Influx of open-wheelers leaving Raines, others out (cont'd)

"It's yet to be seen who does what and how many make what races," Martin said. "Juan Montoya is an incredibly exceptional racecar driver and has done really, really well. The next ones to follow in his footsteps are going to have to align themselves with great cars and great teams to be able to step up and make that transition like he has.

"It all depends on a whole array of things -- equipment, team, desire, the fire that they have. There are a lot of elements that go into it and they all have to line up for it to work well, for you to be able to succeed right away. ...I would say Juan Montoya would be the gold standard right now, for making the transition. They should all aspire to reach that level."

It's not like many others haven't made the transition from the open-wheel side to Cup racing. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Casey Mears and Kasey Kahne are just a handful of drivers who have done so in the past.

But this time, the flood of open-wheelers seems to have rushed upon the paddock, er garage, with a ferocity and quickness that has never before been approached. And for some of the foreign guys, it is apparent that there may be just a little resentment from some veteran drivers.

Ron Hornaday and Mike Skinner, currently running 1-2 in the Craftsman Truck Series, were asked about Franchitti and Villeneuve entering the Truck race this weekend. Hornaday started talking about how nothing had ever been given to him in racing.

"I had to pick up a lot of dog poop and mow a lot of lawns to get my first motorcycle," Hornaday said.

And Skinner offered a thinly veiled warning.

"What happens in this deal is that it comes back and haunts you if you mess with the veterans in the Truck Series," Skinner said. "I don't care if you're a Cup driver or a rookie, it will come back and haunt you. We don't care. We're here to race. We're not going to take a bunch of crap from other guys and we're going to try not to give too much, either."

Franchitti said those who think he and other open-wheelers haven't paid their dues before lining up for Cup rides are sadly mistaken.

"I think any driver, whether you grew up in Europe racing or in South America, you struggle to get that break," Franchitti said. "Sometimes it's a matter of luck. I put myself in a position where team owners wanted to pick me. I definitely came up the hard way in racing."

Pulled aside moments later, he went on to explain.

"It's a possibility that many people don't understand that. Certainly most of the open-wheel guys I know struggled," said Franchitti, who won the Indy 500 this past May. "I was talking to some of the guys the other day, about the way they came up [in Cup] as well, and it was a similar story where you're packing your stuff in a car and going off somewhere to try to find a ride. Whether it's in the U.K. or here in the U.S., I think it's a similar story. I struggled to make it on the open-wheel side of things; guys struggle to make it on the stock-car side of things.

"Everybody has their stories. There were times where you just didn't have enough cash to put gas in the car to go to the next test site. My mom and dad re-mortgaged their house just to keep me in cars my first year. You were borrowing money from family and friends just to get to that next race. That's obviously a long way from winning the Indy 500 and where we are now, but I think as much as anybody in this paddock, I can relate. I think just about everyone struggles to make it in racing, whether they come from Indiana or Scotland."

Interestingly, Raines hails from LaPorte, Ind., and knows this racing fact of life as well as anyone.

"I've got a few irons in the fire. I feel like I'll end up doing something decent, but I don't have anything good lined up in the Cup Series -- nothing that I would call equal to this or better. It's just ain't out there," said the 43-year-old Raines, 31st in driver points. "With the few Indy guys coming in, and with just a few spots available on the Cup side, you just keep getting bumped down the ladder.

"I mean, David Stremme is having a hard time finding a Cup ride. And he's young. He's ran well (24th in points). He deserves a ride, and he ain't got one -- and he probably ain't going to get one until next year when the guys who are struggling and not making races go off, and teams start looking to make changes. That happens every year."

Ironically, Franchitti will take Stremme's place in the No. 40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing and will be guaranteed to make the first five races based on owner points that Stremme has helped secure this season. But the implication was that Raines thinks some of those who will struggle at the start next season will be open-wheel newcomers.

"I do think they've got a steeper learning curve than most of them realize," he said.

Meanwhile, as Franchitti wrapped up a series of interviews he was doing in the media center in the infield of Martinsville Speedway on Friday, he gestured to one of his questioners before being led away.

"I said paddock again there, right?" Franchitti asked.

Told that he had, Franchitti smiled and added: "I'll keep working on it."

It's not all he and other open-wheel crossover candidates will have to keep working on.