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THE NEW BLOOD
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| Tony Stewart |
Career Highlight: '99 Rookie of the Year with record three wins.
Winston Cup Starts: 55
Wins: 6
Top 5s: 19
Top 10s 36
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| Matt Kenseth |
Career Highlight: Won the Coca-Cola 600 this season as a rookie.
Winston Cup Starts: 26
Wins: 1
Top 5s: 5
Top 10s 7
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| Steve Park |
Career Highlight: Won the Global Crossing @ the Glen last week.
Winston Cup Starts: 77
Wins: 1
Top 5s: 2
Top 10s 10
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| Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Career Highlight: Won this year in Texas and Charlotte in rookie season.
Winston Cup Starts: 26
Wins: 2
Top 5s: 3
Top 10s 6
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| Jerry Nadeau |
Career Highlight: Fourth in Brickyard 400 and in New Hampshire this season.
Winston Cup Starts: 90
Wins: 0
Top 5s: 3
Top 10s 5
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One week ago at Watkins Glen, Hollywood scriptwriters couldn't have penned a more dramatic Global Crossing @ The Glen if they tried. Win No. 1 for the No. 1 -- in Steve Park's home state of New York.
Park's victory came after he led the most laps, but will be remember for how he held off road-course veteran and hard-chargin' Mark Martin to score his first career Winston Cup win.
It's been a season of breakthroughs, really. Park's win was just the latest example. When you peruse the numbers in 2000, there have been three first-time
winners over the first 21 races.
The modern-era record for first-time winners in a season was set in 1988 when four drivers broke into the win column. Those four drivers were Lake Speed, Phil Parsons, Ken Schrader and Alan Kulwicki.
The last time we saw a run at that record was in 1994, when Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Spencer and Sterling Marlin each scored their first wins. If the trend continues in this wild and whacky year -- and keep in mind there are 13 races left to run -- we could very easily see a fourth, or maybe even a fifth different winner.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke through first in Texas. He'll start on the pole Sunday in Michigan for the Pepsi 400 in a quest for his third points-paying win and fourth trip to Victory Lane overall this season. Matt Kenseth won one of the most prestigious events of any season -- the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28 in Charlotte. Park then joined the two rookies last Sunday in his 77th career Winston Cup start.
Move over veterans, the kids are on a fast pace and paving their own paths in Winston Cup.
The 33-and-under crowd has won all but two races since "Martins-ville" in April. Only 41-year-old Rusty Wallace and 36-year-old Bobby Labonte have gone to Victory Lane during that span.
So, what other Generation-Xers will go to Victory Lane? Well, if you scroll
through the top 40 drivers in points, there are 14 who are still seeking a checkered flag. And several were born in the 60s.
Michigan has proven stingy when it comes to first-time winners -- only Dale Jarrett (1991) has broken through in the Irish Hills. So, I don't look for any first-timers in the Pepsi 400. But I wouldn't be surprised to see a record fourth first-timer before we get to Atlanta.
Jerry Nadeau, 25th in points, has been knocking on the door recently. Unfortunately, nobody was around to open the door to Victory Lane.
Nadeau is due, plain and simple. In the past six races, Nadeau has finished fourth twice, and scored three top-10s. Unfortunately, his season numbers won't tell you just how well the 25 team has run.
If he can sneak into Jeff Gordon's briefcase and get the magical Michigan
set-up, count him high on the list of possible winners Sunday. Gordon has an awesome average finish of 5.1 at Michigan, which is helped out by his '98 victory. Nadeau already has shown signs of a good effort in Michigan, out-qualifying his teammate. Nadeau starts eighth Sunday, while Gordon's 16th on the grid.
When Jarrett won his first Winston Cup race in thrilling fashion -- a bump-and-
dash to the finish with Davey Allison -- he was behind the wheel of the famous
Wood Brothers 21 Ford. The Wood Brothers could be poised to give Elliott
Sadler the same winning treatment by season's end.
The 21 team continues to work out their early-season problems by using more and more resources from Jack Roush. And as Elliott gains more seat time, his performances have gotten better.
One year ago, Sadler started a frustrating 32nd in the Pepsi 400, but rebounded with an 11th-place finish. Elliott was 27th in first-round qualifying and will start 32nd again after Saturday's second round.
The Wood Brothers are the winningest owners in Michigan history. Maybe, just maybe, they can make Elliott winner No. 10 at Michigan on Sunday.
Now, the next three drivers aren't part of Generation X, but could provide us with that record fourth first-time win in 2000. Johnny Benson, Michael Waltrip and Mike Skinner all have been close to victory. None, however, have closed the deal.
I know it's a broken record, but trust me, I think Waltrip could win before the season is over. He qualified 18th Friday in the No. 7 Chevrolet. And his biggest hindrance this season have been mechanical failures.
If Lady Luck would just visit the 7 team for one weekend, who knows
what would happen? Sunday marks start No. 450 for Waltrip. Michigan hasn't been a good track for the younger Waltrip, but if Park can be a surprise at the Glen, maybe Michael can be the shocker at Michigan. The odds are not in Waltrip's favor this week, but the odds were not great for Park either.
Speaking of luck, Skinner should already be a first-time winner in 2000. Remember Atlanta? Back in February, my compadre Benny Parsons said Skinner
would win a race in 2000. Now, the clock is ticking, time is running out, and his crew chief Larry McReynolds is leaving at season's end.
You couldn't find any better motivation for the 31 team, which just happens to be the only DEI car not to reach Victory Lane in 2000.
Skinner and the 31 team is much like Park and the 1 team was until last week -- it just needs a win. Period. That first career win will do a lot of things for a team that experienced everything but a win. The 31 team has wrecked cars, missed opportunities, broken some bones and bruised many dreams. A win would keep this team motivated and negate any self imploding that could happen if they remain winless until 2001.
While Skinner is the highest driver in points (12th) without a career win, Michigan-native Benson is right behind him in 16th. But what a roller coaster of
emotions it has been for Benson in 2000.
Benson has probably relived the Daytona 500 more than once. Like Atlanta for Skinner, this year's season opener is the one that got away in his career. Benson and crew chief James Ince have harnessed that Daytona momentum, using it to carry them through sponsorship problems and an ownership change.
Good news was made official Saturday morning when it was announced that Valvoline would become a co-owner of the No. 10 team in 2001. Benson has his future secure after surviving some tough times.
Benson nearly won at Bristol before settling for a career best second-place finish. If Park won in his home state of New York, maybe Benson can score the "Big W" in his own home state of Michigan.
There are others who could make headlines as soon as Sunday and before Nov. 19 in Atlanta.
Scott Pruett already has one victory at Michigan -- a CART win in '96 -- which he won by inches over Al Unser Jr. He finished a respectable 19th back in June, and he's growing more and more comfortable in the 32 car with new crew chief Brad Parrott.
Even if the 2000 season doesn't produce another first-time winner, it will be a season remembered for its youth movement. But it sure would be nice to see a fourth, or even a fifth, new face in Victory Lane.
I mean think about it. Who would have thought that going into the 22nd race of the season the top three drivers in points would have combined to win just four races. It may take experience to win championships, but the younger dudes are showing that what they are giving up in experience, they are making up for with motivation, exuberance and a hunger to succeed.
Heck, even the Man in Black is driving like a kid again. Thanks to "The Kid," and his fellow Generation Xers. | |
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Little E claims Michigan pole; Middle E makes the field
Nadeau proving to be more than junior partner at Hendricks Motorsports
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