Driver interest shows NASCAR dominance complete
More money, a bigger stage and dwindling competition are the reasons NASCAR finds itself the place to be for drivers from other circuits, writes Terry Blount.
In case you haven't noticed, everyone who's anyone wants in on the NASCAR circus these days.
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Drivers from other series who are making plans to race full-time or part-time in NASCAR next season:
Juan Pablo Montoya -- Former Champ Car champion left Formula One this year to join Chip Ganassi's Nextel Cup team. He will drive the No. 42 Texaco Dodge next season. Sam Hornish Jr. -- Three-time IRL champion may compete in the Busch race at Phoenix next month and probably will run a partial Busch schedule for Roger Penske next year. Ricky Carmichael -- Supercross/Motocross champion signed a developmental deal last week with the MB2 Motorsports Nextel Cup team. Jacques Villeneuve -- Former Formula One champion and Indy 500 winner plans to race some Busch events next year. Patrick Carpentier -- Former Champ Car and IRL driver from Canada hopes to run a limited Busch schedule in 2007. A.J. Allmendinger -- Made a big splash this year with five Champ Car victories, but he also plans to run a few Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series races next season. -- Terry Blount |
From Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya to Supercross superstar Ricky Carmichael, big-name racers in other series are flocking to NASCAR.
Sam Hornish Jr., the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner fresh off his third IRL championship, might test his skills in a Busch car next month.
Canadian open-wheel racers Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier want to run Busch Series races next year.
And Champ Car sensation A.J. Allmendinger is considering offers from NASCAR teams after racing a couple of Craftsman Truck events this year.
What in the name of Richard Petty is going on here? Is NASCAR painting its cars with pheromones?
Money, of course, is a factor. And NASCAR has most of it in racing, at least in this country. But the reasons are deeper than financial gain alone.
The best drivers want to race in the biggest show. They want the center ring. They want to stand out where the light shines brightest.
The new wave of drivers looking to NASCAR is no surprise to Jeff Gordon.
"NASCAR is the elite place now, the top level you can reach," he said. "It shows the popularity of the sport."
Other American racing series are little more than niche sports compared to the popularity and attention NASCAR enjoys today.
"There was a time when that wasn't the case," Gordon said. "Indy cars in the 1980s were the thing, but NASCAR really started to take off in the early '90s. I was very fortunate to be a part of that."
Gordon was a talented open-wheel racer who wanted to join CART and drive in the Indy 500. He didn't have money to bring to the table, so he couldn't get a ride.
He switched to NASCAR, and the rest, as they say, is history. His success helped propel NASCAR into the mainstream.
There's nothing mainstream now about the IRL and Champ Car. Typical television ratings for either series might top a bass fishing tournament, but that's about it.
The only exception is the Indy 500, but it wasn't even the highest-rated race of the day this year.
The Indy 500 had one of the most dramatic finishes in its storied history this year when Hornish passed Marco Andretti on the last lap.
The race had a 5.0 Nielsen rating. The Coca-Cola 600 Nextel Cup race had a 5.1 rating that night.
Danica Patrick is the one person keeping American open-wheel racing in the public eye for the average sports fan.
Patrick didn't give in to temptation and sign with NASCAR his year. It's only a matter of time.
She signed with Andretti-Green Racing -- including a $20 million sponsorship deal with Motorola -- while using NASCAR as leverage.
Even Patrick admits the big-money opportunities are in NASCAR. If she wins an IRL event or two and increases her respectability factor as a racer, the switch to a stock car is inevitable.
As long as Champ Car and the IRL remain separate series, open-wheel racing will continue to lose ground to NASCAR.
Earlier this year, it appeared the leaders of the two leagues finally had come to their senses and were headed for some type of merger.
IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car boss Kevin Kalkhoven were talking to each other and telling the media hopeful things.
After a decade of this stuff, we should know better. Once again, the leagues went their separate ways, content to split the limited interest of sponsors and fans.
Meanwhile, the NASCAR locomotive keeps chugging along and rolling over anything in its path.
Its international presence will grow with Montoya joining Cup next year. Fellow F1 driver Villeneuve, the 1995 Indy 500 winner, also has NASCAR plans in the works.
Some F1 fans say goodbye and good riddance. Both drivers were shown the door by their teams.
In the past, NASCAR wasn't an option for the next career move. The logical step was a switch back to the IRL or Champ Car.
Not anymore. Familiarity isn't enough. They see American open-wheel racing as a declining sport.
These guys prefer to learn a new discipline and test their skills in the fender-banging action of NASCAR.
"It's a tribute to the close competition we have," said NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston. "The side-by-side racing is not only what the fans love, but it's what the world's greatest racers love."
NASCAR's move to speedways in bigger markets -- Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami and Kansas City -- also helps entice other drivers, along with bringing in more sponsors.
In other words, if you build it, they will come. NASCAR keeps building its show, and the drivers keep coming.
Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. He can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.
