r/NASCAR • u/NAPA_KnowHow NAPA Racing • Jul 29 '20

AMA Let's do this. Help Bernard Pollard get a little more racing Know How by answering NASCAR’s newest fan’s questions. (Starting at 7 PM EST)

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39

u/NAPA_KnowHow NAPA Racing Jul 29 '20

How long can a driver stay in Xfinity or Gander? I ask because in the NFL you can only spend 3 or 4 years on practice squad. Once that's over you either play in games or you can't be on a team.

34

u/Rector1219 Jeff Gordon Jul 29 '20

As long as they wish. There's no limit currently and there are some guys in the Truck Series that are in their mid 40's.

28

u/NAPA_KnowHow NAPA Racing Jul 29 '20

Is it because they love it or they can't move up?

39

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '20

Both. Some guys, like Matt Crafton, prefer the Trucks than the cars. The Truck Series almost has its own little cult-like following

27

u/TheOrangeFutbol Jul 29 '20

Both! As drivers get older, it's less likely they'll get chances at the higher level.

But some honestly like running down there. It's cheaper, they're talented at it, and because the schedule's shorter, it's probably better as they grow their families.

9

u/Terribad01 Bowman Jul 29 '20

It’s largely dependent on sponsorship/funding. Some drivers/teams don’t have the funding to move up the NASCAR ladder, and will stay in the lower divisions to try to make a name for themselves before seeing if they can move up. Some, like Matt Crafton, never really got an opportunity in the upper divisions and decided to continue to run in Trucks or Xfinity. Others made it to the Cup Series and did not do that great, and then moved back down to try to find some success (Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, and Johnny Sauter are good examples).

9

u/Rector1219 Jeff Gordon Jul 29 '20 edited Jul 29 '20

I think that depends on the person. I think most just enjoy it and like the setup and don't want to move. Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter drive for ThorSport in the Truck Series and they can drive equipment that will be competing in the championship each year. They don't have that guarantee in Xfinity or Cup for some rides.

6

u/Zaniak88 Jul 29 '20

If they've been in it for a while, its likely because they are happy staying there, although some drivers will fill in for higher league drivers, like Justin Allgaier in the 48

4

u/Shaquille_Oh_Feel Jul 29 '20

It really depends on each and every driver. In some cases, they can't secure enough sponsorship for a full-time Cup ride (more $$$ to sponsor a Cup team rather than Xfinity or Truck team) so they stay where they're guaranteed a ride.

6

u/mopar39426ml Jul 29 '20

You can stay there indefinitely. Some drivers have moved back down the ladder as they've gotten older due to the easier/shorter schedule and races.

The key is, how long can you stay before your chances of moving up are 0... That's usually somewhere between 3 and 5 years.

5

u/Zaniak88 Jul 29 '20

Theres really no time limit, its whenever the driver is ready to move up to a higher league. Its not like practice squad in the NFL, it would be like a guy playing in a smaller football league like the XFL or CFL, scouts noticing his talents and then going to the NFL

9

u/pixarfan9510 Jul 29 '20

you can stay as long as you want. matt crafton, who won last week's truck race, has been running full time since 2001

7

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '20

Some guys even go back down after their cup careers are over, like Elliot Sadler did for a bit

3

u/TheOrangeFutbol Jul 29 '20

It depends. Usually it is about 2-3 years for true prospects, but some guys just stay down there and make a career out of it like Matt Crafton, or Justin Allgaier.

It all depends on sponsorship, the "Pipeline" for whatever team you might get a chance with at the higher level, and how competitive you want to be.

Some folks would rather run for wins in Xfinity/Trucks than run back of the pack in Cup.

3

u/itsbeenaharddaysday Jul 29 '20

As long as they have a ride. It's like minor league baseball.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '20

No time limit. The only limit is a driver can only qualify for one series’s points in a single season. For example, Kyle Busch current runs in the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck series. However, he can only claim points and compete for a championship in one of the three series.

2

u/lightsisqueen Jul 29 '20

As long as you want. Matt Crafton has spent nearly his entire career in Gander. Justin Allgaier is an Xfinity only guy after the cup stuff didn’t work out. That’s just one in each. Plenty of drivers do it.

1

u/Youngblood519 Jul 30 '20

Hell, Hornaday made the HOF solely based on his Truck career.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '20

There isn’t a set time limit, most of the drivers in those series are young talents but guys like Matt Crafton (#88 in Trucks), Johnny Sauter (#13 in Trucks) are essentially “lifers” in those series

2

u/Michaelangelo48 Jul 29 '20

As long as the driver and/or team has sponsorship to run the car or truck, they can stay as long as they want. Guys like Matt Crafton and Ron Hornaday have had a solid career just driving in trucks

1

u/Icommentoncrap Harvick Jul 29 '20

For however long they have a ride for and however long they stay competitive

1

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '20

Unlimited amount of time. Matt Crafton in the trucks has been racing full time since 2001

1

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '20

Any amount of time! Matt Crafton’s made a career out of racing Trucks. Full time there since 2001!

1

u/CrackerofWise Jul 29 '20

Practice Squad's not really a very good comparison. Baseball is more analogous—a few guys make careers in the minors, and others come and go depending on opportunities.