Kyle Busch had some valid points with his recent complaint about NASCAR promoting the younger drivers at the expense of the veterans.  But, there is also a 30,000-foot view that the sport needs to take that the drivers don't see.

That view tells us that, frankly, Jimmie Johnson, outside of going for an 8th championship won't bring many, if any, new eyes on the sport.  Nor will Kevin Harvick or even for the most part, Martin Truex, Jr.  They are known commodities and have been in the public eye long enough that folks pretty much know what they get with them.

The marketing folks see the best bets for fan growth among the newer faces like Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and others.  If NASCAR can get fans to gravitate to those guys now, they'll have 20 years to cultivate those relationships.

What the marketing folks may be missing, though, is the fact that many of the veterans are a long way from being done.  Kyle Busch will turn 33 this year; Brad Keselowski 34 in a couple of weeks; Joey Logano…28.  Kyle Larson, 26.  Yes, these guys are veterans, and, to an extent, known commodities.  But, they've all got 10-15 years, minimum, left in their careers.  And, now that the deck has been cleared of some of the biggest stars of the past 15 years, there is still an opportunity to grow the sport using the faces of those who already possess great track records.