NASCAR explores ladder system for young drivers

Jun 19, 2023

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NASCAR is developing a youth ladder system that would give young drivers and their parents a clearer idea of the path to the summit of stock car racing, according to leading executive Ben Kennedy.

Seen as the top racing league in America for at least the last 20 years, NASCAR has been an aspirational destination for young drivers. A well-defined ladder system could help ensure a steady flow of star drivers capable of fueling fandom and solidifying NASCAR’s position in motorsports.

“If you look back at our Cup drivers, everyone has a different path,” said Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development and strategy. “Some will race short tracks, asphalt, dirt … late models, modifieds, all sorts of different vehicles,” he said. “For us, it’s about really thinking, ‘What are those paths they took to get to the Cup Series? What does it look like today? Can we be part of that path from bookend to bookend in the future?”

Key to helping Kennedy craft the new system is Joey Dennewitz, the former Spire Sports & Entertainment executive who joined NASCAR this year as managing director of weekly and touring series. Kennedy told Sports Business Journal that he’s charged Dennewitz with “really starting to think about: ‘What does the future ladder system of stars and drivers look like? And how do we really build that for the future?’”

Kennedy said the goal is to create a “clear path where, if you want to become a future NASCAR driver, you can kind of look at that chart to see what that looks like.” He said NASCAR is in the early stages of developing the framework and that “there’s certainly a lot of work to do.” Until now, the proposed system had not been reported.

For Kennedy, the scion of the France family and a 2023 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree, the ladder system is just one of several initiatives he’s helping drive in a bid to modernize NASCAR.

NASCAR has three national series: The third-tier Craftsman Truck Series; the second-tier Xfinity Series; and the premier Cup Series. Below that is ARCA and a host of regional series throughout the U.S. NASCAR also signed a deal with the USAC series last year to rebrand its quarter-midget youth series to the NASCAR Youth Series.

The move to develop a ladder system comes as NASCAR faces increasing competition for young talent. Formula One is making inroads in America and building out more infrastructure to develop talent pipelines, such as its all-women F1 Academy junior circuit that launched this year. IndyCar has started a Race for Equality and Change program that is meant to quicken the pace of bringing young Black and other minority drivers into the series. NASCAR already has a similar program to develop diverse talent.

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