NASCAR Buy or Sell: Cup Drivers in XFINITY Series Races

May 6, 2017; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Aric Almirola (98) celebrates winning the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports /

Aric Almirola is the latest Cup driver to win an XFINITY Series race, as he won the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega last weekend. Should NASCAR’s top-level drivers be allowed to compete on lower levels?

The debate has been going on for years and it will continue on long after this edition of Buy or Sell. After Aric Almirola became the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to win an XFINITY Series race this season, the question remains if Cup drivers should be allowed to race down in the secondary series.

Cup Series drivers should be allowed to race in XFINITY Series races: BUY

Mar 4, 2017; Hampton, GA, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) wins the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /

Through nine XFINITY Series races this season, full-time Cup drivers have won seven times. Many fans feel the series would be better off if drivers such as Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Erik Jones and Aric Almirola were not winning these races.

Would these races be more enjoyable if guys like Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier, both of which have been full-time Cup drivers, were winning more often? Absolutely not. Fans who do not want Cup drivers in this series want to see youngsters like William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Cole Custer to name a few win often before making their jump to the big show. When the future stars are ready to win, they will do just that no matter who is in the field. But until then, the only drivers who would benefit from Cup guys being outlawed would be the XFINITY series veterans such as Sadler and Allgaier, who most likely won’t go on to big time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rides competing each week anyway.

Apr 22, 2017; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Erik Jones (20) celebrates winning the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

In recent years, young drivers such as Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott have shined in the XFINITY Series, winning races and vaulting themselves into the premier series at young ages. They gained top-level experience racing against Busch, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick on select Saturdays. The opportunity to race against and sometimes beat these Cup Series champions was far more valuable than beating lower-level talent each week without those guys in the field.

NASCAR’s biggest reason for including Cup drivers is most likely viewership, which makes complete sense. NASCAR is a business at the end of the day. How many fans are leaving their tailgates or tuning into FOX Sports networks to watch drivers such as Blake Koch or Michael Annett? Not many. But when you throw exciting drivers such as Busch or Keselowski in the mix, attendance and TV ratings are most definitely getting a boost. In a time when the sport’s TV ratings are consistently in a decline from years past, viewership needs to be a huge factor into the decisions NASCAR makes regarding who races in the XFINITY Series.

Next: Talladega Winner Spotlight

When taking all of these factors into consideration, big-name Cup drivers are a good thing for the XFINITY Series races. Everyone involved benefits. Young drivers get added experience racing the sport’s best. Fans get to see their favorite drivers compete more than once a week. NASCAR gets a little extra in the viewership department. And of course, top-level drivers get to do what they love the most, which is get in a few extra celebratory doughnuts a day early during an XFINITY burnout.

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