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Sporting News, The, March 11, 2005 by Lee Spencer

With the exception of the pit crew, the cast of characters in Reed Sorenson's pit stall during the Busch race last Saturday looked very similar to the support staff for Sterling Marlin's Cup effort on Sunday.

There were owner Chip Ganassi, team managers Andy Graves and Tony Glover and crew chief Steve Boyer all watching Sorenson, a 19-year-old rookie, intently. These men were protecting their investment--and the future of Ganassi Racing.

Considering Sorenson's early-season success--he's second in Busch points--Ganassi could plug him into Marlin's No. 40 car next year if he weren't so young. A driver has to be at least 21 to drive a car with an alcoholic beverage sponsorship.

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Still, the pressure would be fierce, even for a driver who has been racing since grade school. If the kid couldn't cut it by the second season, he might have to find a ride back in the Busch Series or Craftsman Truck Series.

Just ask Casey Atwood, who was 19 when Ray Evernham recruited him as "the next big thing" in 2000. Atwood lasted one year in the No. 19 Dodge, ran additional races in a research and development car and now bounces between Busch and truck.

Welcome to the age of the disposable driver.

"A lot of these guys figure if they don't prove themselves in their first race or the first situation they get into, then they're not going to be here very long," seven-time champion Richard Petty says. "It used to be you'd recycle drivers. Drivers would come in, and they'd last 20 or 30 years, and they'd drive six or seven different cars. You're not going to see that in the future.

"Guys coming in, they're going to get one chance. If they're lucky, they're going to get two chances. Then they're out of here."

Take last season's rookies. There was uberfreshman Kasey Kahne, and there was everyone else. Scott Wimmer finished third in the Daytona 500 and barely made a peep the rest of the year. Brian Vickers won the pole for the May race at Richmond and the September race at California but never finished in the top five. Scott Riggs' highlight was a fifth-place finish at Dover.

Now that the yellow stripes are off their back bumpers, the clock is ticking.

"You have to perform on a daily basis, whether you're a CEO or a racecar driver," Vickers says. "Hendrick Motorsports, GMAC and Chevy don't put pressure on me. That's not Rick's style. He's a patient man. We've seen that in the past, and it's worked for him.

"Jeff Gordon didn't win any races his first year. Rick and DuPont were extremely patient, and it seems to have worked out."

Gordon won two races in his second season and finished eighth in points. He hasn't finished a season out of the top 10 in points since. But Gordon came up in the early 1990s, when there wasn't the bevy of driver development programs that exist today.

As the fans bid farewell to Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace, they also can say goodbye to the concept and importance of relationships.

The aforementioned drivers never had to worry about being out of a ride because of the goodwill that had been established throughout their careers. The newest generation of racers won't be so fortunate.

speed reads

Jimmie Johnson's squeaky-clean image took a hit at Daytona. He made two trips to the NASCAR hauler for incidents involving Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. Being on top makes Johnson a target, but his relentless drive incites competitors-especially the sport's bad boys.

It's good to see Steve Park get his groove back. Park's Craftsman Truck win at Fontana was his first in one of NASCAR's top three series since 2001 and made Park, 37, one of 10 drivers who have won in each of those series.

NASCAR can accomplish two goals with one decision: Run a race in Vancouver. That would satisfy fans in the Pacific Northwest and build the Canadian fan base.

INSIDE DISH

Carl Edwards, who has no road course experience, tested the No. 60 Busch Sedes Ford with accomplished road racer Boris Said at Virginia International Raceway. The tests were in preparation for Sunday's road race in Mexico. Said was thoroughly impressed with Edwards' work ethic and potential. "I told (MB2 G.M.) Jay Frye he should have hired Carl," Said says. "He's one of the nicest kids, the real deal. He was a good listener and great learner. He's got quite a future." Edwards finished sixth in Saturday's Busch race and is third in points; he finished fifth in Sunday's Cup race and is fourth in points. * Fatback McSwain, crew chief for Ricky Rudd's No. 21 car, was lying down on the job Sunday ... literally. After undergoing outpatient back surgery, McSwain had to stay home in North Carolina but was wired up and relayed race strategy to the team during the race at California. McSwain has threatened to take a motorcoach to the next Cup race, March 13 at Las Vegas. Rudd's 41st-place finish Sunday should make McSwain eager to get back to the track. * NASCAR extended the second Cup practice by 10 minutes last Friday because eight cars failed to get through inspection that morning. The inspection process always is slow at the first nonrestrictor-plate track of the season because of offseason rules changes, but the testing of transmissions and gears took longer than expected. Even A-list drivers Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray flunked spoiler inspection because their spoilers were too tall. * The impound rule also came into effect for the first time after qualifying last Saturday (cars aren't impounded at restrictor-plate tracks). Teams were allowed only to shut off power, remove the radio and check the tire pressures before the cars were covered. Teams weren't allowed to touch the cars without a NASCAR official present. Car Nos. 14 (John Andretti), 34 (Randy LaJoie), 38 (Elliott Sadler), 43 (Jeff Green) and 37 (Kevin Lepage) had to start the race at the back of the field for "unapproved work" during the impound period. * The front row at California could have been called the Young and the Restless. The top two were Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Busch, 19, and Brian Vickers, 21. Busch broke the track record with a lap of 188.245 mph and became the youngest pole sitter and the youngest driver to lead a lap in NASCAR Cup history. * Doug Duchardt, the newly appointed vice president of development for Hendrick Motorsports, made his track debut last weekend and will be more visible in the future. "Ken Howes (vice president of competition) and I are working together to manage the competition side," Duchardt says. 'Tm working on engineering, chassis and body, and Ken is working with the crews." Even with his engineering background in the General Motors racing division, Duchardt's greatest challenge will be learning the intricacies of building racecars from the chassis up. * Elliott Sadler is "keeping an open mind" regarding his first trip to Mexico. "I haven't been in a Busch car in a long time, so I think it'll be cool going to a road course and being involved in it," says Sadler, who never has seen the track. When asked about security for the event, Sadler says he's "not going to venture out." He adds, "Wherever they tell me to go, that's where I'm going to be, and I look forward to seeing you guys in Vegas." To help with research, Sadler and teammate Dale Jarrett will split time driving Robert Yates Racing's Busch car.

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Sporting News, The, March 11, 2005 by Lee Spencer

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