More than any time in NASCAR history, young drivers are "getting full-time rides and making a name for themselves," according to Gene Frenette of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Twenty-year-old Chase Elliott, the son of NASCAR HOFer Bill Elliott, is "already the youngest Daytona 500 pole-sitter for Sunday’s race." Nearly a dozen drivers 25 or younger, including 14-time winner Joey Logano, have "put together resumes impressive enough to make people wonder if they’ll eventually be the next big thing in racing." Driver Clint Bowyer said, "I don't know if it's the best that it's ever been, but the kids coming up are pretty damn good." Dale Earnhardt Jr., who "knows better than anyone the shadow cast by a famous racing father, can already see Elliott ... tempering expectations surrounding him." Earnhardt: "He just wants to tone down the level of excitement. I saw something on Twitter from NBC NASCAR: 'Will Chase live up to the hype in the Daytona 500?' Give the kid a break" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/18). In Ft. Worth, Drew Davison writes the "lifeblood of the sport centers on drivers’ personalities to connect with fans." Right now, it "faces an uncertain future with how the next wave of drivers carry the torch from drivers who made the sport explode in popularity" in the '90s. Driver Tony Stewart is "retiring after this season," while Jimmie Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. are "in their 40s, and on the backside of their careers." NASCAR "doesn’t need another run-of-the-mill driver," as there "seems to be dozens of Denny Hamlins and Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahnes." Davison: "The new wave needs to produce some Gordons, Earnhardts, Stewarts and even a Kyle Busch" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/19). Meanwhile, Johnson in a Q&A with USA TODAY's Jeff Gluck predicted that either Elliott or Erik Jones will win the Sprint Cup title in '21 (USATODAY.com, 2/18).
