Dustin Kiggins, Staff Writer
There comes a time in every sport where veteran players seem to move aside for the future generation to take over the sport that they know and love.
The sport of racing is no different as NASCAR’s highest series have seen many of its older drivers leaving their seat to someone younger.
Add Jeff Gordon to the list. With 93 wins and four championships, he is the third winningest driver in the history of NASCAR. At the beginning of the 2015 season, it was announced that he would be retiring from the series.
Since then, other big names have left the series, including Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
As more veteran drivers exit the series, there is no shortage of young drivers to fill their seats on race day such as Chase Elliott, the son of 1988 series champion Bill Elliott.
Other up-and-coming drivers include Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, William Byron, and Alex Bowman.
Despite many new drivers coming into the top series, the veterans of the Monster Cup Series are still dominating the sport. With the exception of the Daytona 500, the veterans have proven to be the most dominant so far this season.
Kevin Harvick won 3 of the last 5 races and Martin Truex Jr., defending series champion, won last week’s race at Auto Club Speedway in San Bernardino, California.
These new drivers will one day become the new faces of the Monster Cup Series, but until then the veterans remain dominant this season. New and old drivers alike have something to prove and so far the veterans of the series are proving they still have what it takes.
The rookies have major shoes to fill in the future of the series.
Next week the Monster Cup returns to Martinsville Speedway for some short track racing at the smallest track on the schedule. The green flag drops at 2 p.m. EST.
Edited by Brendan Shriver
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