Talent CAN Outweigh Sponsorships for Prospective NASCAR Cup Series Drivers

• Nearly every time a new driver comes into the NASCAR Cup Series, fans wonder if the driver is there on merit or did he or she "bring money."

• Team owner Richard Childress points to the amount of talent a driver possesses as the deciding factor as to how much money the driver might need bring to the table.

• Childress admitted he’s had drivers bring money to get into one of his cars.

Money or talent, which is more critical in determining who secures a ride in NASCAR’s premier series.

Kyle Busch maintains John Hunter Nemechek could return to the NASCAR Cup Series if he had $6 million to accompany him.

NASCAR Hall of Fame members and NASCAR champions Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte, along with Jeff Burton, believe the deciding factor in gaining and keeping a ride at NASCAR’s top level is talent although bringing funding is essential in other series.

Team owner Richard Childress points to the amount of talent a driver possesses as the deciding factor on whether he or she needs to bring money.

“Not every driver has to have money, but if you’re borderline or you’ve just done something in Xfinity and you want to move up just because you want to be a Cup driver, that means you’re going to have to bring money,” Childress says. “With real talent, you don’t have to bring money.”

Childress cited Kyle Larson and William Byron as two talented drivers who wouldn’t need to bring money to get a ride. Their talent, he explains, attracts “big sponsors.”

“Today, a sponsor isn’t going to take a chance on a rookie (like they once did),” Childress says. “You’ve got to have the funding to race these cars today and if you can’t get it through sponsorship, then they’ve got to bring sponsors or money. That’s the challenging part. It takes money to put somebody in a car today unless they are an exceptional talent that’s coming with a resume of winning a lot of races and winning a lot of championships.”

Childress admitted he’s had drivers bring money to get into one of his cars. He’s also had two or three occasions where he wanted a specific driver, and the sponsor wouldn’t agree to that person.

In recent years, drivers who “buy” a ride have drawn the ire of fans who believe talented competitors who can’t bring millions of dollars to a team are being overlooked. It’s an issue that resembles a ping pong ball in play as the situation constantly bounces back-and-forth between the two.

Earlier this summer, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Josh Berry would replace the retiring Kevin Harvick, even though a sponsor hadn’t been signed for the No. 4 Ford for 2024.