Elliott Sadler's Win Great For Xfinity Series
Xfinity Series veterans don’t get enough credit for how much they shape NASCAR. Veterans like Elliott Sadler play a huge part in the sport today and into the future.
Elliott Sadler’s victory was huge for both Sadler personally and JR Motorsports. It was also huge for the Xfinity Series in general. The series is ruled by Sprint Cup regulars who can’t compete for the championship. So on Sunday it was great to see a true Xfinity Series veteran take the checkered flag. Sadler beat Sprint Cup regulars Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick. It’s important that a driver who competes every week in the Xfinity Series takes one of the biggest races of the season.
Both the Xfinity and Truck series need more series veterans and less Sprint Cup Series regulars. More drivers like Elliott Sadler, Brendan Gaughan, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. The argument has been for years that Sprint Cup regulars competing in the Xfinity and Truck series make the regular drivers up their game. While that may be true it also takes the spotlight off of those same drivers trying to make a name for themselves.
These lower series veterans can do an outstanding job of preparing young drivers for the Sprint Cup Series. Most of these veterans have spent time in the Sprint Cup series at some point just not reaching the levels of a Kyle Busch or Kevin Harvick. However, that valuable experience is what they can pass on to up and coming drivers.
Virtually every racing series have their own veterans. These drivers are the measuring stick to move up to the next level. Frank Kimmel in ARCA and drivers like Teddy Christopher or Burt Myers in the Whelen Modified Series are just a few that come to mind. Let these drivers do their jobs. Not only winning races and championships where they found a home but in shaping the future stars of NASCAR.
The Xfinity Series season rolls on this weekend in Richmond. Tune in on Friday night at 7:30 PM EST on NBCSN.
More from Beyond the Flag
This article originally appeared on 
