The great philosopher Timbuk 3 once said, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”
After spending years wondering what the future would like in the NASCAR world, in the last two years, a picture of the future has come together; and it’s bright.
Start with ownership. Roger Penske, Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush and others are all getting old enough that successors were a concern. No more. Enter Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin with Michael Jordan, Justin Marks with Pitbull and Brad Keselowski and there’s now youth in the ownership ranks that should make the sport secure in that area for the next two to three decades.
Now, take a look at who is driving to the front. The average age of this year’s four winners is less than 27. Kyle Larson is the old man of the bunch, still a little over four months shy of his 30th birthday. Those three guys battle for their first wins at Phoenix: all under 30.
Those Young Guns NASCAR promised us a few years ago are finally started to hit their marks. And, with the combination of the influx of youth in ownership it all puts the future in a pretty good light.