The competition on the track is fierce in Winston Cup racing, but it's just as fierce off the track as car owners try to sign the best talent.
In recent years, Jack Roush has proved his ability to judge young drivers. But the first to make the biggest impact was Rick Hendrick, who first grabbed the late Tim Richmond, who blazed as hot as a bonfire. And then Jeff Gordon, in 1991, when he was 20.
Richmond, before becoming ill, accumulated nine of his 13 victories with Hendrick in two seasons. Then Gordon came along and brought the car owner five Winston Cup championships.
A year ago, Hendrick made two bold moves, signing a 19-year-old just out of high school, Brian Vickers, and then another, Kyle Busch, 18.
To many, they might be considered children. But they have an undeniable talent for stock car racing. Last week, Hendrick said he is moving them up in class.
Less than a year after signing Vickers and making him the youngest competitor in the Busch Series, or in the other two of NASCAR's big three series -- Craftsman Trucks and Winston Cup -- Hendrick is moving him to NASCAR's premier series. On what will be called the Nextel Cup next season, Vickers will be the youngest full-time competitor in Cup history.
Hendrick also is moving Busch into the Busch Series full-time next season, replacing Vickers. This season, Busch has two runner-up finishes in just three career Busch Series starts since joining Hendrick Motorsports in February.
This season, Vickers, who ran part-time last season while completing high school -- with honors -- has two Busch victories and 15 top-10 finishes to rank third in the series' points standings. Next season, he'll drive the No. 25 Chevrolet that is currently being raced by Joe Nemechek.
"Bringing this young man on board has been truly exciting," Hendrick said, when he made the announcement. "Brian has proven he has the tools to be successful. There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to have a very long and productive career."
And Busch?
You can hear the smile in Hendrick's voice.
"Kyle Busch is a talent," said Hendrick of current Winston Cup driver Kurt Busch's brother. "In a short amount of time, he's shown that he has the ability to go out and compete with the best this sport has to offer. It's going to be fun to watch him race every week with a championship-caliber team."
Vickers, who will turn 20 next month, is scheduled to drive in the Busch Series race at Dover International Speedway in two weeks.
Soft walls at Richmond
When the Winston Cup Series raced at Richmond International Raceway last night, it did so with "SAFER Walls" padding the concrete.
The barriers run continuously for 1,197 feet from Turn 1 through Turn 2, and for another 1,197 feet starting again at Turn 3 through Turn 4. The walls are 40 1/2 inches high and contain steel tubes and 22-inch thick blocks of Styrofoam placed between the original wall and the new wall.
It was last year that Sterling Marlin was injured at Richmond and only last spring that Jerry Nadeau suffered a serious injury in a crash at that track. During a phone conversation, speedway president Doug Fritz said he was delighted that the protective walls could be installed this quickly.
"We've had significant impacts here," said Fritz. "Anything we can do to improve the safety, we're all for. And we and the drivers are glad to have them."
Richmond is the first short track in the country to have the SAFER Walls. New Hampshire International Speedway plans to have the walls in place in time for its race next weekend, and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, which will be the host of the season's last race Nov. 16, also has plans to install them.
Fritz said, however, that installing the walls is entirely up to NASCAR. The sanctioning body decides who gets them and when.
"It wasn't us going to them, saying, `We want it! We want it!' " said Fritz. "But I think they've been pushing themselves to get the testing done as quickly as they can and still be cautious."
Muldowney tries again
Shirley Muldowney, who is 63, not 53 as reported last week, is trying again today to make the 49th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals that was postponed a week due to heavy rains in Indianapolis last weekend. Muldowney is retiring at the end of this season.
Music, then racing
The first Fan Appreciation Country Music Festival at the Hagerstown Speedway will be held Saturday. The festival will begin at 10 a.m. and will feature the bands One Lane Bridge, Cumberland Highway, Possum Holler and J.R. Booker live on stage until 5 p.m.
Following the music, the late models, late model sportsman and pure stocks will compete in the final point races of the year. Track championships will be on the line in all three classes. Warm-ups will begin at 7 p.m., racing at 7:30.
Last weekend, D.J. Myers won the 18th annual Ronnie McBee/Ronnie Hays Memorial ITSI late model race for the third time in the past four years, tying him with Gary Stuhler, Denny Bonebrake and Rodney Franklin.
Myers, whose win was his first this season, said it turned his year around. "We've been struggling all year and my poor boys have been working hard," he said. "I said I'd like to win one so we don't get skunked this year."
