I Have My Job - They Have Their's
This is going to sound mean, and I'll be accused of being yet another member of the media who doesn't know anything about what he covers.
"You're a 'wannabe,'" some will say.  I'll pacify them by admitting that I really don't know anything more than anyone else, and, yes, I really DO want to be more that what I am (both personally and professionally).
With that out of the way, I simply don't understand how some drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hold jobs and sign to get others, while some dry up and (pretty much) blow away.
Guys like Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Jamie McMurray and J.J. Yeley (who are all very nice guys, by the way) continue to top the lists of available drivers for team owners and sponsors looking to go racing in 2009.
Why?
The combined numbers don't exactly show a trail of glory.  In 630 races combined (about 17 and a half seasons, total), they have three victories.  None of them has finished in the top 10 of the season standings.  Only McMurray, who is among the most likable and approachable drivers in the Sprint Cup Series, came close with an 11th-place finish in 2004 and a 12th-place result in 2005.
So again, I ask, why?  I know why, but that doesn't make it right.
It's all about image, and that worries me.
Do anyone out there actually believe that Travis Kvapil, a former Truck Series champ, wouldn't do a better job than Casey Mears in Richard Childress' No. 07 Chevrolet in 2009?  Look at what he's done in the Yates Racing No. 28 on a shoestring budget.
How many talents like Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer will we never see because owners have to defer to sponsors' demands for a pretty face?  Would Kyle Busch be here if his brother Kurt had not won the 2004 Sprint Cup Series championship?
Are you sure?
Posted: 10/21/2008 1:05:51 PM
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