FONTANA, Calif. -- Patrick Carpentier considers himself to be a fairly fashionable guy, but being the focus of a fad is less than ideal because it means one day you'll be out of style.

Irrelevant and off the front page, Carpentier has become a victim of NASCAR team owners' fad obsession with open-wheel drivers and their perceived appeal and sponsorship potential.

At the end of 2007, team owners were scooping up open-wheelers like kids on Cabbage Patch dolls in the 1980s; Dario Franchitti, Jacques Villeneuve, Sam Hornish Jr. were all making the conversion, bringing with them questionable talent but an appetite for NASCAR's limelight and high-dollar salaries.

Of the many former open-wheelers to debut in NASCAR's premier series this season, Carpentier and Hornish Jr. are the only drivers left to carry the open-wheel torch and Carpentier's flame is about to go out.

It was announced this week that former Chip Ganassi Racing driver Reed Sorenson will join Gillett Evernham Racing next season with all indications that Sorenson will replace Carpentier.

Carpentier, known for his personable and optimistic attitude, said he's not upset.

"For sure, it's a shock to learn someone else is taking your spot. But they are still working to get a fourth car out there," said Carpentier, who qualified fifth for Sunday's Pepsi 500; the third time this season the NASCAR rookie has started inside the top-five. "A lot of teams want to go to four cars, and this is one of them. Hopefully it works out. I've enjoyed the year so much. I hope to do it for many years. If I don't, then I understand."

But it's a sponsor dependent sport, the driver added, and said co-owner George Gillett Jr. has been forced to fund some of his racing efforts from his own pocket.

"I'm not pissed off. I kind of expected it," Carpentier said. "I still hope they find [sponsorship]. They really want to find it. With the economy and the way things are, Reed just fits the bill better. That's fine too."

Youth and the ability to be shaped may be on Sorenson's side but performance isn't. In three years in the Sprint Cup Series he's not won a single race.

Carpentier took over the No. 10 Dodge at Gillett Evernham full time at the start of the 2008 season, replacing Scott Riggs, who finished the year 36th in points. Transitioning from the open-wheel ranks and forced to qualify on time for races, Carpentier is 37th in points despite missing a handful of races. He has one pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and a career-best finish of 14th at Daytona International Speedway. More than that, in just 10 starts in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, he has one pole, three top-fives and five top-10s.

Pulling the driver for whatever reason after showing progress is not my idea of a real commitment to a long-time driver such as Carpentier, who fans have come to really enjoy.

Majority team owner Gillett, who also owns the Montreal Canadiens, seemingly jumped at the chance to hire Carpentier and believed he could build a strong sponsorship program around the driver geared towards his Canadian roots.

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I'm not pissed off. I kind of expected it. I still hope they find [sponsorship]. They really want to find it. With the economy and the way things are, Reed just fits the bill better. That's fine too.

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PATRICK CARPENTIER

Last year Gillett said, "We are committed to giving Patrick the best resources and opportunities available to make this transition and we look forward to a great deal of success together both on and off the track."

Yeah, I suppose all team owners are optimistic the day they announce a new driver, but they should dust off the sugar coating and plainly say, 'hey we are glad to have him but if he doesn't turn heads in two weeks then our "commitment" is canceled.'

Is it fair to expect a successful transition in a car that hasn't won a race since 2002 when Johnny Benson won at Rockingham? Or is it fair to expect a successful transition from a guy with 19 Cup starts and little to no development in stock-cars?

"In this sport, you never know," Carpentier said. "Every ride is sponsorship dependent now. Teams are searching for sponsors and are a little bit hungrier because money is a little bit scarcer than what it's been before because of the economy. Last year we had really good timing with Mr. Gillett and the Canadiens and the car, so everything worked out. This year, timing isn't as good, but hopefully we'll get to work it out."

Given a full year to develop into these stock-cars -- namely the new generation Cup car -- Carpentier may have proved worth keeping around. He only made maybe seven starts in the Nationwide Series before given the wheel to a Cup car.

Meanwhile, Carpentier is hoping to prolong his short tenure in NASCAR and find a sponsor.

"We're looking. There are a lot of cars that haven't decided yet," Carpentier said. "Ganassi and Penske and a few other teams ...Yates and few guys want to add some cars or change, so we'll see what it is. There are a lot of guys looking out there, knocking on doors."

On the bright side, maybe Carpentier's transition to NASCAR wasn't an entire waste of time like I had originally thought.

You could say Carpentier garnered some much-needed seat time and experience on Gillett Evernham's dime. Much like 22-year-old Sorenson did at Ganassi Racing. The team matured Sorenson and brought him up through the ranks the last three years, but it will be Gillett Evernham to reap the benefits.

Here's hoping both men go on to find lasting success and that Carpentier becomes more of a timeless fixture in the garage and not just a fleeting fad.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer

Also: Sorenson set to join Gillett Evernham team for 2009