Easily making my list of 10 favorite at-the-track moments was 2005 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Lives of the Rich & Famous icon Robin Leach was in charge of announcing the field, and he made it quite clear that a NASCAR junkie he's not.
When Leach got to the devout Morgan Shepherd, he referred to the ministry-adorned ride as the "Racing for Hey-soos" car.
If Leach still has that gig, he may have a chance to finally get it right. Because we could be seeing Shepherd on Sunday soon--along with oldies-but-goodies Kirk Shelmerdine, Stanton Barrett (when he's not IRLing) and the battalion of wheel-turners who have rassled the 34 and 08 machines.
Field-fillers are back. And you know what? I can't wait!
For full disclosure, earlier this year I questioned the worthiness of shops like Front Row Motorsports (No. 34) and EM Motorsports (No. 08). If they only occasionally made the field at the expense of a well-funded team but couldn't develop a regular presence, then they only hurt the sport.
But the landscape has changed in NASCAR due to the slowing economy. The Ganassi/DEI partnership knocks several entries out of the field. Joe Nemechek will only run a limited schedule with Furniture Row. Chances are we're not done.
The dearth of entries is going to give some people a chance to race regularly when they normally would be shut out. And isn't that what people want? The main complaint I hear from longtime fans is that the sport has gotten too big, too corporate. Don't we need more guys showing up with a few bucks from Larry's Taxes and Taxidermy and a dream?
I just got finished reading Brian Donovan's wonderful book Hard Driving, about NASCAR's first black driver, Wendell Scott. Scott, just like many white drivers in his day, never got a chance to drive for a top factory team. But Scott's dogged dedication made him one of the sport's most popular drivers, even though he almost never showed up with a real chance to win. In later years, that underdog role was taken up by J.D. McDuffie, Dave Marcus, etc. Let's not underestimate the flavor those kind of guys bring to NASCAR.
Feel-good stories aside, doesn't this scenario present a better developmental opportunity for young drivers? In the old days, almost nobody started a Cup career in top-notch equipment, like a Joey Logano. Newbies drove junk, took their lumps, and the guys who showed that they could compete with one fan belt tied behind their back moved up the ladder. Almost reminds me of the Top Gun scene where Tom Skerritt explains that Fighter Weapons School was started because pilots got so dependent on their missiles that they lost some of the dogfighting skills. When a guy gets a couple of decent finishes in a glorified riding lawnmower because he kept his wits, they'll be no question of his abilities.
Admittedly, times are tough. But before you believe any predictions of NASCAR's demise...don't. The Sprint Cup Series still has plenty of stars in fully-funded cars to keep the sport flourishing. But these new conditions may also bring back a level of grittiness that has sorely been missing.
Don't despair. Enjoy.
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