Hi everyone. Fearless Leader has brought me in to the fold to fill in a couple of cracks here on Ranting and Raving. Most notably, the Nationwide and Truck Series. So in the next couple of months, I hope to bring insight and promote discussion about those two circuits. That is not to say that I won’t write a Cup post every now and then but you can find those opinions in the race discussion if you wish.

Now, towards the Nationwide Series -- the heart of my new duties and the focus of this post. Why should you care about NASCAR’s number-two series? In short: I have no idea. I hope to find out. NASCAR has some serious problems surrounding its AAA-organization, problems that have turned me off to the series over the years.

The former Busch Series is facing one serious identity crisis and the Sanctioning Body has enabled it. The Grand National Series was once the proving ground of the organization. The best of the young talent had to prove themselves against their peers before getting the chance to go Cup Racing. Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are all prime examples of what the ‘proving grounds’ was meant for.

Competition increased in the Cup Series and track time became invaluable in the mid-90’s, Cup teams decided to use the Busch Series as an extra Happy Hour for their drivers and the Buschwackers, Cup drivers dominating Busch, were born. The concept proved successful and the resulting Cup infusion turned the Nationwide Series into a Cup-lite. For that reason, the Nationwide Series has become stale.

So what can be done? Very little. NASCAR has made its bed and has to lie in it. The Sanctioning Body relies of the draw of Cup drivers for its ticket sales and brand identity. Meanwhile, ARCA has taken over as the true proving ground of stock car racing. However, ARCA is mired in obscurity without the NASCAR label and because of that fans are missing out on the true rising talent of our sport.

The Nationwide Series’ fall is not lost on many of you and their ratings reflect it. In the coming months, I hope to find the appeal of this faceless series along with all of you. So buckle up and get ready for the ride. In the meanwhile, what do you feel can be done to give Nationwide an identity. What can be fixed in the series? Stay tuned later this week as my next post will analyze my changes to NASCAR’s number-two series.

I really look forward to your participation and feedback. Thanks to Bob and all of you for reading and welcoming me to the RaR family. You can reach me at jmatthewweaver@aol.com and on the boards.

Kirk Out.