No Dale or Jeff?

A lot of NASCAR fans probably wonder how the sport would do if neither Jeff Gordon nor Dale Earnhardt Jr. were still around. Now, the two are the most popular drivers in the sport and sell more merchandise than any other driver in the sport. They bring fans, and with those fans come ratings.

However, the answer I have to this is: were there any fans when Richard Petty retired? What about David Pearson? What about Dale Earnhardt Sr., when he died? What about a year like 2005, when both Gordon and Jr. missed the Chase? Both drivers could just stand up and walk away, and if they did, I think the sport would go along just fine. Of course a big fan base wouldn't have their traditional drivers to cheer for, but they could find a new driver to cheer for.

You have guys like Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and a great bunch of young drivers like Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.

Any of those drivers would be worth rooting for if you're a bandwagon fan or just want to pick a random guy and start cheering for him.

With or without Jr. and Gordon, the sport would lose a lot, but they'd have plenty to fill the holes with.

Aaron Larsen