STOCK CAR PIT PASS - Race News Without A Restrictor Plate

March 8, 2007

Time for Some Cup Teams to Run Busch Instead
By Dennis Michelsen

This season the car counts in the Nextel Cup season have been higher than ever before. Not only have fifty-four cars shown up for the Cup race at Las Vegas, but also so many of these teams have outstanding funding. After two races several teams have yet to qualify for a race and the odds are stacked against them this year in Cup worse than the craps tables in Vegas! It is time for a few teams to bail on their Nextel Cup dreams for 2007 and settle for running the Busch series instead.

Furniture Row Racing-Kenny Wallace
This team has missed both Cup races this season and they really weren't close making the show. Underdog teams deserve respect and this group has earned mine. But the reality of the 2007 season is that making Cup races on a regular basis this season is a long shot no matter how well they are prepared. They want to build a team and the best way to do that is to get out on the track in races. Dropping down to the Busch series makes more sense for Furniture Row Racing than for any other team. If they get the experience they need they can build a successful Nextel Cup team for the future!

Front Row Motorsports-Kevin Lepage
Here is another team that someday could develop into a Nextel Cup quality team. But the odds are stacked against them this season. Dropping down to the Busch series will give these guys lots of experience and they could contend for top ten finishes at that level. If they stay at the Nextel Cup level the upside is making some races. In the Busch series they could actually be a contender in races. Do the math and it makes obvious sense. The Cup series is getting car counts in the 50s while the Busch series is barely having full fields.

CJM Racing-Brandon Whitt
Brandon Whitt posted some strong finishes in part time duty in the Craftsman Truck series. The jump up to Nextel Cup with an under funded team will not do Whitt's career any favors. CJM Racing could someday develop into a Nextel Cup level team but going home on Friday does not do this team or driver any good at all. Like all of the teams in this category they do not believe they can get the exposure they desire on the Busch level. But you must walk before you can run and the Busch series would be a better fit for this team at this time in their development cycle.

Red Bull's No. 84 Car- AJ Allmendinger
There is no doubt that AJ Allmendinger is a fantastic driver! You don't win races in the Champ Car Series without having talent. AJ's performances in the Craftsman Truck series last season were impressive, even more so when you realize his full size stock car experience was nil. Simply getting a few hours of testing and missing the field in the Cup series is not preparing AJ Allmendinger as a stock car driver. Red Bull's other team with an established Nextel Cup driver will still miss races! Getting AJ experience in stock cars has to be the main goal this year and pulling the plug on the Cup series now makes sense.

The deck is stacked against some teams in the Nextel Cup circuit this season. If NASCAR did not guarantee thirty-five starting positions every race I would never suggest giving up running Cup after just a few races. But the Busch series is thin in cars this season and the teams mentioned above would benefit greatly by getting experience running races. They will not get the same exposure on the Busch level as they would in Nextel Cup. But they will get more TV time in Busch versus going home on Friday in Nextel Cup. Now is the time for these teams to make the right decision for their future development and drop down to the Busch level immediately.