Wednesday, April 23, 2008 | 11:38 a.m.
While going over the results from the Nationwide Series race in Mexico City, I was struck by the lack of Sprint Cup drivers in the field for the road-course race.
Only seven full-time Cup drivers made the trip south of the border to take part in the race and most of those were drivers who regularly compete in Nationwide Series events.
Why wouldn’t more Cup drivers take advantage of what amounts to a free test session on a road course -- especially those who either have little experience turning right and left or those who have struggled on road courses? Certainly, the differences between the Nationwide and Cup cars don’t override the experience one gains.
Patrick Carpentier was one Cup driver who made the trip to Mexico City. In addition to getting some valuable seat time on a road course, Carpentier brought home a respectable fifth-place finish. It will be interesting to see if Carpentier benefits from the experience when the Cup series goes to Infineon Raceway in two months.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy