Who'll be Next?

On those rare occasions that I tune in for a NASCAR race, I'm reminded of what a great driver Tony Stewart is. How I wish he had stayed in Indy Cars! Major open wheel racing lost perhaps its biggest star when Stewart left the Indy Racing League to drive in NASCAR back in 1999. Love him or hate him Stewart does bring out a reaction in people that few drivers can these days. Oh and he's a pretty good driver too. I think it could be argued that Stewart is the best driver in NASCAR today. The question is who'll be the next superstar that leaves open wheel racing to make a run at NASCAR?

In addition to Stewart, CART winner AJ Allmendinger has already made the switch. So has former Indy 500 winner and F-1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. While it's still too early to judge their stock car careers, one thing is certain, they won't be the last drivers to leave open wheel for the land of fenders and Nextel Cups.

I think it's only a matter of time before current IRL and Indy 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. makes the jump. He's proven himself a winner in the IRL. He finally won Indy, and his car owner already has an established Nextel Cup program. After his championship season was wrapped up in the Indy Cars, Hornish ran for Penske in a Busch Series race. He did so again this weekend at Daytona. As much as I hate to admit it, I think his days running in the IRL are numbered.

The same could also be said for Danica Patrick. She is arguably the face of the league. If she finds success with her new team Andretti Green Racing, will she become even more attractive to NASCAR? For a time last year she seemed to flirt with the idea of running stock cars. Imagine how much money she could make running in NASCAR from endorsements alone! Having a full time, competitive female driver would also help with establishing new demographics for NASCAR.

What bums me out about this whole thing is that no matter how great the racing is in the IRL, or how much success a driver enjoys, there's more fame and fortune running Cup. In addition to that drivers can have longer careers driving stock cars than they can driving Indy Cars. It's hard to deny someone more success, fame, and a longer career.

It would seem naive to think that NASCAR is done getting talent from the IRL. Even if it's not Hornish or Patrick, maybe one of the foreign born talents will get the call? It's no secret that NASCAR is trying to tap into the growing Latino market. Having another South American driver competing full time in NASCAR could pull in more interest from that segment.

I hope I’m dead wrong on this. I hope that Hornish and Patrick stay with the IRL and enjoy continued success. I hope that the IRL will continue to put on some of the best racing anywhere in the world. I think the racing in the IRL is way more entertaining than that found in NASCAR. Personally I think it takes more skill to drive an Indy Car than a stock car. Don’t get me wrong, it takes a ton of skill to do either, but more for an Indy Car.

One thing about it is those involved in NASCAR aren’t dumb. They know good driving and marketing talent when they see it. There are drivers in the IRL that fit that bill for both areas. Sadly, for now I think it’s only a matter of time before we find out who’ll be next to join the ranks of NASCAR.