Development Drivers Continued

By Jason Jarrett

I am just going to throw in my piece about development drivers. Everyone has an opinion on this but I want to focus on a couple of guys that I think have been overlooked. Also, I lean more towards the ARCA/ReMax Series than others but I think that is a great place to race.

Before I get into my picks let me say something that should go without mention. The equipment you are in makes a huge difference and that holds true from go karts, to late models, to ARCA, and all the way to the top. There are still a few guys that come along that can make up some distance even if they are not in the top notch equipment but that is not happening often. And, if the truth was told, there are probably drivers from every era that have been able to make up some difference and others that just need to be in top equipment no matter what. I am definitely in the group that needs to be in the best equipment with the best team in order to get the job done. This brings me to my point of mentioning some names that I think are getting overlooked.

Everyone has a few drivers that they watch and pull for and hope that they get a chance to move to bigger and better things. The two that I have been watching in the last few years are Chad McCumbee and Jeremy Clements.

Jeremy has rebounded nicely from an injury that he suffered a few years back. He was just beginning to become more and more consistent when his accident put him out for a while. I would tag him as the most improved so far this season but that is probably not even fair because it takes time to heal. He is running well this year and has finished in the top five for 3 of the last 4 ARCA/ReMax Series events. I really think that he is someone, if given the opportunity, can get the job done at the next level. Now I am not saying send him to Cup tomorrow, but I think he can certainly be a driver that can move to the Busch Series or Truck Series, with the right people, and be a contender.

My other choice right now would have to be Chad McCumbee. I have not gotten to see much of him this season but he impressed me with his progression last season in ARCA. He just steadily got better and better every week. He was on the verge of winning some races. I think he may be one of the drivers that can get more out of his equipment. I don’t think he was in the worst equipment but he improved week to week in his ARCA equipment last year. A couple of weeks ago he came back to ARCA and finished 3^rd at Pocono. In his Truck Series effort he has been steady and improving and getting better as a driver every week. The team is getting better because of putting Chad in that truck. I think he will continue to get better so I think somebody should pick him up. I will even go out on a limb and say that he could fit in with some of the Cup teams that have strong support.

With so much about this topic out there I thought I would let you know where I stand. I know there are many others out there that I did not mention but these are two drivers that I feel like deserves some credit right now. Maybe someone else will take a look at them now.

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