Loose in Turn 3 for May 16th, 2008

Yup, TGIF and we're still Loose In Turn Three; three topics, three voices, and three opinions.

Seasoned Drivers and When is it Their Time?

I'm a pretty big fan of some of the older drivers. For a while, I had almost every single diecast of Kenny Schrader, but as the young guns come in with their hyper successful seasons, the "veterans" not only get over shadowed, but the era (and technology) where they made their mark has come and gone. It's awesome to see Mark Martin in good equipment. It's great to see Jeff Burton having consistent performances, but Kenny Schrader can't buy good luck or a good team if it were free. I don't want to see him retire from Cup competition, but is it time? And if he does, will he actually do it right, like Rusty Wallace has, stepped out and stayed out, or will he keep popping back in like Sterling Marlin or Terry Labonte? No diss on those guys, just examples. You know who I do miss: The 'give it back as fast as he got it' guy, Ricky Rudd.

TZ from Do You NASCAR: Their time is when they decide that it's there time. I mean, it all just depends on what's important to that particular driver. I don't think that just because a driver isn't out there competing for wins anymore that it means they HAVE to get out, but that individual has to be okay with the fact that they're likely to later be remembered in a different fashion. While guys like Rusty Wallace and potentially Mark Martin will always be remembered by 95% of the fans as great drivers, a very large portion of NASCAR's fanbase are likely to forget that Bill Elliott was ever "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", because all they've seen of him is what he's done (or hasn't done) in these last few years. John Elway said when he retired, "It's better to retire a year too early than a year too late." It's something that a lot of these guys should think about when they decide to run a 12-24 race schedule.

Charlie of On Pit Row: If a driver wants to drive - the financial rewards are substantial, if you remember the kind of bucks that Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin demanded from Bobby Ginn when they were let go – and
someone wants to hire them, I don't care if they run forever. I like having those guys around. If they aren't competing for wins, so what. But if one of them happens to catch lightning in a bottle, as Kyle Petty nearly did last year somewhere, it would be the best story of the year. I like underdogs. The kids will have their chances. Let the old dog's race.

Feel free to chime in and make this a four, five or six way conversation. The more opinions, the merrier I say!


To follow the rest of our three-way conversation, check out the following:

As a Team Owner, What 3 Drivers and Manufacturer Do You Start Your Team With?
http://benchracing.onpitrow.com/

Are the Dominating Seasons by Kyle Busch & Carl Edwards an Official Changing of the Guard?
http://doyounascar.com/