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NASCAR taking 'hard look' at Cup drivers in Xfinity and Camping World Series
NASCAR appears close to potentially limiting the number of Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series races a Sprint Cup Series driver can participate in.
NASCAR vice president Steve O’Donnell said Monday on SiriusXM that the series is taking a “really hard look” at changing the rules for Cup drivers’ participation and could have something to announce in the near future.
“It certainly is on our radar,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve heard the fans … They like seeing those drivers come up through the ranks and it’s our job to make sure that Xfinity is the name where names are made. We have to do that on the racetrack. So that is something we’re taking a really hard look at for next year. I’d say stay tuned. We’re going to look at that and probably have something to announce very soon.”
Kyle Busch won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Kansas, his ninth win in NASCAR’s No. 2 series this season. 19 of 30 Xfinity Series races have been won by Cup Series drivers and Busch’s win total is more than double that of teammate Erik Jones who leads all Xfinity regulars with four wins in 2016.
A step to limit top drivers in the Xfinity and Truck Series would be a logical follow up to rules NASCAR put in place before the 2011 season. After Cup drivers had won five-straight Xfinity Series titles, the sanctioning body said drivers must declare to earn points in just one series. The rule meant Cup drivers wouldn’t be able to learn points in lower-level races if they were racing for a Sprint Cup title.
While the points limit deterred Cup drivers from running a full Xfinity or Camping World Truck Series schedule, it hasn’t deterred drivers’ participation. And much of that has to do with the economics of the sport. Companies who don’t want to spend what it costs to sponsor a driver at NASCAR’s top level have found they can sponsor a Cup driver in the Xfinity Series for much less.
Will those companies want to continue investing in the Xfinity Series if Cup drivers are limited? NASCAR certainly hopes so. Because if it deters companies from jumping into the series any rule will be creating another problem while attempting to solve one.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
