Good drivers without rides due to open-wheel infusion (cont'd)

In the Busch Series since 2002, Sauter was very successful with 49 top-10 finishes in five seasons and no worse than 18th in points, twice ending the season eighth. Finally getting a full-time Cup ride in 2007, Sauter kept his car in the top 35 all season and had three top-10s, including a fifth at Richmond. But it wasn't enough to keep him around. Apparently one season is enough to become a failure.

In the end, Sauter also landed in the Nationwide Series.

Autostock

Johnny Sauter

Silly Season

It sounds fun, but silly season is anything but. The '08 lineup is just about complete, but there could be a few more open rides before Daytona in February.

• '08 Projected Drivers & Teams

Both Stremme and Sauter are young, good-looking, marketable and have potential as Cup drivers -- yet they can't find a car out of the 50-plus that attempt to race each week.

And they aren't alone.

Raines did a great job in his two years at Hall of Fame Racing; Said has proven he can drive, yet finds himself more in need on ESPN than in a racecar; and Wimmer went back to the Busch Series, helped win an owner's championship for Richard Childress, yet still can't find his way into a Cup deal.

What happened to the days of starting in a lower series and earning a ride? Since when did racing open-wheel with a half-dozen starts in Trucks or Busch give drivers an exemption into the top racing circuit in America?

The scary part in this influx of open-wheel guys is they aren't ready to compete in a stock car. All one has to do is look at this past season to realize that.

In nine races, Villeneuve crashed in four of them. Franchitti had two wrecks in five races. Hornish could hardly qualify for a Cup race, missing the cut the first six times he tried. And in the Busch Series he wrecked in four of nine races. Carpentier, when away from a road course, never finished on the lead lap.

Not every open-wheel transfer will be Montoya. He is the exception. His transition into stock cars, while rough at the beginning, turned out to be impressive. The new crop of open-wheelers needs more time in the Nationwide and Truck Series. What they don't need is a full-time Cup ride handed to them on a silver platter because they were successful at one time in a series that's nothing like the Sprint Cup.

A disappointing precedent is being set right now. Gone are the days where a driver starts in a go-kart and moves up through the Late Model and Grand National ranks to get an opportunity in one of NASCAR's national series. NASCAR's top level is becoming less and less about talent. Sponsors want a name they can sell, and who's more attractive in an ad -- Franchitti or Stremme? It doesn't matter anymore if a driver is talented or how well he finishes; it comes down to money. If they aren't getting the exposure, they're no good to a Cup team -- and that's sad.

All that matters is the bottom line, and some great drivers are being cast aside for unproven names who found success in circuits that don't necessarily compare.

The opinions expressed are those solely of the writer.