Don't count Brendan Gaughan among drivers who don't want to see Sprint Cup drivers in Xfinity Series races.
It's hard to argue with Gaughan's logic. That doesn't mean there isn't a good argument against Cup drivers doing what used to be called Buschwhacking.
MORE: Cup starting lineup at Kansas | Matt Kenseth's focus
At 41, Gaughan isn't one of the young drivers hoping to make his name in the Xfinity Series. He isn't a rising star, a guy who has hopes of a Cup future.
He doesn't have the big-money backing of Daniel Suarez or Erik Jones.
What Gaughan has is passion for racing. And he wants to race against the best. Bring on the Buschwhackers.
This week at Kansas, Xfinity drivers begin the second leg of their series' Chase championship. Gaughan is one of eight drivers in that field, and he qualified for Saturday's Kansas Lottery 300.
The field included Sprint Cup Chase drivers Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. Kyle Larson, one of the 16 drivers to qualify for the Cup Chase, also was in the field. Busch started the race from pole position.
MORE: Xfinity race starting lineup at Kansas
Cup drivers have long stepped down to Xfinity, by whatever name the subseries used, and frequently won. They often dominated. Busch, for example, ran his 16th Xfinity Series races of the year — and won eight before Kansas.
Should NASCAR turn the Xfinity Series over to developmental drivers? Where else will the next generation of young stars get its start? Jones moves into Sprint Cup full time in 2017. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was a two-time series champion. Look at the series' former champions. The list includes stock car racing's biggest stars and most popular drivers.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Chris Buescher |
| 2014 | Chase Elliott |
| 2013 | Austin Dillon |
| 2012 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 2011 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 2010 | Brad Keselowski |
| 2009 | Kyle Busch |
| 2008 | Clint Bowyer |
| 2007 | Carl Edwards |
| 2006 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2005 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2003 | Brian Vickers |
| 2002 | Greg Biffle |
| 2001 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2000 | Jeff Green |
| 1999 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 1998 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
But Gaughan has a point. Every driver wants to test himself against the best. So be it. Continue having a limited number of Cup drivers in Xfinity races.
The chance to test oneself against the best should make any racer better. Those sweet moments of outrunning a star feeds the desire to improve, to succeed and to win.