Nationwide Series suffering from identity crisis

David Stremme, Tony Raines, Johnny Sauter and Jeff Green.

All were full-time Nextel Cup drivers in 2007, and none has a Cup ride for next season.

Scott Riggs, Jeremy Mayfield, Ward Burton and Regan Smith all currently have Cup rides for 2008, but that could soon change if their teams don't find sponsorship.

That's eight drivers who were good enough to race in Nextel Cup this year but may be on the outside looking in during 2008.

Sounds like the makings of a good Busch Series - soon to be Nationwide Series - race to me.

NASCAR is taking a serious look at the Nationwide Series, its No. 2 series and, according to NASCAR, the No. 2 racing series in the country.

The division is suffering from somewhat of an identity crisis, and NASCAR and its new sponsor are trying to figure out exactly what the series is all about. Other than being a support series to put fans in the grandstands on a Saturday afternoon, the series appears to have no specific mission.

Is it a development series for young drivers to hone their skills before they move to Cup?

Or is it simply a place for Cup drivers to race on Saturdays, padding their wallets and getting extra track time and setup information for Sunday's Cup race?

Or is it a place for drivers who can't quite cut it in Cup, or who can't land the quality ride that it takes to succeed, to showcase their skills, giving them a chance to compete and contend on a somewhat smaller stage?

NASCAR and Nationwide need to figure that out. What exactly is the Nationwide Series, and what is its mission?

A good place to start would be encouraging the series' top teams - teams like Roush Racing, Richard Childress Racing and other Cup-affiliated

teams - to hire some of the aforementioned drivers, allowing them to compete in competitive equipment and battle for the series championship.

The biggest problem the series has now is that it is thoroughly dominated by full-time Cup drivers driving for Cup teams, making it virtually impossible for series regulars to contend for race wins and the championship.

The result has been a joke of a championship race the past two years, with Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards, both Cup stars, running roughshod over the competition. With those two - or any top Cup driver with a top team - running the full schedule, it is virtually impossible for anyone else to challenge for the title, making the championship race a foregone conclusion.

One proposal NASCAR is considering is not awarding Nationwide points to any driver in the top 35 in Cup points, thereby opening up the championship race to Nationwide Series regulars.

NASCAR needs to strongly consider that proposal, as long as it doesn't totally prohibit Cup drivers from running in the series.

The series needs Cup drivers to draw interest and put fans in the seats and in front of the TV. Most fans would prefer to see Harvick, Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and other Cup stars race than no-name drivers they aren't familiar with.

But the majority of those drivers aren't going to run enough races to contend for the championship. And when one of them does, it's a runaway.

What is the answer?

Most fans probably aren't all that interested in watching young, development drivers, either. Though there must be a place for them, fans would much rather watch drivers they are at least somewhat familiar with.

That's where drivers like Stremme, Sauter, Raines and Green come in.

If those drivers can't find Cup rides, NASCAR should do what it can to find them a place in the Nationwide Series, preferably helping them find rides with competitive teams.

Having a dozen or more former Cup drivers with at least some name recognition competing for the Nationwide championship would give the series a boost in terms of interest and, possibly, exposure.

It has worked for the Craftsman Truck Series, which some fans say produces the best racing in NASCAR. It is filled with former Cup drivers - Mike Skinner, Johnny Benson, Ted Musgrave, Todd Bodine - battling for the victory every week. Even series stalwarts Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague spent some time in Cup between stints in the truck series.

With the driver turnover the Nextel Cup Series has experienced in the last few years, there should be plenty of former Cup drivers to help make the Nationwide Series more appealing.

All NASCAR and its Nationwide teams must do is find a way to get some of those drivers in quality equipment with competitive teams.

Then, the series might not be just a Saturday afternoon playground for Cup stars.

Jeff Owens is a writer for NASCAR Scene - published weekly, 50 weeks per year. Visit www.scenedaily.com for more information.

• Mentioned Drivers:
• Carl Edwards