HAMPTON, Ga. — Race wins are an important factor in a driver’s rise through the NASCAR ranks, but it’s not the only factor determining whether their peers are willing to work with them.
Sometimes, it’s just as important for a driver to show that they can nail the little things throughout a race weekend.
“For us, the skill level and the background of where they come from (are important factors),” said Kyle Busch, who scouted talent for his former Truck team. “Racing in the Super Late Model ranks was kind of where I got my best sense of racing against some of those younger guys and got to pick up on some of those guys.
“Brian Ickler was one of our early guys at KBM, and then we obviously got Erik Jones from when he beat me in a Super Late Model race down in Pensacola. You look at those characteristics.”
The process includes watching how young drivers race around each other, the location of the performances and the amount of respect they show competitors. Those are important factors whether young drivers are in a lower series or Cup.
Are these young drivers nervous and squirrely, as Martin Truex Jr. describes, or are they calm and able to make wise decisions while managing their equipment at speeds of nearly 200 mph? This little detail goes a long way toward providing comfort to other drivers.
Truex and other veterans hope that the young drivers rising through the ranks can “hold a pretty wheel” in the midst of chaos.
Jesse Love is a driver who has checked these boxes through the first two races of the season. He started his rookie season without any Xfinity experience but has since led a series-high 191 laps while winning three of four possible stages.
A fuel mileage issue prevented Love from celebrating his first national series win last weekend at Atlanta, but other drivers expect him to reach victory lane this season.
“I mean, for him to be his second race as a rookie in the Xfinity Series, he did a hell of a job,” teammate Austin Hill said Saturday at Atlanta.
“I mean there’s nothing that he did wrong all night. ... When he got the lead, he managed his gaps just the way that I would, didn’t let anybody get any runs.”
Simply adapting to the Xfinity cars and running well is only one part of the process. Love has also shown respect on the track when racing around drivers with more experience.
A lack of respect is something Busch mentioned last season after an on-track incident with Chandler Smith in the Xfinity race at Phoenix. Busch met with media members at Atlanta last season and said that “Nobody gives two (expletive) about anybody else.”
Respect is something Alex Bowman highlighted ahead of last weekend’s Atlanta race when explaining what he wants to see from drivers rising through the ranks.
“I think some guys have come in with almost a stigma attached to them that they don’t race with respect,” Bowman said. “I felt like Ty (Gibbs) raced pretty fairly last year (as a rookie).
“I think there was that super overaggressive stigma kind of attached to him and I didn’t really see that when I was around him last year. He raced pretty fairly. There were others that came with that stigma, part-time through the second half of the year that were racing for 40th and crashing people.”
A fitting example of respect is the final lap in last weekend’s race at Atlanta. Busch, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney went three-wide racing for the win and took part in a drag race that showcased talent. They didn’t wreck each other for the win.
“What a cool finish,” Blaney said after the race. "...That’s a lot of fun. That’s always a good time when we can do that, race clean, three-wide finish to the end.”
Ryan @Blaney is all of us watching that crazy photo finish!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) February 26, 2024
🎥: @dustinlong pic.twitter.com/cA4THEHk6B
Holding a steady wheel and showing respect are crucial parts of advancing in the world of stock car racing. The location of the performances also matters.
A driver delivering a strong performance on a track such as Las Vegas or Martinsville could have more of a bearing on their reputation than a win at Talladega or Daytona, two tracks where luck can play a role in race outcomes.
Superspeedway races don’t necessarily serve as a showcase for driver talent.
“If I was like, ‘Let’s go watch the ARCA, Truck, Xfinity races and we’re gonna pick the next NASCAR Cup Series phenomenon,’ I’m not like, ‘Well, let’s look who won Daytona last night,’” RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski said ahead of the Daytona 500. “That’s the guy I’m gonna pick.’ The reality is that’s not what you’re gonna do.
“I think in some ways that’s telling. You’re gonna look for the guy that made good moves and was calm in situations of duress. You’re gonna look for the guy that didn’t speed down pit road or make a dumb mistake. That stuff carries over, the execution stuff, but probably not so much the pure race winner.”
Many younger drivers are aware of the eyes on them and emphasis placed on factors other than winning. They have worked at finding ways to build respect.
Noah Gragson has worked on managing himself better on the track and not getting overwhelmed in the heat of the moment. He said that he was racing over his head in his first few starts with Legacy Motor Club last season and that he was at “120%” while trying to carry the car and keep up with the pack.
John Hunter Nemechek moved down to Truck and then Xfinity after one season in Cup. The purpose was to regain confidence, win races and reignite his career. The move also paid dividends as he learned how to put himself in better positions on the track instead of shoving his car where it didn’t need to be and needlessly causing a wreck.
“I think every young kid as you grow up running through the ranks, you learn some things the hard way, and some things you learn the easy way,” Nemechek said at Atlanta.
“But the hard ones, you will typically remember a little bit more than you will the easy ones.”
The work, wins and emphasis on race craft paid off for those young Cup drivers suiting up each week of the season. They are an example younger drivers in Late Models, ARCA, Truck and Xfinity can follow.
That is important considering the number of veteran drivers and team owners watching each week of the season.
“Everybody watches (races in lower series),” Todd Gilliland said. “Even Cup guys like Denny (Hamlin) and (Tyler) Reddick. Many of these guys are chiming in about Cup races. People are always watching whether you think so or not.”
