting lost in the pack.
She has become a worldwide racecar driving phenomenon ever since she started driving in the Indy Racing League in 2005 for Rahal-Letterman Racing. After racing for two years, she switched teams in 2007 and began to drive for Andretti-Green Racing. Her contract is up at the end of the 2009 season.
If you were in Danica’s shoes, what would you do? We’ll discuss it here at The Sports Debates. I’ll argue that she should jump to NASCAR, Bleacher Fan will argue for her to remain in the IRL, and Sports Geek will argue she is best served by making a move over to Formula 1.
Imagine all the endorsements you could do with that much more exposure in NASCAR. Honestly, can you tell me who sponsors Patrick? This is one of the premiere drivers in her series. I can’t tell you who sponsors her. But I can tell you who sponsors Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jimmie Johnson. I can even tell you who sponsors Joey Logano, the 19-year-old kid who won the most recent NASCAR race (at press time) in Loudon, New Hampshire. By going to NASCAR, she would have many more opportunities to broaden her appeal and thus make a little extra money. Granted, she has some endorsements, including that Go-Daddy commercial that we all love. And yes, she has a really cool website! But, she is just scratching the surface of what she could do.
Let’s examine race winnings between IRL racers and Sprint Cup Series racers. In the Sprint Cup series, with earnings not yet being tabulated for the race in New Hampshire, the 30th place driver in points, David Ragan, earned just over $1.8 million in race earnings. Wow! This is not for first place. This is not for fifth place. This isn’t even for 20th place. It’s 30th!!
In IRL, Patrick currently sits 5th in points. How much do you think she has earned? What would you guess?
How about less than $1 million? Right now, she has earned $788,305. The driver that is fifth in points in NASCAR, Carl Edwards, has won over $2.7 million.
It’s that simple. Now you tell me. What would you do?
I’m glad that we have decided to address this issue. It’s something that always leaves a lot of questions in Loyal Homer’s mind. Let’s break it down, shall we?
To be suspended indefinitely means, to put it quite simply, to be suspended for an indefinite amount of time. Now, before you accuse me of being a smarty, think about it! Being suspended for an indefinite amount of time puts absolutely no time frame on the suspension. It could be one game, it could be one week, it could be one month, or in the case of Michael Vick, it could be many, many months!
But… is there really anything wrong with that?
Perhaps the commissioner/president of each respective league – whether it’s MLB’s Bud Selig, the NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s David Stern, the NHL’s Gary Bettman, NASCAR’s Mike Helton or whoever – wants the guilty party to suffer for an UNKNOWN time period. Perhaps the guilty party will think about the violation or crime committed and worry about when they will be allowed to come back to “work.”
The athletes who make themselves vulnerable to punishment need to think about the mistakes they have made and the rules they have broken. Like it or not, they are role models to today’s youth, and that is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. As an athlete, you know when you play sports professionally that you will be judged differently than others. So, deal with it.
Let’s look at Donte Stallworth’s situation. He was responsible for the death of another human being. To his credit, he has been very cooperative with law enforcement. Yes, he will be serving a 30-day jail sentence, but who knows how long of a suspension he will face from the NFL.
If past history is an example, Stallworth will have to show sincere remorse to Roger Goodell before a reinstatement is even considered.
We all hope Stallworth has learned a valuable lesson. I think the ultimate goal of an indefinite suspension is to teach the guilty party a lesson and make sure the same mistakes aren’t repeated. Hopefully, these indefinite suspensions give food for thought to those who have been suspended indefinitely and when they come back, they will have paid their debt to society their league, and learned their lesson!
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth made a horrible mistake. While driving under the influence of alcohol, he hit a pedestrian – 59-year-old Anthony Reyes – and killed him. There is no excuse for this crime, and Stallworth has accepted that reality. He is currently in the process of making restitution for his crime both with the Florida penal system (by serving his 30-day jail sentence) and the Reyes family by agreeing to a financial payment that will avoid a lawsuit.
It’s a horrible crime. At this stage of the process, the law has been interpreted and punishment levied – a lifetime driving ban, two years of house arrest, eight years of probation, a $10,000 fine, 1,000 hours of community service, and 30-days in jail appears to be enough to satisfy the legal system and the Reyes family.
But, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was not satisfied with the terms of Stallworth’s punishment. True to recent form, he has decided to suspend Donte Stallworth indefinitely from the NFL. Indefinitely. So… what EXACTLY does that mean? That can mean forever, for the foreseeable future, or until further notice (which could be tomorrow… or 10 years from now). If we’re being honest, it’s a non-statement.
Stallworth’s case is an extreme one, and perhaps worthy of an open-ended ruling by the commissioner given the receiver’s history of participation in the NFL’s substance abuse program.
But, it appears the punishment du jour in sports these days is the “indefinite suspension.”
Recently the NHL’s Sean Avery was suspended indefinitely for merely implying that some of his colleagues have also “dated” some of his ex-girlfriends. Even NASCAR has gotten into the act by suspending driver Jeremy Mayfield indefinitely for an alleged failed drug test.
But, Goodell is the most prolific user of this vague punishment, most recently with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Ron MexicoMike Vick and with former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman.
Today’s debate will examine the indefinite suspension. The question is:
Is the indefinite suspension a valid, decisive, and effective punishment that deters future wrong doing?
Loyal Homer will argue that the indefinite suspension is an excellent punishment, in part, because of its ambiguity.
Bleacher Fan will argue that an indefinite suspension is a gutless non-ruling that only delays an issue until a true punishment can be determined.
I’m very curious to see how this debate goes because I have no preconceived notions about the impact of this punishment. A quick caveat – let’s not contemplate our own jobs and a potential indefinite suspension. Let’s consider this as a punishment exclusive within the world of sports, and examine its merits in that context. It may be worth considering alternative punishments, too.
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
