Dale Earnhardt Jr, has 21 Busch Series wins. Credit: Autostock

Junior: NASCAR must fix 'suffering' Busch Series

Past championship driver, owner says Cup influx is a problem

JOLIET, Ill. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. says NASCAR needs to address the increasingly large number of Nextel Cup drivers in the Busch Series soon.

"The series is suffering,'' he said.

	Credit: CIA Stock Photo
	Inside the Numbers Dale Eanrhardt Jr.'s driving record in the Busch Series Starts 89 Wins 21 Top-5s 44 Top-10s 56 Poles 9 Avg. Start 10.3 Avg. Finish 11.8

Earnhardt has experienced the Busch Series as a driver and an owner. He won two championships [1998, '99] as a driver before moving full time into Cup and won two more the past two seasons as an owner for Martin Truex Jr.

He still drives a limited Busch schedule, winning last week's race at Daytona and running in Saturday's race at Chicagoland, finishing 15th.

But Earnhardt doesn't think Cup drivers, who won 16 of the first 18 Busch Series races before Chicagoland, should be a regular in NASCAR's secondary series.

"It's a challenge running in the Busch Series,'' Earnhardt said when asked if the current situation hurts the development of young drivers. "It's fun to have days like we did last weekend where we won the race and I was able to enjoy racing in the same car that I own and have so much pride in.

"[But] I would like to see some limitations on Cup drivers as far as their ability to compete. For the sake of the series and longevity of the series, what's happening right now is slightly detrimental to that.''

Earnhardt said his Busch team is fortunate because it has a relationship with Richard Childress Racing's engine program. He can't imagine how teams without resources from Cup teams survive.

While NASCAR would like to use the Busch Series to develop young drivers, officials also attribute the rise in attendance and television ratings to the influx of Cup drivers.

Busch Series director Joe Balash said there's no easy way to rectify the situation.

"As far as the competitiveness, we've taken a look at it from a number of different perspectives,'' he said. "There's not one easy answer to say is there a limitation? Can you keep people from competing? We want to have a series where it's open for everyone to compete.''