NASCAR: Is a demotion system worth implementing?

Pro: Shows who the greatest drivers in the sport are

There is no question that the NASCAR Cup Series is the top and most prestigious level of stock car racing in the United States. However, we have drivers in the Cup Series who don’t have any notable achievements on their resume. They don’t have any wins in the Xfinity Series and/or Truck Series or any notable championships, etc.

While Kyle Busch may have gone too far after the Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last September by saying that “We’re at the top echelon of motorsports, and we’ve got guys who have never won Late Model races running on the racetrack”, I kind of have to agree with him.

When a regular backmarker changes everything that happens in a race, like Dylan Lupton at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2016, Derrike Cope at Richmond Raceway in 2017, Kevin LePage in an Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in 2008 or Michel Disdier in a Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2018, it’s unfortunate, and sometimes, it’s time to stop.

Yes, moments like this are always going to happen. But they shouldn’t be happening consistently by the same drivers in the slow cars.

Teams don’t like it when these drivers are frequently wrecking cars or not performing well. Just look at the late Jason Leffler, who was driving the #11 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. He was fired after 19 races because he couldn’t finish a race in the top 10. His replacement? Denny Hamlin.