Is the influx of non-American open-wheel drivers into the Nextel Cup circuit the result of a lack of imagination on the part of NASCAR team owners or a sign that the sport is going global?
Four drivers — two Canadians, a Scot and a Virginian — weighed in during a break in testing of the Car of Tomorrow at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Tuesday.
Jeff Burton, from South Boston, Va., said car owner Chip Ganassi showed original thinking last year when he hired Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya to drive his cars, but now his fellow owners are just being copy cats. And, he said that as soon as one owner achieves success with a newcomer from another venue, the trend will shift again.
“It’s a monkey-see, monkey-do sport, ” Burton said. “There’s not a lot of creativity in our sport. ” RICK MINTER, TheOxfordPress
The influx of non-American drivers that started this year with Juan Pablo Montoya will gain more traction in 2008, when Franchitti and two more former open-wheel drivers, Canadians Jacques Villeneuve of Iberville, Que., (a former world champion in Formula One) and Patrick Carpentier of Joliette, Que., are set to join the Cup series.
“I view it as a flattering commentary on our sport that other forms of drivers want to come here, ” said Jeff Burton, who also was testing in Atlanta. “These are drivers who had an opportunity to do things in other types of racing, but they elected to come do this. “
Franchitti was lured from Indy cars by Chip Ganassi, who was encouraged by the progress Montoya showed in his rookie season. The Colombian earned his first win on the road course at Sonoma and was runner-up in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. CanadianPress
To some people, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya coming to NASCAR was almost a novelty. But with three more foreign-born drivers set to go full-time next season in the Nextel Cup Series, it’s on the verge of becoming a full-scale invasion.
Looking forward, the question now is, is this “invasion” good for NASCAR?
Tuesday, Jeff Burton put things in perspective when he said drivers like Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Dario Franchitti are certainly talented enough to race in the Nextel Cup Series. But Burton warned that when it comes to sports, jingoism is alive and well, and no matter how politically incorrect it might be, NASCAR has to be very aware of that.
“We are American fans that for the most part like to pull for American drivers. That’s just how it is, ” Burton explained. “I mean, when I watch the Ryder Cup, I want America to win. That’s just part of human nature. Jerry Bonkowski, YahooSports
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