Published: May 13, 2008 04:23 pm            

WHO WILL FILL THEIR SHOES

Monticello — Many of the older NASCAR drivers are gone.

We lost Dale Earnhardt in 2001. Rusty Wallace no longer races. He turned

in his driving helmet for a television commentator's suit. Ricky Rudd is

out. Bill Elliott and Mark Martin are running only a handful of races this

season.

Morgan Shepherd is still trying to run a few Nationwide races, but his

competitive Cup career is over. Jimmy Spencer said he has no plans to return

to racing.

Sterling Marlin is still trying to hang on after being released at the

end of last season. Dale Jarrett has one more race to run, and it's out to

pasture for him. Terry Labonte has retired, and his brother Bobby, probably

doesn't have many years left.

Kyle Petty and Ken Schrader have almost reached the finish line.

There aren't many full-time drivers left that are over 40. Jeff Burton

is right on the border, and he is "old," when you consider the age of the

youngsters that are now behind the wheel of a Cup car.

So where does that leave all their fans?

It's a dilemma. Most of their followers are middle aged or older, and

some of the new crop of drivers has barely reached the age where they can

drink alcohol legally.

Beginning in the mid-90s, NASCAR set out to bring in a new and younger

fan base. They actually wanted to get rid of Earnhardt, Elliott, and Martin.

By doing so, a new and younger group of fans would be brought into the

sport.

That's exactly what is happening. NASCAR has succeeded in bringing in

lots of younger drivers; Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,

Kurt and Kyle Busch, Juan Montoya, David Ragan, Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer,

Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, Michael McDowell, Aric Almirola, and several

others.



Not many of these young drivers have gained a widespread fan support.

With the exception of Johnson, Kahne, and Earnhardt Jr., the fans aren't

with them. Now of course, I don't mean to imply they have no fans. I mean

they don't have the large fan following most of the older drivers enjoyed.

I've had many fans tell me they don't really have a favorite driver any

more. Most fans I talked with aren't able to identify with the young

drivers, because they didn't work their way through up through the ranks.

They may have loads of talent, but they lack the personality most fans

want.

Steven Wallace is one example. His father Rusty has spent millions of

dollars grooming him for a Cup career. Does this make him acceptable to

racing fans?

To me it shows he is the son of a rich father and spoiled brat.

The older race fans watch the new kids and squirm. How can a fan that

spends a week's salary going to a race relate to the new 21-year-old who is

picked up after the race by a helicopter and then flies home in a private

jet?

A long time ago drivers had to interact with fans. Now they distance

themselves from the fans and go out of their way to avoid them.

Who's going to fill the old time driver's shoes? Young drivers have slid

into their driving seats, but they aren't cutting it with the fans that

remember Richard, Dale, Rusty, Sterling, Jimmy, and the many other racing

legends.

To develop a large fan following, a driver has to develop a personality

that the fans can relate to.

Right now, I don't see any young driver, with the exception of Dale Jr.

standing out. What has happened reflects the overall change in NASCAR. It's

gone from a driver oriented sport to a team sport.

I don't think there will ever be another driver with a fan following

like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bill Elliott, or Rusty Wallace. I think

that we as fans are going to have to be content to rooting for the entire

team, not just an individual driver.

Next Week: Can Jon Wood Revive the Wood Brothers?

        

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