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Modern Day "Buschwhackers"

“Buschwhacker”. That is a term I haven’t heard in a long time. In the past, it referred to drivers in the Cup series participating in Busch (now Nationwide) Series events on Saturday afternoon. This practice is just as popular today as it has been in the past. Don't get me wrong, Cup drivers in these races are definitely good for the sport. Just one or two top tier names can draw more fans to the grandstands and to their television sets. This gives fans some drivers to relate to if they don't watch the Nationwide Series on a regular basis. That being said, There is a point of over saturation and I believe we have been there for quite sometime.

A few years ago NASCAR decided to eliminate the possibility of having the same Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series champion by allowing drivers to only compete for a championship in one division. Excellent move by NASCAR. However, the champions have changed but the race winners have not. Here are some stats from the past three years:

Year	Wins By Nationwide Series Regulars	Wins by “Buschwhackers”	Nationwide Driver (Most Wins)	“Buschwhacker” (Most Wins)
2012	15/33 Races	18/33 Races	(6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	(9) Joey Logano
2013	5/33 Races	28/33 Races	(2)  Regan Smith	(12) Kyle Busch
2014*	10/26 Races	16/26 Races	(3)  Chase Elliot	(4) Kyle Busch         (4) Kevin Harvick

*2014 to date



The stats speak for themselves. When the "buschwhackers" are winning over half the races something needs to be done. There is benefit for up and coming Sprint Cup drivers competeing in Nationwide races. This gives them more seat time an allows for them to be better prepared on Sunday. What about experienced drivers like Busch, Harvick, Keselowski, and Logono? Drivers of this caliber should only be allowed to compete in a handful of races in a lower series each year. A similar rule should be applied to the truck series. At Chicagoland this past weekend the biggest names we heard about in the Nationwide and Truck series races were Cup drivers. This isn't good for the sport.

To solve the problem there needs to be a rule in place. Drivers with over two years experience in the Sprint Cup Series should be limited to 7 Nationwide and 4 Camping World Truck Series races (just to throw out a starting point). Sprint Cup Series drivers with less than two years of experience can participate in 15 Nationwide Series events and 8 Camping World Truck Series events. This will give fans a good mix of drivers coming down to “Buschwhack” in addition to the regulars and young talent. This would also depend on the track. For instance, I enjoy Cup drivers competing in Nationwide races at Daytona and Talladega. Everyone has a chance at those tracks and more often than not you see the Cup drivers helping young talent throughout the race. As with any system this would need to be adjusted as necessary.

I am looking forward to this weekend in New Hampshire and Kentucky where the Cup Series drivers will only be driving on Sunday. Currently, weekends like this are the exception but should be the norm. What do you think?

Chase Preview - New Hampshire

This weekend's race at New Hampshire will be the second of the Challenger round. Currently Ryan Newman, AJ Allmendinger , Greg Biffle, and Aric Almirola find themselves outside of the top 12 and in danger of being cut after the Contender round wraps up in Dover. However, that doesn't make it do or die for these drivers on Sunday. There are still two races left and a lot can happen. Drivers like Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch find themselves on the edge and are holding on by less than ten points. In other words, ten positions on the racetrack. While a win would solve all immediate problems  it isn't worth risking it all this weekend.

For the top contenders in the chase life is good. Brad Keselowski got up on the wheel last Sunday and punched his ticket to the next round. Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Jr. can be relativity comfortable going into Dover next Sunday with a solid run in New Hampshire. Look for these drivers to take what the car will give them and stay out of trouble.

Look for a cautious second race of the chase. The top twelve in points will be looking to keep what they have while positions 13-16 will be doing everything they can to stay in a position to capitalize if anything happens those top twelve drivers. Staying on the lead lap, not making mistakes on pit road, and taking care of fuel mileage will all be important factors before the checkered flag drops in the Granite State. It is too early to "throw all caution to the wind" just yet in this high speed game of chess.

Tune in at 2 PM EST on Sunday to ESPN or your local PRN affiliate. Below are the chase standings:

Driver	Behind
Brad Keselowski	-
Jeff Gordon	-7
Joey Logano	-10
Kevin Harvick	-12
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	-17
Denny Hamlin	-18
Kyle Busch	-18
Jimmie Johnson	-18
Kurt Busch	-20
Matt Kenseth	-25
Kasey Kahne	-25
Carl Edwards	-29
Ryan Newman	-30
AJ Allmendinger	-34
Greg Biffle	-38
Aric Almirola	-52