Beyond the Flag
Fansided

Should NASCAR hold an annual draft for upcoming drivers in the sport?

By Tyler Callaway

CONCORD, NC - NOVEMBER 07: The 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Class was announced to the media and those drivers are from left, Nick Sanchez, Ryan Vargas, Isabella Robusto, Chase Cabre, Erni Franis, Jr. and Ruben Garcia, Jr. on November 7, 2017 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Bob Leverone/Getty Images)
CONCORD, NC - NOVEMBER 07: The 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Class was announced to the media and those drivers are from left, Nick Sanchez, Ryan Vargas, Isabella Robusto, Chase Cabre, Erni Franis, Jr. and Ruben Garcia, Jr. on November 7, 2017 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Bob Leverone/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
BAKERSFIELD, CA – NOVEMBER 04: Todd Gilliland, driver of the #16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)
BAKERSFIELD, CA – NOVEMBER 04: Todd Gilliland, driver of the #16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images) /

How would it work?

In theory, every year, each full-time NASCAR Cup Series team would be given one draft pick based on their finishing position for the season. The team with the worst finishing position would have the first pick with the best finishing position having the last.

Not every full-time Cup team would be given a draft pick. With so many teams going in and out of a full-time schedule each year, it’d be unfair to give a top draft pick to a team that may be out of Cup after a year.

Only teams that have raced for five consecutive years in the Cup Series are rewarded draft picks,  ensuring that only teams serious about competing in the Cup Series will have chances at young talented racers.

This means a team like Rick Ware Racing wouldn’t be eligible.

Anyone with a draft pick should be able to provide a viable plan to develop each driver in the lesser series of NASCAR until they are ready to make the step to Cup. Inability to do so would mean a loss in those drivers’ rights.

The draft order would be set based on each team’s finishing position in the standings for the previous season. The team with the highest ranking driver (the champion) would get the last pick, and the team with the lowest ranking driver would get the first.

It would essentially be the same as any professional league draft. Hopefully, NASCAR would not make the same mistake as the NBA and institute a lottery, but either system would work fine.

For example, this year’s draft order would be the following.

2018 NASCAR Draft Order:

  1. Front Row Motorsports
  2. Leavine Family Racing
  3. JTG Daugherty Racing
  4. Germain Racing 
  5. Richard Petty Motorsports
  6. Roush-Fenway Racing
  7. Richard Childress Racing
  8. Wood Brothers Racing
  9. Chip Ganassi Racing
  10. Hendrick Motorsports
  11. Team Penske
  12. Stewart-Haas Racing
  13. Joe Gibbs Racing
  14. Furniture Row Racing

If for whatever reason a team didn’t desire their draft pick, they could also trade it to another team for cash considerations or maybe even other drivers.

Home/NASCAR