Nascar Senior Series?

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by gomick

Time for those old blokes to move on - good crop of young drivers have come thru lately, especially those from the ARCA series...

I've been thinking about how lots of Nascar drivers are really old, at least versus other major championships around the world.

So how about doing a new Nascar championship for drivers over 40 years old? In other words, drivers from Cup, Nationwide and Trucks over 40 years old would be encouraged to join the Nascar Senior Series.

This would leave more room in the other championships for young drivers. They would need less effort to attract sponsors, because it would be easier to get into the front pack (if they are fast).

[HJJ]

Uh, your going to put Tony Stewart in a senior series?

And BTW, Dale Jr. would be there in two years.

Just sayin'

[JHamilton]

Also Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle. Let 'em run as long as they want. You don't HAVE to be in the best shape to drive in Nascar anyway (See Tony Stewart).

[Paradise City]

Part of the NASCAR tradition is having a couple of elder statesman there. There are no shortage of competitive talents at the front. Elder statesmen being there is not a problem NASCAR has. For me, it's part of the appeal.

[Clive Brown]

The problem seems to be not so much that the, shall we say, "more mature" drivers are blocking the path for talented young drivers, but that the majority of those younger drivers who have come up to Sprint Cup competition in recent years simply haven't cut the mustard, despite in a number of cases having secured fairly decent rides. Riggs, Yeley, Sorensen, McDowell and Ragan all had decent rides, but did not perform well enough to secure tenure and then move upwards. Even the 22 year old Joey Logano has lost his seat at JGR to the 42 year old Matt Kenseth. In recent years, only really Brad Keselowski has established himself at the top level.

In terms of older drivers occupying a seat that might be better filled by a younger man, only Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton spring readily to mind, although in the case of the latter I suspect that the recent downturn in the performance of RCR as an organisation may have more to do with this season's poor results than any waning of the driver's powers.

It's also harder to attract sufficient sponsor dollars to run a young gun seeking to establish a reputation than it is for an established front runner who is likely to be sponsor savvy, even allowing that young talent comes way cheaper than the blue-chip drivers.

However, we do seem to have a promising group of young drivers about to come through ( Ryan Blaney, Ryan Truex, Chase Elliott and Darrell Wallace Jr. to name but four), and it may be that at least some of them will prove prove to have both the necessary talent and good fortune to make the grade.

[NaBUru38]

How about this rule: if you get into the chase, you can run the next two seasons even if you are over 40.

[JHamilton]

Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt all won championships after the age of 40. Earnhardt won two.

[MJ_N_09]

At least the Bodines would have a series they would be competitive in. Also, could you imagine guys like them racing against Morgan Shepard or James Hylton? Both drivers are in their 70s O___O

[Clive Brown]

Wasn't there some kind of Classic or Masters series started a few years back? If I recall correctly, it wasn't a success, and was left to wither on the vine.

[Jacques Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

Wasn't there some kind of Classic or Masters series started a few years back? If I recall correctly, it wasn't a success, and was left to wither on the vine.

Yeah, a late model series with a few guys (Geoff Bodine, I recall). There was also had that late model race at Bristol, which was abandoned after Larry Pearson's wreck.

I'd be a lot more excited if the cars from the mid 80s were racing today than the drivers from that time, personally.

If a team will hire someone to drive and NASCAR will allow it, then he/she shouldn't be forced to race elsewhere. You could start making all sorts of distinctions. "Drivers over 200 lbs must race here, drivers who do not believe in God must race there, Brad Keselowski must report to our equestrian series immediately..."

[fieldodreams79]

Senior Series? Don't they already have it? I think it's called the Truck Series.

[NaBUru38]

To me, the Truck Series should allow 18-year-old kids graduated from ARCA and Nascar East / West.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

To me, the Truck Series should allow 18-year-old kids graduated from ARCA and Nascar East / West.

It does.

Also beginning in 2013 as was recently announced by NASCAR, at road courses and tracks measuring 1.1 miles in length or less, the driver age restriction will be lowered to 16 years old. Currently, the minimum age to compete at the national series level is 18.

All that keeps them out is lack of talent, or lack of funding, or both.

[The Original Instag8or]

^ Lack of talent has never stopped The Cope Twins, John Wes Townley or Tim George Jr.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

All that keeps them out is lack of talent, or lack of funding, or both.

What I meant to convey was that in the absence of sufficient outstanding talent behind the wheel to get onto the driver development programme of one of the major teams, or sufficient funds to buy a ride Ã* la Menard/Scott/Townley, or even better, both, the prospects of a young driver managing to progress into CWTS or NNS were slim indeed. I can't think of many exceptions to this; Danica may be one, but she does have a USP!

[kennybrackfan]

You could do a post-season mini series of senior races, but on the same tour? No chance. I imagine more people would actually WANT to watch the senior race than the current crop. As mentioned eariler, a lot of young drivers came through and got nowhere. Ironically, David Reutimman came in at a decent age and won as many races as Joey Logano has so far, and in equipment that was not in the same class. And if we remember, Keselowski and Logano appeared at around the same time...

Nascar bucks the trend for young drivers in a good way. I would like to see much higher minimum ages brought in to motorsport as a whole - the strain on a family to put their kid through the ranks from 8 years old is too much for the vast majority of people anyway. It would be better for motorsport as a whole to drop the whole idea that 'the younger, the better' - Raising minimum ages would mean you could join in later and still have half a chance - and if you did start wayyy young, you'd have to keep proving how good you were year on year before the big leagues could come calling.

The money problem is never going to go away, sponsors are only going to want 'names', fans are only going to pay to see drivers they've heard of. NASCAR is in rude health right now. Stenhouse jr has finally got the ride he deserves at Rousch, so let's see how a promising young gun goes that ride

[NaBUru38]

I totally agree, kbf. That's why I mentioned 18 years for Trucks. Then 20 for Nationwide and 22 for Cup. Same for Pro Mazda, Indy Lights and IndyCar.

[Matt]

Still too young.

I miss the 90's when most touring car drivers were in their mid 30's and 40's.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by Matt

I miss the 90's when most touring car drivers were in their mid 30's and 40's.

At least in Cup racing, they still are! Of recent Cup champions, only Keselowski at 28 could be called young. Amongst the top level of NASCAR drivers, only Kyle Busch at 27 and Joey Logano at 22 are still under 30, and the latter did of course just get the bum's rush from his plum ride at JGR, ousted by the 42-year-old Matt Kenseth. Most recent past Champs are Tony Stewart (now 41) and Jimmie Johnson (now 37), so hardly a young man's formula, then....

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

At least in Cup racing, they still are! Of recent Cup champions, only Keselowski at 28 could be called young. Amongst the top level of NASCAR drivers, only Kyle Busch at 27 and Joey Logano at 22 are still under 30, and the latter did of course just get the bum's rush from his plum ride at JGR, ousted by the 42-year-old Matt Kenseth. Most recent past Champs are Tony Stewart (now 41) and Jimmie Johnson (now 37), so hardly a young man's formula, then....

Oh I know, trust me, haha. Been following NASCAR since ~1992.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

hardly a young man's formula, then....

That's why I propose a Nascar Senior Series: so the Nationwide get drivers aged 20-30 and Cup gets drivers aged 22-40

[mrfizz]

It would be kinda cool to stick retired drivers in some late 70's/early 80's cars (preferably the ones they used to race) and let em rip for 50 laps before the Cup race. Imagine DW or Rusty Wallace banging doors with The King or Cale around Darlington. Whoop whoop.