NASCAR’s Busch Series at crossroads
In order to survive, it's going to need much more.
NASCAR started the Busch Series in 1982, as an evolution of its old Late Model Sportsman Division. The new circuit was created as an option for short track stock car drivers and teams to race at the national level. The inaugural season consisted of 29 races with a field of drivers that mainly consisted of short track standouts, with names like Tommy Ellis, Jimmy Hensley, Sam Ard, Jack Ingram and Tommy Houston grabbing the headlines.
But times have certainly changed. Today's Busch Series is nothing more than a "Nextel Cup Lite" circuit, dominated by drivers and teams from NASCAR's top division.
NASCAR needs to be thinking of ways to fix the Busch Series. Rather than serving as its No. 2 circuit, a developmental training ground for drivers and teams with Cup Series aspirations down the road, today's Busch Series is a glorified Nextel Cup test session.
With a limit on testing, the Cup side has invaded the Busch Series like never before, using it as a way to gleam information and data Saturday that can be transferred over to Sunday's race.
While the cars are different, the characteristics of the track are the same from day to day, and what better way to learn how to tweak your Cup ride than to run in the Busch race the day before. The infiltration of Cup drivers into the Busch Series has gone on for some time. Promoters and television networks want the top stars in the preliminary show to sell tickets and raise ratings.
But it's now way out of hand. More at CBS SportsLine.com