(photo by Eric Gilbert, Motorsport.com)
Sunday's Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 will feature a full field of 43 cars; there's no concern of filling the grid as many had originally visioned. In fact, 13 teams will be headed home following Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying races. So how could this be?
Small teams on shoestring budgets are going for all or nothing, hoping that they'll be on the grid for the most prestigious race of the year. Drivers like former championship-winning crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine or 57-year-old ARCA veteran Norm Benning are rolling the dice with no sponsorship, let alone manufacturer support.
Then there are others like Joe Nemecheck, who revived his own former Nationwide Series team after being left without a Cup ride for 2009. The veteran racer who has contested nearly 500 Cup races in his career is giving it his all to make it on his own – sponsorship or not. One major incentive is the prize money, as even the last place finisher in the Daytona 500 will receive $250,000.
Motorsport.com's Joe Jennings talked to Nemecheck this week at Daytona International Speedway and has put together a great piece on the challenges of an independent in the sport today.
The question on everyone's mind, though, is will teams like Nemecheck's make it through a season? Many have pledged to run the full 36-race tour, but it's near impossible to accomplish without any backing. Will the fields be full come June or July? And will this great disparity in NASCAR amongst teams be good or bad for the sport?
Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: there are plenty of fighters out there who will not let go of their dreams.
Great tie in with sports and an issue that affects every American today. It's sad to see that a big and popular sport such as NASCAR is struggling the way it is. Small and independent teams should have every opportunity to make it to every race like the big teams such as Joe Gibbs or the Hendrick motorsports racing teams. Just like you, I think NASCAR should find someway to get smaller teams their opportunities at major sponsors or else likable drivers such as Nemecheck will be out of a job. What do you think should be done for the "David" teams to make to all 36 races?
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