In addition to possible changes to the Chase For The Sprint Cup format, NASCAR Chairman Brian France seems determined to change something else ‘ the NASCAR Nationwide Series. France hinted earlier this month that changes to the Nationwide Series could keep Sprint Cup drivers from winning the series championship. “You’re likely to see us make some changes in the Nationwide Series ‘¦ because there’s such a concentration of Cup drivers, which we like on one hand, but we want to make sure that that division is our version of college football ‘ that there’s drivers, owners, crew members all building their identities and careers through that channel, and there needs to be a big enough place for them to do that,” France said two weeks ago at Daytona. “If it’s just narrow, if there’s not many seats available because we don’t accomplish a lot of things, ‘¦ you’re gonna see from us a policy standpoint begin to deal with that issue beginning in 2011. That’s something that we’ll do carefully.”
What NASCAR will do remains to be seen, but the options appear to be: Limiting the number of races a Cup driver can enter; restricting the number of Cup drivers that can compete in each race; decreasing the amount of money a team can earn if it uses a Cup driver; or changing the points system so a Cup driver can’t win the championship. “We like Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide Series,” France said. “We need to make sure the stage is not crowded out so much so that we can’t give opportunities to Nationwide young regulars who need that experience. And you know what? In my discussions with the Sprint Cup drivers, they agree with us. They think just that way, too. The owners certainly agree with us. So there are going to be some things that we can do.”(SceneDaily)(7-19-2010)
