Young guns ready to shine in Nationwide Series
There will be a lot of young drivers in full-time rides in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next year. And that’s how it should be.
In the last couple of weeks, we’ve learned that 19-year-old James Buescher and 21-year-old Brian Scott will compete in all 35 races next year for some pretty good teams: Buescher for Phoenix Racing and Scott for Braun Racing.
That’s in addition to 21-year-old Colin Braun and 22-year-old Ricky Stenhouse Jr. competing full time for Roush Fenway Racing, 19-year-old John Wes Townley for Richard Childress Racing and 25-year-old Kelly Bires for JR Motorsports.
And it looks as if 18-year-old Trevor Bayne will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing.
This is good for the series, because it shows that sponsors can indeed back non-Sprint Cup drivers. And it shows that the series truly can develop young talent.
Many fans complain that the series is too overloaded with Cup drivers. While the number should be about the same next year, the number of full-time Nationwide-only drivers appears certain to go up. And I can’t wait.
Now, if we can only find spots for veterans like Jason Keller and Mike Bliss …
