Armando Fitz on Busch/Nationwide-whacking

[Sparky1329]

I understand the need to have some Cup drivers competing in the Nationwide series but what happens when the few independent teams that remain decide it's not worth the slog anymore? NASCAR created this monster but will they or can they fix it?

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/business/11/27/afitz.nationwide.series/story_single.html#page2


So now, come full circle, the problem of the "Buschwhackers" is still the elephant in the room. There has been much talk of late about what to do with the current situation, including not awarding the Cup drivers Nationwide points but allowing them to race for the money and the track time, as well as putting a cap on the number of drivers allowed in the Nationwide events.

Fitz supports any kind of change if it served to let the Nationwide Series develop its own identity.

and....


Here's Fitz's proposal. If you look at it from the perspective of the privateer teams, it makes sense, and it even makes sense if you look at it from a track promoter's standpoint.

"If you have 20 Cup guys in the race, don't let them have a guaranteed starting spot," Fitz began. "They should be racing for those last 13 spots, not Eric McClure, not Kyle Krisiloff ... not the guys who have been there all year long. If you have 15 Nationwide guys against 20 Cup guys, that's not going to make a difference, but Jeff Burton should have to be out-qualifying Harvick and David Ragan and Edwards. He shouldn't have to be out-qualifying Eric McClure and Kyle Krisiloff. If you have 13 Cup guys in the race, do you think that's going to make a difference in the attendance?

"If they get the points, I do think it is an issue when you have Harvick third in points when he's only running 24 races. That person should have to earn his way in. He should be out-qualifying his peers, not the guys who have been there all year."

Another problem is pit crews. Fitz's team is very good for a Nationwide Series team, but they come up a little short against the hired air guns of the Cup/Nationwide teams.

"I can't afford to pay top Cup guys to pit my car," Fitz said. "When we come into the pits, our guys will crank off 16-second stops all day long, which are good for the Nationwide Series, but they're going against 13-second guys."

In 2009, the Nationwide Series will switch to the Car of Tomorrow, which is another cost to the stand-alone series teams.

"Cup teams already have a year and a half with them, and they'll be fine. All they're going to do is, their first-generation chassis that they ran this year, those will slide down to the Busch program and they'll build new stuff for the Cup teams.

"We have to start building a couple of cars for '09 right now," Fitz said. "If we don't..."

Fitz Motorsports finished 11th in owner points this year, the final year of the Busch sponsorship, and nine of the 10 teams that finished ahead of him were owned by Cup team owners or drivers.

While there's joy over a solid season at Fitz Motorsports, there's also an abundance of uncertainty, and absolutely no piece of mind.

[RaceFanStan]

Armando Fitz
1. "If you have 20 Cup guys in the (Nationwide Series) race,
don't let them have a guaranteed starting spot," Fitz began.
2. "They should be racing for those last 13 spots, ... not the guys who have been there all year long.
... Jeff Burton should have to be out-qualifying Harvick and David Ragan and Edwards.
3. If you have 13 Cup guys in the race, do you think that's going to make a difference in the attendance?
1. I agree that full-time Cup Series drivers in Nationwide Series races should NOT get any NS driver's points ...
it also stands to reason that the Cup owners in Nationwide Series races should NOT get any NS owner's points ...
IF there is a full-time Cup Series driver in the Nationwide Series racecar
2. Yes, guarantee the top 30 in Nationwide Series owners points to start the Nationwide Series race ...
but make the full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series qualify their way in !
have the 13 fastest of the full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series race
and the slowest full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series DNQ ! http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif
3. I think 13 full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series race is plenty ! :D
(I actually think the number could be reduced to 10 or less.)


It got ridiculous with so many full-time Cup Series drivers in the Busch Series races in 2007 !
It's time to limit the number of full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series races IMO.
Fitz's plan makes sense, a full-time Cup Series driver should NOT be the Nationwide Series Champion ! http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif
NO WAY should a Cup owner win the Owner's Championship if he has a full-time Cup Series driver in the NS car ! http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif

[RaceFanStan]

Armando Fitz
... Another problem is pit crews.
Fitz's team is very good for a Nationwide Series team,
but they come up a little short against the hired air guns of the Cup/Nationwide teams.

"I can't afford to pay top Cup guys to pit my car," Fitz said.
"When we come into the pits, our guys will crank off 16-second stops all day long,
which are good for the Nationwide Series, but they're going against 13-second guys."
I can see that is a problem but I don't see a solution.
In any racing series there will be the "haves" & the "have nots" ...
it goes down to who has the most money to hire the best people. :s

[muggle not]

No question that Nascar has a problem with the Nationwide Series. I really wonder what Brian will do to fix it. In this case it may be a matter of...."Damned if you do and Damned if you don't".

[Lee Roy]

1. I agree that full-time Cup Series drivers in Nationwide Series races should NOT get any NS driver's points ...
it also stands to reason that the Cup owners in Nationwide Series races should NOT get any NS owner's points ...
IF there is a full-time Cup Series driver in the Nationwide Series racecar
2. Yes, guarantee the top 30 in Nationwide Series owners points to start the Nationwide Series race ...
but make the full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series qualify their way in !
have the 13 fastest of the full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series race
and the slowest full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series DNQ ! http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif
3. I think 13 full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series race is plenty ! :D
(I actually think the number could be reduced to 10 or less.)


It got ridiculous with so many full-time Cup Series drivers in the Busch Series races in 2007 !
It's time to limit the number of full-time Cup Series drivers in the Nationwide Series races IMO.
Fitz's plan makes sense, a full-time Cup Series driver should NOT be the Nationwide Series Champion ! http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif
NO WAY should a Cup owner win the Owner's Championship if he has a full-time Cup Series driver in the NS car ! http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif

I agree. But exactly how would you define full-time Cup Series driver?

The devil is always in the details and the Cup teams are experts in finding chinks and loop-holes in the rules.

[Osella]

I agree with RaceFanStan in the main, however I think there are some important exceptions which need to be thought about..

For example, Carl Edwards won the Busch series this year, but he ran the whole series. He made the effort to travel to different race tracks and pull double-duty on many weekends. This is a totally different scenario to, say Denny Hamlin, who just jumped in the car whenever the sponsors wanted.

I think Full-Time cup series drivers who want to run the Nationwide series full-time (like David Reutimann next year) should not be subject to any penalties or restrictions, as they are running the whole series. Why should David Reutimann be prevented from trying to win a title just because he drives for a 3rd rate Nextel cup team..? Okay, the Edwards situation is different as he was running for a top team in Cup and Busch, but still, running the whole of both schedules is a fairly major undertaking and shouldn't be prevented.

I fully agree with making Cup drivers who step in for part schedules qualify for the races though, and potentially be prevented from scoring points and allow some of the Nationwide and development drivers to get results which reflect how well they have driven.

[harvick#1]

the problem is with the Nationwide series stems to the Sprint Cup,

almost all the teams have drivers who are not gonna retire for sometime now,

the top teams don't really need developmental drivers right now as most owners are already commited to their young youth (except for Hendrick)

Lagano maybe the one kid who gets in from Gibbs if he runs a 4th car (which he prolly will).

[jeffconn]

I agree. But exactly how would you define full-time Cup Series driver?

Simple. Any driver who's in the top 35 in Cup points. If you're getting a guaranteed spot in the Sprint Cup, you should have to qualify in any lower series.

[RaikkonenRules]

I think if a Cup driver wants to run in Nationwide he should only be allowed run for a non Cup team.

[Alexamateo]

I agree. But exactly how would you define full-time Cup Series driver?

The devil is always in the details and the Cup teams are experts in finding chinks and loop-holes in the rules.



quote by jeffconn
Simple. Any driver who's in the top 35 in Cup points. If you're getting a guaranteed spot in the Sprint Cup, you should have to qualify in any lower series.


But are David Ragan and David Reuitemann the same as Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards? I agree with Lee Roy, It sounds good in theory to limit participation, but the devil is in the details and could in fact hinder young guys trying to get seat time.

[RaceFanStan]

... But exactly how would you define full-time Cup Series driver?...

Simple. Any driver who's in the top 35 in Cup points.
If you're getting a guaranteed spot in the Sprint Cup, you should have to qualify in any lower series.
EXACTLY !!! http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/thum/1ua.gif

[Sparky1329]

No question that Nascar has a problem with the Nationwide Series. I really wonder what Brian will do to fix it. In this case it may be a matter of...."Damned if you do and Damned if you don't".

I wonder how much of it all can be fixed. The time to seriously address the issues was four years ago and NASCAR did nothing.

I think Stan's suggestions are good ones if "full-time Cup driver" means anyone in the top 35 in the Cup series. The differences between Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick vs David Reutimann and David Ragan probably have more to do with the quality of their equipment than actual racing talent. I'd like to see what Reutimann could do in Jeff Gordon's car and that would be the only fair way to judge.

I don't see how any NASCAR could fairly prohibit any qualified racer or team from competing if they want to.

[jeffconn]

But are David Ragan and David Reuitemann the same as Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards? I agree with Lee Roy, It sounds good in theory to limit participation, but the devil is in the details and could in fact hinder young guys trying to get seat time.

David Ragan started in all the races and was safely inside the top 35. Reutimann, on the other hand, only raced in 26 of 36 races. It could be argued that Ragan got plenty of quality Cup seat time, and Reutimann NEEDED some time in the lower series. Harvick and Edwards don't NEED to be in a lower series full time, and plenty of other drivers should be allowed the opportunity to race in the Nationwide series with a qualified starting spot rather than a full time Cupper.

[Osella]

Perhaps they could use a 'reverse qualifying' rule? As in, if you have won a Nextel cup race or finished in top-10 in points within the last 3 years you have to qualify for any Nationwide races..? That way drivers who have stepped down to the Nationwide series, or stepped up from trucks etc are allowed in to every race, as are drivers in poor Cup teams, but better drivers like Biffle, Kenseth, Stewart, Edwards, Hamlin, Busch etc are not wthout qualifying...