Nationwide Series Drivers Withdrawing Could Become an Unintended Trend

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Michael McDowell, driver of the #98 K-Love Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 25, 2012 Photo - Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Michael McDowell, driver of the #98 K-Love Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 25, 2012
Photo – Tom Pennington/Getty Images

NASCAR made many changes in the off-season in order to try and limit the start-and-park teams.  Among those changes were cuts to the prize money for the lowest finishers and cutting down the field in the Nationwide Series from 43 to 40.

However, many of those teams are also underfunded teams who attempt to make enough per race so that they can make it to the next race.

A staple driver in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series’, Michael McDowell will not be making the trip to Phoenix this weekend, which is a shame because he is originally from Phoenix.  McDowell has always looked forward to the bi-yearly trips to his hometown to compete in front of his family and friends.

Another driver whose team has withdrawn before teams made the trip to Phoenix, is Morgan Shepherd.  Shepherd and his team have been a staple in the garage for over 27 years. Shepherd attempted 31 of 33 races and competed in 21 of 33 Nationwide races last year.

Could this the beginning of a trend for the season?

Personally, I hope not because if we see more and more teams withdrawing, it is not only a sign of the times due to the economy, but it is also a sign of NASCAR’s growth becoming more stagnant. Along with growth becoming stagnant, rides and sponsorship have become harder to come by for aspiring and, in some cases, even staple drivers in NASCAR’s garage.  With limited rides, the opportunity for a driver to gain experience and move up in the ranks becomes more difficult.

Is this what NASCAR was trying to do when they made the changes in the off-season, having teams enter only to withdraw before the teams make the trip to the track?  I don’t think so.  I think what NASCAR was trying to do was to make sure that teams that made the race were there to race the whole race and not just run a few laps to collect some money.

Hopefully there will be a effort to find a way to work this out so that teams pulling out of races won’t become an unintended trend.

If teams keep pulling out of races, slowly but surely, many of the smaller teams may shutter their operations. Certainly, that is not what NASCAR intended when they made their changes to minimize start-and-parks. Hopefully things will turn around soon so that we see people like Michael McDowell and Morgan Shepherd back on track again soon.

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3 thoughts on “Nationwide Series Drivers Withdrawing Could Become an Unintended Trend”

  1. There may also be a secondary consequence. If possible sponsors start to see less than full fields it might make them wonder if it’s worth spending the money on a declining base.

  2. IMHO they want a field full of Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush teams, not the little guys. They don’t fit the image or embellish the “brand”. Just another step in quietly easing them out.

  3. What about BANNING the Cup drivers from Nationwide races?! You don’t see F1 drivers racing in GP2, the F1 equivalent of the Nationwide Series; nor do you see IndyCar drivers running Indy Lights races. I think if the Nationwide Series could be a bona fide support series, then costs could be lowered. This would allow smaller teams to compete, so drivers and teams could develop; then they could move up to Cup if so inclined, or earn a decent living in the Nationwide Series.. But seriously, get the Cup drivers OUT of Nationwide already! I mean, really…

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