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NASCAR Slashes 2011 Nationwide Series Purse by 20%, May Limit Cup Drivers


NASCAR Slashes 2011 Nationwide Series Purse by 20%, May Limit Cup Drivers

NASCAR recently announced that they will be slashing the purses of the 2011 Nationwide Series races by 20%. This will have an impact on the low budget teams who are literally racing for their supper at each event, depending on purse money to continue on. It will also make start-and-park teams 20% less lucrative. The reasoning behind the reduction is to help track operators who are apparently losing money hosting the races. 

Apparently, NASCAR is also considering limiting the ability of full time Sprint Cup drivers to compete in the series in an effort to create a separate identity for the Nationwide races and racers. Only one non-full time Sprint Cup driver has won a race this season and the last guy to win the championship who didn’t run the full Cup schedule was Martin Truex Jr. in 2005. There is some legit talent at that level and NASCAR wants to return it to the rightful breeding ground for tomorrow’s big stars.

The largest risk in limiting the participation of the “big guys” is that fans often take advantage of a cheaper ticket to see the big stars race one another in the Nationwide Series. If the idea is to reduce the operating cost for the track and keep the fans coming in as to not kneecap a revenue stream, kicking all the big name stars to the curb could be a potentially catastrophic blow.

We agree that the series has no real identity with cars that look virtually identical, aside from the truly hideous looking Mustang and Challenger, the same batch of drivers, and the same venues hosting their races.

If NASCAR truly wants a minor league, make it a legit minor league. Run it at different place, in different cars, and for less money. We don’t think they’ll ever make the big stars leave the series. They’ll banter about it, get a bunch of people on the tire and relent at the last minute.

We’ll continue not watching.

Source — Yahoo Sports —NASCAR Reduces Nationwide Purses 20% 


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