Who Will Cheer Busch?

Good evening, citizens of the Universe. And a special wave of congratulations to our new NexTel Cup Champion, Tony Stewart, and the whole Home Depot/Joe Gibbs Racing Team. With the end of the Cup season, it in effect brings to a close the entire racing calender. Between now and February a lot of changes will be taking place among our Cup heroes. There will be a lot of ride switching, new faces, and new teams to get used to come Daytona Speed Weeks. And this brings me to my little commentary for this evening.

With the out-flux of veterans from established rides, replaced by the so-called "Young Guns" of the sport, it makes me wonder where these tried and true fans are to turn their loyalties. I ask, as Rusty Wallace steps away, are his fans expected to change their alligence to his replacement, Kurt Busch? Or to Penske teammate, Ryan Newman? Do Miller Beer fans have to cheer for Busch, even though they do not like his "Do you know who I am?" attitude? I do not see it, not with Rusty's fans.

With Dale, Sr.'s death the vast majority of his fanbase went over to his son, Junior, although Kevin Harvick's dramatic first win at Atlanta earned him a fare share of that base. But are Mark Martin's fans expected to remain loyal to Jack Rousch and root on his Rouschketeers, regardless of who they are? Are Bill Elliott's fans now Kasey Kahne fans? Are Terry Labonte's fans Kyle Busch's? I think not.

Over the past six seasons, fifteen currently active drivers have come into the series, into top-line equipment. That's over a third of the field, and does not include the come and go dozen or so. Two of this group, Rouschketeers Matt Kenseth and the aforementioned Kurt Busch, have won championships, though not much fan support. Of the remaining "Young Guns", only Dale, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Ryan Newman have any fanbase, and all four have larger groups than either past champion. This leaves us with Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, and Jamie McMurray. All race winners, but who are their fans? The remaining three, Casey Mears, Scott Riggs, and Scott Wimmer, have yet to win a race, and have no fanbase to speak of.

To further dilute the entire Cup fanbase, a group of seven more "Young Guns" will be vying for our fanship next season. Will Martin Truex, Jr., Clint Bowyer, J.J.Yeley, Denny Hamlin, Reed Sorenson, Paul Menard, or David Stremme become our next Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Kenny Schrader, Jeff Burton, or Ricky Rudd. Only time will tell. Oh, and of course, wins! Just ask Casey Atwood, Jason Leffler, or Ricky Craven where all their fans have gone.

It would not surprize me to find that NASCAR's Cup fanbase has peaked. It will not be long before we begin to see a decline in the entire fanbase. In fact, I believe with the retirements of Wallace, Rudd, Martin, Schrader, Jarrett, and Terry Labonte over the next couple of years, the majority of these driver's fans may not find another driver worth their loyalty. I personnally know of one Jarrett fan who does not plan to look. On the other hand, I have been a Geoff Bodine fan, and then a Schrader fan, and now I am a Bobby Labonte fan, though I find myself rooting on Elliott Sadler more and more. I will continue being a fan of the sport, and its drivers. Will you?

Think about it, my fellows. Until the morrow, Good Night.