NASCAR driver Kyle Busch "sees marketing campaigns pushing new drivers" now that many well-known veteran competitors have retired, and he "doesn't exactly love that idea," according to Bob Pockrass of ESPN.com. Busch said, "All you're doing is advertising all these younger guys for fans to figure out and pick up on and choose as their favorite driver. I think it's stupid. I don't know, I'm not the marketing genius that's behind this deal." Pockrass noted NASCAR has a "slew of Cup drivers younger than 25," including Ryan Blaney, Darrell Wallace Jr., Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and William Byron. Blaney "does a podcast for NASCAR, and NASCAR often uses the young drivers on their social media channels." Driver Clint Bowyer, 38, noted the younger drivers are "filling some pretty big voids." Bowyer: "You got somebody getting into Jeff Gordon's car. You've got somebody getting into Dale Jr.'s car. We have to figure out how to fill that void somehow, and it can't all be on the same old guys that have been there." Bowyer added that the "key" is to "promote proven young drivers" (ESPN.com, 1/23). Busch said, “It is bothersome. We’ve paid our dues and our sponsors have." He added that younger drivers are "more likely to agree to participate in promotional efforts." Busch: “The younger guys are bullied into doing a lot more things than the older guys are. We say no a lot more. We have families and want to spend more time at home” (USATODAY.com, 1/23).
THE NEXT BIG THING? In Atlanta, Steve Hummer notes NASCAR’s drivers are speaking this week in Charlotte during the circuit’s annual media tour, and the "hard part is trying to identify a savior among them." When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series kicks off with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, the sport "begins another search for a personality bigger than the machine that contains it." The need is "greater than ever, with the departure of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the curiosity of [Danica] Patrick having run its course." There is "continuing drain of recognizable names and talent in this sport, and replacement parts seem particularly hard to come by." The farm system also "hasn’t been real helpful" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/24).
