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GURSS: The Nationwide Dilemma
Written by: Jade Gurss   
07/20/2009
Mooresville, NC
 
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo) ยป More Photos

With the Cup boys taking a well-deserved weekend off, the NASCAR focus fell upon the Nationwide Series Saturday night. It was business as usual at Gateway, as one Cup star took the victory and another lead the most laps while the Nationwide regulars beat, bumped and bashed each other after a batch of double-file restarts. The Busch… uh, sorry, Nationwide Series remains in a strange state – as it has for more than 20 years – as it struggles to define itself in contrast to big brother. Without a compelling and separate identity, its growth seems limited.

NASCAR seems likely to institute a Nationwide-version of the Car of Tomorrow for the superspeedway and road courses in 2010, which would be a perfect time to implement a product such as “pony cars” like the Camaro and the Mustang. This would provide a separate marketing platform for the aching automakers and give the Nationwide a new look and unique feel. However, in the current economic state, it remains to be seen how many of the current teams (especially those not affiliated with a Cup effort) can afford to add a new fleet to their current inventory, and NASCAR hasn’t publicly tipped their hand on the makes and models that will be implemented.

Many fans seem to despise the Cupsters coming in to run a full calendar or cherry-pick races in the Nationwide category. This is another dilemma for the series that has existed for its entire existence. Some have recommended not awarding points to any driver in the Cup top-35, but without the Cup guys in the field, would the attendance and TV ratings look like the Truck Series numbers? Historically, the trucks have provided the most thrilling race action of any of the categories, but without the big-name drivers, the ratings and ticket sales remain third best.

The Nationwide Series has a good crop of young stars-in-the-making, from Penske’s Justin Allgaier to Michael Annett and Scott Lagasse Jr., plus promising part-timers such as Brad Coleman, Stephen Leicht and Erik Darnell. These drivers prove the series can be a talent showcase and a development step on the ladder upwards, but with Brad Keselowski as the current example, taking that potential to a full-time seat in Cup is anything but easy with so few good rides available. At the top, the plate is full for 2010.

Without the Cup drivers in the starting field, would the crowds and TV audience tune in for Allgier vs. Lagasse? As long as NASCAR/ISC owns a large portion of the tracks on the tour, don’t expect to see the Cup stars go away any time soon. They bring eyeballs – and perhaps more importantly – sponsor dollars to the Series.

Some also worry about the state of the series due to ‘start-and-park’
teams in the field. However, this is another economic reality of the times. In a perfect world, 43 teams would start each race with the intention of going for victory, but that’s not the case. In Saturday’s race at Gateway, eight teams were out before a dozen laps had run, but it didn’t change the race at the front in any way and I suspect the ticket-buying public didn’t miss the start-and-park teams or drivers. In the overall scheme, it’s a non-issue.

This weekend, look for the double-file restarts to have a major impact in both the Cup and Nationwide races. The short track at ORP has a preferred high line, but the low line could produce some slide-job passes Saturday night. At the Brickyard, the narrow entry into turn one will make each restart a roll of the dice. All indications are the Goodyear tire problems have been solved at Indy, so expect that story to go away and the furious restarts to be nail-biters.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com
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