Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: ‘Young guns’ produce in victory lane

Friday, May 17, 2002 | 10:23 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Ricky Rudd created a buzz on the Winston Cup scene last week when he complained that the "older" NASCAR drivers are being ignored while too much attention is being paid to the younger drivers.

Rudd, 45, laid the blame at the feet of NASCAR's new television partners, FOX and NBC.

"I see some of the things that have changed with the TV deal and it makes me think NASCAR has sold its soul to the devil," Rudd said. "They are massaging this thing to target a certain crowd and before you know it, they'll have us up there flexing and in bathing suits like we're professional wrestlers."

Kurt Busch, presumably one of the young drivers to whom Rudd was referring, said there is a good reason TV -- and the print media, for that matter -- have focused on NASCAR's "young guns" through the first third of the season.

"It seems like the young guns are getting a lot of coverage this year, but you look at the win column and that's where it's at," the 23-year-old Las Vegas native said.

Indeed. Of the 11 Winston Cup races contested thus far, seven of the races have been won by drivers 30 years of age and younger -- including Busch's first career win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart, both 30, have two wins each this season and Kenseth and Busch are second and third in points.

Although 44-year-old Sterling Marlin is the Winston Cup points leader, five of the top-10 drivers in the points standings are 30 or younger.

"It seems like we are getting a lot of attention but we are the ones putting up some results and it doesn't necessarily come at the veterans' expense, so to speak," Busch said.

"It's just a change in the racing world, where the late Davey Allison created this young, energetic, youthful driver to the scene. Jeff Gordon followed suit (and) Tony Stewart, Dale Jr., Matt Kenseth ... and then with Kevin Harvick winning two races in his rookie year and us coming on strong in our sophomore season."

While Marlin said he hears from fans who feel he is being ignored despite his standout season, he said he understands the media's attraction to the younger drivers.

"If you're running good, you deserve to be talked about," Marlin said. "What I've seen is a bunch of kids running good this season."

"So far we've had 11 races and we were in contention at 10 of those 11 to win the race," said Busch, who will be competing in The Winston Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "As the season progresses through the summer months, we're going to be hitting the Dovers, the Poconos, the Michigans, Daytona for a second time, Chicago -- I'd like to see a win in that group and I'd like to see at least two more in the final quarter.

"I think we're capable of making that four-win mark, which puts you in contention for a championship effort. So those are the objectives for the Rubbermaid team: to go out and win four races. You can't necessarily pick a number on how many races you're going to win, but we know how competitive we were in the first segment of this year and we know what we can do to capitalize on some of these races down the road now."

Junqueira was pulling into pit lane when he lost control of the car he used to qualify for the pole last Saturday. The car spun, sending him across the track, and he tapped the outside wall. There was some damage to the rear of the car but it was expected it could be repaired and the accident was not expected to affect his starting position.

Junquiera was cleared to drive in the May 26 Indy 500 a few minutes after the accident.

The decision was based upon difficult economic conditions that have contributed to a shortfall in funding to the team, the team said in a release. PWR is owned by Bruce McCaw, who also fields the No. 7 car for 2001 CART Rookie of the Year Scott Dixon.

By using 2002 chassis next year, it is expected that current two-car teams could save up to $1 million each. CART also confirmed that Lola Cars will return to the series next season as a chassis manufacturer.

"I'm extremely excited at the opportunity to join a first-class organization like Hendrick Motorsports," Nemechek said. "They're giving me the chance to come into a situation with a top-tier team and fantastic sponsor. I really couldn't be more thrilled."

Nadeau, who was fired by Hendrick last week, will fill in for the injured Johnny Benson in Saturday's The Winston.

In two Winston West starts on the 1-mile oval, Gaughan had a fifth-place and a 10th-place finish and won the pole for the race there in 1998.

"We've been moving up slowly but surely," said Gaughan, who is 11th in NCTS points. "but now we are ready to start closing the door. We hold the lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year quest and are 11th overall in points. Our next goal is to move into the top ten.

"I took my first Bud Pole in the NASCAR Winston West Series at this track (and) I've scored a couple of good finishes. It's a fun, fast track with three different grooves. This gives you the ability to try different ways to get around. You need a good cornering truck for the whole race and we think our newest NAPA Dodge will do the trick."