Nationwide Series must change or risk irrelevancy

As Carl Edwards is set to become the latest Cup driver to win the Busch Series, the circuit faces an identity crisis. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Carl Edwards is about to close the door on an important chapter in NASCAR history. The question is -- does anybody care how the story ends?

The odds are good that Edwards will finally clinch a NASCAR championship this weekend as the stock cars roar through Texas Motor Speedway. Don't be surprised, though, if Edwards forgoes his traditional back flip celebration.

Edwards, after all, is more likely to be eliminated from the Nextel Cup title chase than clinch that title; he's currently fourth in those standings. But he's 261 points out and won't be catching either Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson.

In the Busch Series, however, Edwards has a commanding 531-point lead over second-place David Reutimann. For those paying attention, that lead is down from an unfathomable 852-point lead that Edwards held over Reutimann in July. Edwards has been limping toward the Busch championship ever since and needs to only finish 36th at TMS to clinch with two races left on the 2007 schedule.

Edwards will be the 25th and final Busch champion, as the beer company is ending its long sponsorship of NASCAR's second-tier series. Next year, Nationwide Insurance steps up and will pay for the naming rights.

The change in sponsorship makes this a good time for NASCAR to re-evaluate, and to, perhaps, reinvent the series. Over the past few seasons, the circuit has lost not only its identity but its relevancy.

Will the Nationwide Series be a developmental circuit for up-and-coming youngsters and new teams? Or will it be Cup Lite, a series of 300-mile practice sessions for Cup teams and regulars. For the past few years, the series has been both.

For many Cup drivers, a Saturday outing on the Busch circuit has become like a pro-am round for a professional golfer. They get paid nicely for a no-pressure round of golf on the same course where they will play for keeps later that week.

Before '01, no driver had ever run full-time on both the Busch and Cup circuits at the same time. Richard Childress Racing, however, decided that Kevin Harvick would do both that year after the death of Dale Earnhardt in the season-opening Daytona 500. Harvick proved that not only could the double be done, but that there were some advantages. He won the Busch title that year and won the Cup Rookie of the Year honors by finishing ninth in the point standings.

In '07, 22 drivers have tried to compete in the majority of races on both the Busch and Cup circuits. That's just too many. While it hasn't hurt the development of many of NASCAR's top youngsters -- they are the majority of the drivers doing double duty -- it has virtually halted the addition of new teams to the sport.

Here are five steps to help the Nationwide Series get off to a strong start in '08.

1. Assume that the Buschwhackers are here to stay.

It will be interesting to see if the slang term "Buschwhackers" stays even though title sponsor, Busch, is departing. Buschwackers are Cup drivers who double dip. For a variety of reasons, Cup drivers will always want to make occasional Nationwide starts. Some will do it for the money, others for the practice. Some will do it to help out a sponsor or two race twice in their hometown. Everybody needs to realize that the double-dippers are here to stay.

2. Don't make it easy for the Cup regulars to cherry pick.

Take away some incentive, perhaps prize money or championship points. Make the cars on each circuit so different that a driver or team can't get an advantage on Sunday by racing on Saturday. Different tires on each series would accomplish that. Or simply make a rule limiting a Cup driver's starts on the Nationwide Series. But if the Cup drivers want to commit to a full-time Nationwide schedule, let them.

3. Make sure the Nationwide Series cars are distinct from the cars used in the Cup Series.

That will be easy in '08 as the series will continue to use the same type Busch cars that it has used the past few years. The Cup Series, on the other hand, will use the Car of Tomorrow full-time. Eventually the Nationwide Series will adopt the CoT chassis, but hopefully by that season NASCAR will come up with a different way for the cars to be different. Again, different tires would be easy way to make the cars race in different manners. Rumors persist that NASCAR will implement different models on the Nationwide Series -- for example, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger -- by as early as '09. This would be a great move.

4. Lower the costs on the Nationwide Series.

The Car of Tomorrow was designed to help keep costs low, so its eventual adoption will help. NASCAR, however, needs to do whatever it takes to make the Nationwide Series affordable for teams and sponsors new to stock-car racing.

5. Implement the Chase playoff system for the Nationwide Series.

The Chase has created enough excitement on the Cup level that the PGA golf tour and the NHRA drag racing series have borrowed elements, so you'd think it would be good enough to use in the Nationwide Series. It would definitely help create a buzz and hopefully make the circuit interesting and relevant again.