By The Commish

I sometimes amuse myself by looking at the starting lineups of races three, five, or ten years ago and see how many drivers are still around. Of those who took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 in 2002, for instance, only 23 still have fulltime rides in Cup this year. That’s almost half the series. Only 27 who started the 2003 Daytona 500 still have fulltime rides this year. The rate of turnover in the series has never been higher. Times and faces in this sport are changing rapidly, and in the long run, they could re-shape the sport more than the average fan would suspect.

Consider seniority in the Cup Series. With Rusty retiring in 2005, Mark Martin after 2006, Ricky Rudd may be retiring, Sterling Marlin with a two-year contract but no sponsorship, Kenny Schrader headed for a year either with the Wood Brothers or in the Truck Series, Michael Waltrip in a transitional position at BDR, and Kyle Petty certainly near the end of his storied career, we’re looking at a major change in the senior figures of the sport. Look at the record for most starts among active drivers: Ricky Rudd- 870, Terry Labonte- 830, Bill Elliott- 747, Kyle Petty- 744, Rusty Wallace- 701, Sterling Marlin- 670, Ken Schrader- 663, Michael Waltrip- 637, Mark Martin- 633, Dale Jarrett- 598, Morgan Shepherd- 511, Jimmy Spencer- 472, Bobby Labonte- 433, Jeff Gordon- 432.

2006 is Terry Labonte's last year; Bill Elliott is virtually retired. Morgan Shepherd and Jimmy Spencer make only the occasional race, Michael Waltrip's deal with Bill Davis Racing is for one year, and Kyle Petty’s career is certainly nearing its end. That could leave Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon as the senior active figures in the sport after next season.

Or take the Iron Man (consecutive start) list: Ricky Rudd- 783, Rusty Wallace- 692, Mark Martin- 576, Jeff Gordon- 432, Bobby Labonte- 431.

After Homestead 2006 (circumstances willing), Gordon will be the Iron Man of NASCAR, entering his 15th season in the series. There’s a gap of almost a hundred races back to Jeff Burton, 4th in line, and of almost 200 to Michael Waltrip and Tony Stewart. In terms of longevity, experience, and perseverance, Gordon will move to the top of the list in just one more year.

Over the course of his career, Gordon has hesitated to play the role of spokesman for the competitors in the series, almost always deferring to figures like Dale Earnhardt, Martin, Wallace, and Jarrett to speak for the men who drive the cars. He has preferred to do his politicking and lobbying quietly, with phone calls to Daytona or private conversations in the garage. Undoubtedly a lot of this comes from his background growing up as the youngest driver in virtually all series he had raced in before Cup. He learned, sometimes the hard way, to defer to his elders, to be politically correct, to bite his tongue and keep the boat from rocking. But in one more year, Gordon is going to be one of the elders-— maybe not in age but certainly in laps run. While we all joke about the increasing amount of grey in his sideburns, it’s becoming more and more of a fact that Gordon is not a 'Young Gun' in the series anymore. He’s the voice of experience.

This could be a sea change in both Gordon’s career and NASCAR’s. For years, the rookies have been told to take their lead from Martin and Jarrett in terms of sportsmanship, from Wallace and Rudd in terms of competitiveness, from Schraeder and Marlin in terms of accessibility. When they step away from the Cup Series, who will be held up as the role model for new drivers? The mantle should fall on Gordon’s shoulders. The questions will be whether he accepts it or tries to defer it to a driver like Labonte, and how comfortable he can be with taking on that new role. When the last of the 'Old School' drivers hang it up, what will happen to the Old School fans? To NASCAR’s sense of tradition and history? Can we, or NASCAR, even imagine a sport like that?

Over the last few years we’ve seen increased leadership from Gordon at the team level. He’s helped reshape not only the 24 team but lay the foundation for the 48 team’s success, and his increased visibility as a spokesman for HMS helped the organization through the terrible tragedy of 2004. Now it will be time to watch how he steps up as a leader of the sport as a whole—not in terms of popularity, which he’s always had, but in terms of speaking for the competitors, both vocally and by example. Gordon has never turned away from a challenge and I don’t expect him to shirk this one. As he enters the final phase of his career, it will be more than interesting to watch the move from the Kid to the Veteran to the Leader of the Pack.

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