David Pearson – Pearson is arguably the second greatest driver of his generation, behind Richard Petty.  He is also second to Petty in all time career Sprint Cup victories with 105.  The winner of the 1976 Daytona 500 is certain lock for the next class.

Bobby Allison – Allison is a 3 time Daytona 500 Champion and won the 1983 Sprint Cup Championship.  He is tied for third on the all time victories list with 84 (of 85 depending upon who you ask).  Some say that if he had half the equipment Richard Petty had, his victories could have been doubled.  Allison remained competitive right up until the age of 50 when he had to retire due to injuries sustained during a 1988 race at Pocono.

Cale Yarborough – Up until 2 years ago, Yarborough had the distinction of being the only driver to win 3 Sprint Cup Championships in a row, 1976 to 1978.  He is also a 4 time Daytona 500 winner and is widely regarded as one of the toughest competitors ever to race, both on and off the track (he was a semi professional football player as well).

Darrell Waltrip – DW was the Kyle Busch of the late 1970′s, early 1980′s.  He talked a huge game but had the skill and cars to back it up.  Waltrip won 84 races, the 1989 Daytona 500, and 3 Sprint Cup Championships.  When not racing, he has served a color commentator for ESPN, TNN, CBS, and currently for Fox Sports.

Ned Jarrett – While Jarrett is the winner of 50 races and 2 Championships, he may be best known for being the television voice of NASCAR for 20 plus years.  Jarrett served as a color commentator for ESPN, CBS, TNN, TBS and some radio work for MRN.  In 1993, he famously called the last lap of the Daytona 500, while rooting for his son Dale the entire way.

I would be surprised if any of these drivers weren’t named in the next class but if they aren’t my guess is that they would be replaced by one of the candidates from my 2012 list.

2012 – Joe Weatherly, Lee Petty, Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress, Benny Parsons

While Sunday’s race was a huge victory for both Harvick and Childress, the week leading up to it was tough.  Shell/Pennzoil announced that they would be moving sponsorship to Penske Racing with Kurt Busch in 2011.  Shortly after that, an unnamed source said that Kevin Harvick had burned a lot of bridges at RCR and with the sponsor leaving there is just about no chance the driver would be returning.  Harvick flat out denied this and said that both Richard Childress and himself were in discussions about a 2011 return.

If you think about it, what are Kevin Harvick’s options for next season?  He already has said that he will remain with Chevrolet, so that eliminates teams like Richard Petty Motorsports, Penske, and Michael Waltrip Racing (all teams with open or possible open seats).  Hendrick Motorsports already has the dilemma of having 5 drivers with only 4 seats available so you can rule them out.  Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing is a step backwards from Childress (a small step, but still) plus they have strong ties with RCR so it would be doubtful Harvick would go there.  The hot rumor last year was him driving for Stewart-Haas Racing but now it seems more likely that if Tony Stewart were to add a third car, it would probably be for Kasey Kahne or Mark Martin.  Speaking of Mark Martin, he has hinted at wanting to start his own team if he were able to join up with a successful backer.  Rick Hendrick has also expressed a willingness to supply Martin equipment.  Harvick already owns successful Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series teams, perhaps he would be interested in being that backer.  While that’s a possibility, Harvick has given absolutely zero indication of wanting to start a Sprint Cup team.  So to answer my question above, it doesn’t look like he has too many viable options outside of RCR.

Kevin Harvick should stay with his current team.  They have been competitive in nearly every race run this year and are sitting 2nd in points, only 26 behind leader Jimmie Johnson (which can also be considered a small victory).  He has two solid, race winning teammates with Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer and Budweiser has recently talked to the team about sponsorship.  Also Mobil 1 is looking for a new team since they were basically given the boot by Penske after making their Shell/Pennzoil announcement.  Unless Harvick is going to to consider a non-Chevrolet team or really wants to take on the massive challenge of starting a Sprint Cup team, his best option would be to return to RCR.

(Photo Credit: Todd Warsaw/Getty Images)

Probably biggest issue for Gordon has been his back.  Anyone who suffers from back pain knows how hard it can be sitting in your car for a long time. Well imagine doing that for 3 1/2 hours straight with the possibility of slamming into something at 190 mph. Hitting a large pothole with a sore back hurts. Now imagine hitting a concrete wall with back pain.  I think that would make one a little more cautious when driving.

Another factor could be fatherhood. It’s been said that sometimes drivers lose a little bit of their edge when they have children because they feel that they have more to lose.  It was in 2007 Gordon had his daughter and while he won two more races after that point, maybe that was when it was sinking in a little bit for him.  If he got seriously hurt or killed, he wouldn’t be able to watch her grow up.  You have to wonder if these thoughts ever entered his head after being in or seeing a nasty wreck.

A third reason for Jeff Gordon’s decline could be the fact that he is getting older. It’s hard to believe that “The Kid” who once toasted Dale Earnhardt with a glass of milk instead of champagne is going to be 39 this August. While there have been plenty of race winning drivers in their 40’s (Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace) and even in their 50’s (Harry Gant, Mark Martin) a lot of times drivers start to decline a bit when they hit the big 4 0. This is Jeff Gordon’s 18th full time season in the Sprint Cup Series and you have to wonder if he has become tired, similar to how Mark Martin was a couple of years ago.

While Gordon has slowed, it would be foolish to write him off.  He currently sits in 5th place in the points and has finished in the top 10 in the final point standings the last two years. But these factors listed above probably contribute to his decline somewhat. That being said, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he had a 5th championship left in him.

(photo credit: AutoStock)

The reason why I’m writing about this is because I saw an article last week about formerly suspended driver Brian Rose attempting to qualify for last weekends truck race at Nashville.  He had been suspended by NASCAR since early portion of the 2003 season after failing to submit to a drug test.  A few months later he was arrested for a variety of charges, including possession of marijuana.  After reading this, I decided to look into some other drivers suspended for drug violations and where they are now.   So after some Google searches here are those drivers:

Shane Hmiel – Hmiel is the only driver every officially “banned for life” from NASCAR after failing 3 drug tests.   He was tapped as a rising star by the NASCAR community even after his first suspension.  He may not have been given 3 strikes had it not been for his father, Steve, a former race winning crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series.  Shane is currently running USAC cars and won a race at the Hickory Motor Speedway a couple of weeks ago.  Since he made NASCAR look pretty foolish, I’m guessing is that he’ll never drive in a big league stock car race again.

Aaron Fike – Fike, who was suspended from the truck series in 2007, was arrested with his girlfriend after police found them sitting in a vehicle with drug paraphernalia.   In an interview in 2008, he admitted to shooting heroin on race day.  This case appears to be the one that really got NASCAR’s attention and made them realize that they needed to toughen up on their drug policy.  Like Hmiel, he too is now racing USAC cars.

Kevin Grubb – After being suspended twice by NASCAR, he disappeared from racing all together.  Last year he was found dead in a hotel room after having committed suicide.  The police found no drugs or paraphernalia in the hotel room.  Several articles mentioned the toxicology results taking 6 weeks to be completed, but I have been unable to find anything about said results.

Sammy Potashnick – He was arrested in 2002 for possession of crack cocaine and illegal prescription drugs.  I’m having a hard time finding any information on him and to be honest, I considered leaving Potashnick out of this blog all together since I really knew nothing about him.  He’s only had 3 upper division starts (1 Nationwide, 2 Trucks) in his entire career.

Tyler Walker – The same can be said about Walker.  He failed a drug test in 2007 and is still under a suspension by NASCAR.  He is currently completing in sprint cars out in California.

Jeremy Mayfield – Where to begin with Mayfield?  Seriously….there is enough info on this case to write a book.  Mayfield was suspended last May for testing positive for methamphetamine.  The Sprint Cup owner/driver claimed that he had combined allergy medications which resulted in the positive test.  NASCAR obviously wasn’t buying it and suspended him immediately.  He was able to obtain an injunction in July that allows him to race, but hasn’t had funding or a ride to do so.  NASCAR is suing him in federal court, stating that he has lied about his drug test results and wants the injunction permanently lifted.  Pretty much from that point on, it’s been one big legal battle with Mayfield suing or being sued by everyone in sight.  On top of the primary case, there is a family battle between Mayfield and his step mother intertwined in this mess, which I won’t even attempt to sort out (it involves the step mom saying she saw him do meth and then Mayfield accusing her of killing his father.).  If someone wants to learn more, Jayski.com has a pretty good time line of these events.

Tim Richmond – Richmond was suspended by NASCAR in 1988 for a failing a drug test.  He then got a separate test to show that he was only taking aspirin and other over-the-counter medicines to combat various ailments he was suffering through due to pneumonia.  On the surface, it actually sounds a lot like the beginning of the Jeremy Mayfield case.  What Richmond wasn’t revealing was the reason why he had pneumonia is because his immune system was failing due to AIDS.  There has been a lot of speculation over the past 20 years that his drug test results weren’t accurate and NASCAR was looking for a way to rid themselves of him because they didn’t know how to deal with someone having AIDS.   That, and in the 80′s everyone assumed that the only ways one became HIV positive was through drug use or homosexual relations.  Since Tim was a notorious playboy everyone assumed the former.  NASCAR never did identify what substance Richmond had been suspended for and ultimately an out of court settlement was reached.   Richmond gave up pursuing another ride and died in 1989. At some point, I’m going to dedicate a whole post to Richmond who I find to be one of the most fascinating drivers ever.

So there is a brief history of NASCAR’s drug related cases.  Hopefully I won’t have to add onto this list of drivers.  Then again, sadly nothing surprises me with athletes anymore.

Jimmie Johnson – After winning 3 out 6 races so far, the drive for 5 is very much alive.  I bet more than a few teams hope that after J.J. becomes a first time parent this summer that he slows down a bit.                                                                                                                           

Kevin Harvick – With free agency looming for 2011, one would figure that his performance thus far has more than a few teams attention.   Now he just needs to win again.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – He is still the weak link in the Hendrick stable and fighting with your crew chief isn’t going to help.  Maybe Darrell Waltrip was on to something when he said Junior needs to run some truck races to get his confidence back.  Something is definitely missing with this team.

Kyle Busch – His best finish of the year has been a 9th at Bristol.  You have to wonder if owning 2 full time Camping World Truck Series teams is starting to weigh on him.  At this point last year, the shrub had two wins under his belt and was in contention every week.

Denny Hamlin – Everyone kept saying how he was the biggest threat to end Johnson’s title streak.   Through five races, his best finish was a 17th at Daytona and also was in need of knee surgery after tearing his ACL during a basketball game.   Then came his thrilling victory at Martinsville, which was the type of win that could really build some momentum for the #11 team.  Well, that and him finally getting surgery.

Justin Allgiaer – This Nationwide Series driver won his first race at Bristol, beating cup drivers like Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle.  You have to wonder if Sam Hornish is beginning to look over his shoulder a bit at after the way Allgaier has been running.

Timothy Peters -  He has won two truck races in the last two years.  You would think some of the higher profile NASCAR teams would start banging down his door.

Martinsville Speedway – NASCAR’s smallest and oldest speedway just held possibly the most exciting race of the season.  You would hope NASCAR wouldn’t take a race away from them in favor of the Kansas Speedway.

Daytona International Speedway – They need to repave this track.  Not just one section, but the entire track.  NASCAR had two pothole delays during their Superbowl.   Everyone will be very curious to see how the track holds up during the 400 in July.

NASCAR’s Offseason Rule Changes – So far, so good.  Everyone seems to love NASCAR’s hands off approach when it comes to disciplining drivers though I think Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski may have been pushing it a few week ago at Atlanta.

A big reason why the races have become boring is because of the track.  It’s a lot of cookie cutter speedways that look just like each other with virtually no unique features to set them apart from the rest.  There are currently  seven 1.5 mile tracks on the Sprint Cup Circuit (which comprises of 10 of the 36 races during the season).  Fans are sick of these boring tracks.  More often than not, there’s not much passing and the result is single file, boring racing.  NASCAR has way too much money and sponsorship tied to these tracks.  If all of the signage was removed from the Chicagoland and Kansas Speedways, would anyone be able to tell the difference?  Probably not.   And what’s worse is that NASCAR actually wants to add an additional race to Kansas.   The problem is that some of these tracks are in major television markets (such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas) and NASCAR isn’t about to leave them or their money.

What NASCAR needs is to find a way to get more interesting tracks on the circuit.  The new Iowa Speedway, just out side of Des Moines, is one possibility.  It was designed, in part, by short track legend Rusty Wallace and it’s design is similar to the Richmond International Raceway, a fan favorite.  Last year it was added to the Camping World Truck Series schedule and this year it will be a Nationwide race.  Hopefully it will get a Sprint Cup date sometime down the road.  If NASCAR is worried about leaving a major market, why not give a race to Road Atlanta (replacing a race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway)?  It is still in a major television market but instead of a 1.5 mile oval, it’s on a unique road course.   Also, the Nationwide Series ran a couple of times here in the mid 80′s.   Or better yet, pick a major city and have a street course set up.  NASCAR wants a New York City presence so why not try running a street race there?  It would certainly be a logistical nightmare but then again, if enough money was involved, they would find a way around it.

There are rumors that the 2011 NASCAR schedule could see some shake ups.  If attendance and TV rating continue to decline, you have to wonder if NASCAR is going to replace some of the less profitable tracks.  If this does happen, hopefully it won’t involve the addition of any more 1.5 mile tracks.

When a team is looking for a new driver, it’s a major plus if they bring sponsorship with them.  That’s why driver Paul Menard has been very much in demand the last 3 years.  While he has only two top 5 and three top 10 finishes since coming to NASCAR’s senior circuit in 2007, he brings in what every team owner is looking for: a sponsor.  He is the son of John Menard, Jr., owner and founder of Menards, a large midwestern home improvement store chain that has sponsored Paul since his Sprint Cup debut in 2003.   With team owners facing the prospect of having to get a sponsor or shut down, a driver may be chosen more on his/her ability to attract a sponsor than their actual driving ability.

Then there is Jaime McMurray.  Up until the end of last summer, he didn’t have a ride for 2010.  Unlike Paul Menard, McMurray was a winner of multiple Sprint Cup races and had even won a race earlier that season.  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing was interested in him for the #1 car, but their sponsor, Bass Pro Shops was not.  Since he wasn’t an outdoorsman, they didn’t view him as being the right fit for the team.  At the time, this was the only contending full time ride left for 2010.  It took some heavy lobbying for both McMurray and EGR to convince Bass Pro Shops to give him a chance.  This relationship has obviously worked out well so far, considering McMurray did go on to win the 2010 Daytona 500.

Talent does not necessarily mean success in auto racing anymore.   It’s who can draw in the sponsorship money.  It makes you wonder how much talent is sitting on the sidelines.