Nationwide Series - Buschwhackers

Buschwhackers

Since the early days of the Nationwide Series, many Sprint Cup drivers have used their days off to drive in the Nationwide Series. This can be for any number of reasons, most prominent or often claimed is to gain more "seat time", or to familiarize themselves with the track. Examples of this would be the first ever winner of a Nationwide Series race (Dale Earnhardt and the winner of the most races in Nationwide Series history (Kyle Busch).

In recent years, this practice had been termed "Buschwhacking" by those who criticize it. The colloquialism originated from the words "Busch" and "bushwhacker" during the days when Anheuser-Busch was the main sponsor of the series but it has gradually fallen out of use since Nationwide took over as title sponsor.

Critics claim that Sprint Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide Series takes away opportunities from the Nationwide Series regulars, usually younger and less experienced drivers. On the other hand, many fans claim that without the Sprint Cup stars and the large amount of fan interest they attract on their own races, the Nationwide Series would be inadequate as a high-tier division. In addition, many Nationwide Series drivers have welcomed the Cup drivers because it gives them the opportunity to drive with more seasoned veterans.

In 2007, the Sprint Cup Series began racing with the Car of Tomorrow, a radically new specification different from the Nationwide Series. Sprint Cup drivers have admitted that driving the Nationwide car the day before the race does not help much with the Sprint Cup race because the cars drive so differently. This may change with the new Nationwide Series car making its debut in the July 2010 Daytona race. This car has a set-up closer to the current Cup car and some Cup drivers who have tested the car say it has similar handling characteristics. The new car goes full-time in the 2011 season. In 2007, six out of the top ten drivers in the final point standings were Cup regulars, with Jason Leffler being the only non-Cup driver in that group to win a race in '07. This number decreased from 2006 when 8 out of 10 drivers were Cup regulars. The decreased number is attributed to Cup regulars running only partial schedules, allowing for more Nationwide regulars to reach the top ten in points. However, the champions from 2006 to 2010 were all Cup regulars driving the full series schedule (Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski). As a result, starting with the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented a rule that stated that a driver could only race for the drivers' championship in one of three national series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck) of the drivers' choosing.