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Much has
been made of the practice of Bushwhacking this season.
There have
been arguments for it saying it’s good for the sport because the
“big name” drivers bring in more viewers and fans. But those
against it say it’s bad for the series because the regular cup
drivers have an unfair advantage over the other drivers because
they have more experience, and better teams.
Some say
it’s good for the development of young drivers because they get
to drive against some of the top drivers in the sports. The
naysayers say it’s bad for driver development because with all
the cup drivers filling the field, there’s no room for the
younger drivers to get seat time on the track under race
conditions.
But in
this week’s Busch series race, we saw another reason to do away
with Bushwhacking: The risk of injury.
Early in
the Carquest Auto Parts 300, two of Nextel Cup’s biggest stars
were involved in separate wrecks. Jaimie McMurray and Tony
Stewart both crashed, at different times but in the same area of
the track, and were injured seriously enough to be transported
to a local hospital for further testing. Luckily, neither
injury was serious enough to keep them out of the Coca-Cola 600
on Sunday, but what if it had been?
Imaging
the reaction of Joe Gibbs or Jack Roush if you had to tell them
that one of their drivers would not be able to race because they
were injured in a Busch Series event. They would have to
scramble to find a replacement driver.
And what
of the sponsors? Would the Home Depot or Smirnoff Ice be
pleased to learn that the driver they have based their
advertising around was not going to be behind the wheel. Other
sponsors have multi-million dollar ad campaigns based on a
driver. Take the driver out of the car, and the sponsor would
be none-too-pleased.
Of course,
you also can’t forget the fans. McMurray and Stewart both have
large numbers of fans. What do you tell the fans of those
drivers who spent their money on tickets and travel to come to
the race, only to find that their favorite driver would not be
appearing?
Every time
a driver gets behind the wheel, there’s a danger of injury in a
crash. And some of the drivers thrive in that environment,
going so far as to drive in other car types and tracks on off
days. For example, both Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart are
scheduled to race on a Wisconsin half-mile oval track on a
Tuesday night in June. But should the dangers of them getting
injured in a “minor” race and possibly ending their season or
even their career, be considered? Should that consideration be
carried over to the Busch race?
Once a
driver makes the Cup level, driving in the Busch race may give
them some added track time, but is it worth the added danger?
The drivers would undoubtedly say yes, because it’s what they
do, and they certainly aren’t going to think of it in those
terms. But ask their team owners and team sponsors, and you may
get a different answer. |
