There are a lot of top drivers going to or thinking of competing in other elite series (e.g. Sam Hornish – IRL to NASCAR, Sebastien Bourdais – ChampCar to F1).  Is this good for motorsports as a whole?

Arianne:  Hmmm, this is a tough one.  My first reaction is to say "yes" it's great for motorsports as a whole.  But.....if you take a look at each individual series within the world of motorsports, the trend could have a negative effect on each circuit.  Each series should take a look at why drivers are changing and address the issue before we are left with only one or two sanctioning bodies/series.  Drivers seem to achieve success in one circuit and then move on to conquer another.  If this continues, it could bring the downfall of various racing programs. One way to prevent this is to generate a culture of movement that goes both ways.  For example: NASCAR drivers would need to move to the IRL, F1 or Champ Car in order to complete the circle.  I doubt that'll happen.  But imagine the possibilities.

Kris:  Although I feel sorry for the less than stellar drivers that will probably lose rides to these guys, I do think it's good for motorsports. Even non-fans have heard some of these names and I think it will bring more viewers to the sports.

Kimmie:  I love it, but I don’t.  The reason I want to see it happen is I want to see if a driver is only good on one type of surface, track configuration, or car.  Those who excel or are even competitive in many arenas of motorsports are those who earn my respect and admiration. However, the dark side is racers have a long life span and there are only so many seats to go around.  Also, pride gets in the way and instead of learning their way through the new series, they are forced to jump right in and sometimes muck things up.

Brianna:  I think the diversity of drivers is good for motorsports.  My Dad is a little red neck about the whole thing and he is not liking it.  He is old school.  Each sport has its fan base and NASCAR is now the huge.  So other professional drivers are trying their hand at NASCAR because it is where they can make the most money.  They actually may be better drivers than some on the circuit today.  It takes a popular name to get your foot in the door and you have to start somewhere and move on.  That is our society today.  If you stay somewhere too long you suffer from it.  Is that good?  Didn't NASCAR dump Winston and move to NEXTEL.  Remember these drivers are living life in the fast lane (no pun intended).  They have to play their best hand.

Heather: No, I don't think it's a good idea that other drivers are coming into NASCAR. It's showing that they, as drivers, are becoming bored with their form of motorsports and are looking for a change. Therefore, they are making it increasingly more difficult for veteran drivers to make it into their own races. In the end, it's these other drivers who are causing the wrecks that take out well-established teams from competing because of their inexperience.