NASCAR: The landscape of the sport is changing

By Asher Fair | Jan 2, 2018

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 19: Erik Jones, driver of the #77 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota, leads Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DEWALT/Flexvolt Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 19, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /

The landscape of NASCAR is beginning to shift, and this shift greatly favors the next generation of young drivers as opposed to the veterans and established contenders.

The landscape of the NASCAR Cup Series has been gradually changing over the past few years, and that change is inevitable since no drivers will drive forever and eventually they will be replaced by younger drivers. But that change has now really begun to pick up.

Series veterans and established contenders are no longer teams’ most desired drivers. Instead, teams are opting to sign younger and more inexperienced drivers who they feel will be more beneficial in the long run despite the fact that these drivers have not yet really proven themselves as true contenders.

Look at all of the veteran drivers, whose names are household names, who are no longer full-time drivers in the sport. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick just completed their final full seasons in the sport, with Matt Kenseth likely having done the same. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are also no longer racing. The list could go on.

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We have seen in several recent cases that many proven drivers have been replaced by younger and more inexperienced drivers, but perhaps never as much as we are going to see it as we head into next season.

Some past examples include Kyle Larson, now 25, replacing Juan Pablo Montoya, now 42, at Chip Ganassi Racing to begin the 2014 season, and Chase Elliott, now 22, replacing four-time champion Jeff Gordon, now 46, at Hendrick Motorsports to begin the 2016 season.

Also, Furniture Row Racing expanded to become a two-car team for the first time ever prior to the 2017 season, and they put Erik Jones, 21, in the seat of that car as opposed to a series veteran. Note that these are certainly not all of the recent scenarios of younger drivers replacing older ones.

Next season, 25-year-old Alex Bowman is set to replace 43-year-old Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 20-year-old William Byron is set to replace 37-year-old Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports. 21-year-old Erik Jones is set to replace 45-year-old Matt Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske is set to expand to a three-car team. They have signed 23-year-old Ryan Blaney to be their third driver as opposed to a series veteran.

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Again, these changes are inevitable, as no drivers can drive forever and many young drivers are poised to eventually get their chance to compete for one or more of NASCAR’s top teams in the Cup Series level. But the shift to the next generation of drivers is happening extremely quickly, perhaps faster than it ever has before, and it is happening right before our eyes as we head into the 2018 season.