When I first read the reports surrounding the departure of Billy 'Catfish' Parker from Rusty Wallace Inc. Racing's (RWI) #66 Busch Series entry, I was amused by the fact that Rusty was reported to be ready to drive in the Busch Series. It isn't like the Busch Series doesn't already have enough Buschwhackers already. Wallace and Cup driver Jamie McMurray are reported to be sharing the driving duties on the #66 Duraflame Dodge for the remainder of the 2004 season.
To keep things on a factual basis, Parker hasn't been released from the team, he is still with the RWI Racing organization and will be used for testing and developmental work on new racecars. It seems that the Duraflame sponsorship is 'on the line' and the team needs to produce some better race finishes to give the sponsor more recognition. A race win or two would certainly help, but don't look for Wallace to pull that one off. Jamie McMurray? It's possible; the younger driver is more prone to hard racing than the cautious veteran Wallace. When Wallace gets bumped or has bad luck, which is his most common foe, he spends the rest of the race whining and complaining over the driver to crew radio and loses touch with the goal of winning the race. We've seen it happen a hundred times over the last few years. Wallace needs to hang up his driving gloves!
For those of you who may be new to the Busch Series or NASCAR racing, a 'Buschwhacker' is an experienced Cup Series driver who drops back down to the Busch Series and competes against the lesser skilled drivers. They take away the majority of the top prize money and driver's points from the regular Busch Series drivers. When asked in media interviews, the majority of Busch Series drivers tell the tale that they enjoy racing against the Cup drivers because they learn from them and enjoy the higher level of competition. It's presumed that this attitude is nothing more than a ruse to placate NASCAR by showing unity in an area that's actually very gray.
In reality, Busch Series drivers hate to have the Cup Series drivers come back down to their series and take the top marbles away from them. They just have to be careful what they say in media interviews so as not to upset the hand that's feeding them, i.e.: NASCAR. Over the years, the Cup driver's invasion has changed the outcome of the Busch Series Championship dramatically. On more than one occasion, the driver's and owner's championships have been won by a driver who is competing in both the Cup and Busch Series.
