Sprint Cup Can-Am 500 at Phoenix: Takeaways and observations
By Ted Fleming
1. NASCAR is in good hands for years to come
No one knows who the title sponsor will be for NASCAR’s top series in 2017 and beyond, but there is one thing that is guaranteed, the sport has a plethora of young stars that are ready to carry it for many years to come.
While Jeff Gordon came back for a few races to help out his old boss Rick Hendrick when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined, Chase Elliott stepped into his old No. 24 and made the Chase in his first season. So did Chris Buescher, the first time two rookies have done that since the Chase format was put into place.
While Gordon, Tony Stewart and Brian Scott will not be back in 2017, the next generation of stars has already hit the track in the form of Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Trevor Bayne, and the latest to make a case to stay in Cup, Alex Bowman.
Bowman was an unknown commodity when Hendrick hand-picked him to split seat time with Gordon when it was announced that Earnhardt would miss the rest of the season and the 23-year old simply grew into the job. In nine events he has four top-10 starts including the pole at Phoenix with three top-10 finishes, his best, a sixth, coming this past Sunday. Prior to the Can-Am 500, he had led just eight laps and flipped it to a race best 194 at PIR.
As if NASCAR isn’t blessed enough in Cup, there is another hotshoe on his way. Erik Jones will make the leap from XFINITY into the No. 77 Front Row Racing Toyota full time next year. In two full time seasons he has racked up six wins and 28 top-5s in 55 starts with a dozen poles.
The future of stock car racing is truly bright.