NASCAR Mailbag: Smaller fields, retirements and independent teams

1. NASCAR has obviously seen a resurgence in family/independent teams during the last half-dozen years in both the Xfinity (RSS Racing, Jeremy Clements Racing, Martins Motorsports, GMS Racing, BJ McLeod Motorsports) and Truck Series (Brandonbilt Motorsports, AM Racing). These aren't backmarkers, as RSS and GMS had entries qualify for the Playoffs last year. Will any of these teams move up to MENCS, and will any of these teams leave a lasting impact after their drivers leave the sport (Athenian Motorsports bailed after John Wes Townley left)? I'm glad to see that however small the shift may be, it's coming back to the mom-and-pop teams. 

- From Randy

Jim: Randy, I wouldn't get too excited about "mom and pop" teams just yet. GMS Racing is the most successful of the organizations you mentioned and that is in large part because of its affiliation with Hendrick Motorsports, which does not come at a cheap prize. No teams can compete on a regular basis for wins or championships without having equipment that allows them to run up front on a regular basis. Right now, technical alliances are the best way for a smaller team to keep up but it comes at a price. Right now, I don't see any of those teams moving to Cup, simply because it would serve them no purpose to move up and just run around in the back.

2. Do you think that one car should have one sponsor per season like in the 1990s?

- From Corina

Lee: Corina, unfortunately, no. Selfishly, I would love to see teams stick with one sponsor throughout the season. It would certainly make my job easier. Each weekend half the time is spent memorizing the color schemes just in case the cars are not identifiable by the numbers. But let's be serious, the days where the No. 24 Chevy carries the DuPont rainbow are over. Sponsors just aren't investing $30 million in drivers anymore. So race teams scramble to fill inventory in an effort to compete over 36 point races and two events. There was a time where a fresh, new livery was a big deal because it seldom happened. For most teams, the wraps change on a regular basis. 

3. What do you feel will be the long-term effect of Dale Earnhardt Jr. retiring?

- From Mike 

Lee: Mike, honestly, none. At this point, his contribution is more valuable out of the car. He's already proven that his ability to identify talent with Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. He's offered second chances to Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler at JR Motorsports while still being able to shepherd young talents such as Chase Elliott, Cole Custer, and William Byron. If and when (and I believe the when is coming sooner than expected) JRM expands to a Cup program, his outreach will exceed his current impact. Finally, we're still not sure how much time Junior wants to spend in the TV booth. Certainly, if that's a path he looks to pursue, no one would turn NASCAR's Most Popular driver down.

4. Why do you think the size of fields in the Monster Energy Series has fallen to below 40? Is the sport in that bad of shape or is it just there aren’t enough teams out there to field a full-field in the Cup Series?

- From David 

Jim: David, unfortunately, I won't be surprised if most races soon just have the 36 spots that go to charter teams. Once the charters were created, most of the purse money in races was directed to those teams, so the "open" teams that can fill the field to 40 really are handicapped because there is very little for them to gain in terms of financial benefit by competing. There is no financial sense in teams making the field but ending up spending more money to run the race than what they could earn from performing well.

5. Do you think the schedule is too long now in NASCAR? And if so, do you think Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart might have kept racing instead of retiring when they did?

- From Tammy 

Lee: Hey Tammy, the schedule is not too long -- except perhaps during the weekends. There's way too much time spent on practice. With the exception of inclement weather, races should be two-day shows. There's also no reason why NASCAR can't race during weeknights in the summer, particularly at the larger markets that don't have to rely fans coming from outside the metropolitan area. Even during the school year, baseball teams in major markets draw more fans than Richmond did on a beautiful spring afternoon. If track attendance is down, nothing is going to bring the fans back. The tracks should cut their losses -- especially given the subsidies from TV money -- and move their dates to Wednesday nights. As for whether Junior, Jeff or Tony would have extended their careers, a weeknight never stopped Stewart from racing a dirt car. 

Do you have a question?

You can submit your questions each week to NASCARmailbag@motorsport.com. Responses will be reported once a week during the NASCAR season (Usually on Thursdays). 

You can also reach Jim Utter, Lee Spencer, Nick DeGroot and Tim Southers on Twitter @jim_utter,  @candicespencer, @ndegroot89 and @TimSouthers, respectively. Use the hashtags #AskJim, #AskLee, #AskNick or #AskTim when submitting a question through Twitter.