I smell a rat

UPDATE The reader also neglected to say that Franchitti spent 2 years as a very successful driver in the German and International Touring Car Championships – front engine with roof over his head.

09/11/07 A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I read this story about open wheel drivers becoming hot property in NASCAR. Give me a break, I was not born yesterday. This is an orchestrated effort by NASCAR to strip open wheel racing of its biggest stars and destroy it. And NASCAR has not only engaged some teams but also some manufacturers. Hornish, Villeneuve, Allmendinger, Franchitti, Montoya, Stewart, Gordon, I can go on. These guys never raced a car with a roof over their head and an engine in the front and now all of a sudden they are the best NASCAR candidates? I say BS. NASCAR is out to drive the final nail in the coffin of open wheel racing in America and Tony George, the man responsible for putting the open wheel corpse in the coffin, is too blind to see what he has done, and too pig-headed to do what's right to fix it. Jeff Tolman.

Dear Jeff, You might be correct, or it may be that there is a general recognition that open wheel drivers are better drivers once they learn the tricks of a stock car. After all, you will never see a 'stock car' trained driver do well in open wheel cars. They have yet to prove they can make the reverse switch. But with so much money now available in NASCAR, what stock car driver would want to switch to open wheel racing at this point? Also recognize that open wheel racing on road courses requires fast reflexes, whereas NASCAR racing is all about managing your tires, something even an older driver can do. So guys like Franchitti and Villeneuve may see NASCAR as a way of extending their career well into their 40s. Mark C.