Why are all the open wheel drivers going to NASCAR?

Elliott Sadler, who will have former Champ Car star Patrick Carpentier as a teammate next year, said he isn’t surprised at the almost overnight phenomenon of more and more former Champ Car, IRL and F1 drivers entering NASCAR.

“It seems like they’re all here in one shot, but it’s like that in NASCAR," he said. “A couple of years ago, you had to have a World of Outlaws guy. A couple years before that, you had to have a guy with Busch (Series) experience.

“Now the owners are trying the IRL, CART (Champ Car), Formula One kind of background. It just kind of runs in cycles."

Or is it NASCAR's secret plan to deplete open wheel racing of its biggest names and eventually put the competition right out of business? We recall the run they made at Champ Car's biggest star at the time, Paul Tracy, two or three years ago. They have been able to lure in the biggest sponsors and teams. The drivers may be the last piece of the puzzle.