NASCAR Executive Steve O’Donnell says Cup Drivers May be Limited to Xfinity Series Starts
Future limits are now expected to keep NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers off the NASCAR Xfinity Series entry list. The series has been rather dominated by Sprint Cup drivers dropping down to run the Xfinity events. Listen to a clip of the interview from Sirius XM NASCAR Radio below.
UPDATE: NASCAR Officially Limits Sprint Cup Drivers Racing in Lower Series with New Rule
“It certainly is on our radar,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’ve heard the fans. It’s interesting, it’s been a balance throughout the years. We’ve always had Sprint Cup drivers come into the Xfinity Series and sometimes dominate, back in the Mark Martin days.
In todays world, the name that would like pop up is Kyle Busch. The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion has collected 85 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, nine of those were collected just this year. Busch also has 46 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins.
In the past the thought process was that the big name NASCAR Stars entered in the lower tier races just helped boost ticket sales and viewing numbers. However, since it’s become so dominant, the thought process has started to shift. The same handful of cup regulars winning every week certainly isn’t exciting from the fans perspective.
“As the sport has evolved one of the great things is we’ve got more of a fan following in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. They like seeing those drivers come up through the ranks and it’s our job to make sure that Xfinity is where names are made. We’ve got to do on that on the racetrack.
“That is something we’re taking a really hard look at for next year, I’d say stay tuned. We’re going to look at and probably have something to announce fairly soon.’’
This has been a talking point for many years now. The best quote on the issue comes from NASCAR Legend, Short Track King and diehard racer Ken Schrader. Who said, “It’s just an entry fee.”
Regular NASCAR Cup Drivers Winning in NASCAR Xfinity Series
2016: won 17 of 30 Xfinity races (56%)
2015: won 23 of 33 Xfinity races (69%)
2014: won 22 of 33 Xfintiy races (66%)
2013: won 28 of 33 Xfinity races (84%)
2012: won 18 of 33 Xfinity races (54%)
2011: won 28 of 34 Xfinity races (82%)
Steve O’Donnell Talks Limiting Cup Driver from Xfinity Starts – Audio Clip
Photo Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images
