Joe Jacobs Commentary 6-29-06

With the talent in the Nextel Cup garage area, it has me wondering why two drivers who have not won a Nextel Cup race are such hot commodities. Casey Mears and Brian Vickers are two drivers who are not as “hot” as everyone claims them to be.

Yes, Brian Vickers is a former Busch Series champion but that was when the series was lacking talent and before the infiltration of Nextel Cup stars. This is not to take anything away from Vickers; a champion is a champion but just because you’re a Busch Series Champion does not make you a Nextel Cup Star.

In defense of Vickers, the 25 team has struggled for years since the late Tim Richmond dominated in it. The last win the team had, was in 2000. Since then the team has fallen into its normal funk of bad finishes and terrible luck.

Vickers Cup career with the Hendrick Powerhouse has been less than stellar. He has no wins, and a hand full of top 5’s and 10’s. So why Red Bull and Toyota would put Vickers in a car is beyond me.

SCR is looking for writers, if interested email us at scr@stockcarreview.com to receive further information

He does not bring anything to the table but youth and marketability, which in this day of NASCAR makes a perfect fit. But the most important thing in NASCAR to the fans is performance. Vickers does not bring anything to help the new Red Bull team with and this could be a big problem with no owner points to fall back on.

Red Bull is not the only team that is making a mistake for the 2007 season, Hendrick Motorsports (Vickers current team) is the other. The team has hired Casey Mears to replace Vickers and drive the No. 25 car next season. Unlike Vickers, Mears does not have a Championship to his name in any major NASCAR Series.

His claim to fame is his famous last name (which seems to get you along way in this day and age). But name alone will only go so far, and if his performance does not drastically improve the No. 25 Chevrolet may be Mears last chance. Winning the Rolex 24 is a great accomplishment but it just does not carry the weight that any championship does.

In defense of Mears, The 42 team is not and has never been a powerhouse, or a team that could win on any given Sunday. They have always been a mid-pack team with high dollars. Maybe Mears just needs a team with more talent behind him, and he may find that at Hendrick Motorsports.

Mears is neither a great driver and should not a hot commodity. He and Vickers are lucky they are marketable and good-looking, so they can keep there sponsors happy to keep getting a ride.

What ever the case, Casey Mears and Brian Vickers should not be as valuable as it seems. They are mid-pack Nextel Cup talent or Busch Series standouts at best.

Questions, Comments;

Email Joe

The views and opinions in this article are that of the writer and not necessarily that of SCR