You may have noticed, NASCAR is hemorrhaging star power.
Jeff Gordon retired after 2015. Tony Stewart left after last year. Carl Edwards departed before this season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. _ the most popular NASCAR star of all _ will exit after 2017.
It may not be an exaggeration to say the fan bases of those four drivers may account for three-fourths of all NASCAR fans _ or more.
The good news for a sport that can use some is that an exciting cast of young drivers is looking to give the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series that "new star smell."
"In the past few years, a lot of drivers have retired who have been big for the sport, from Tony to Jeff and with Dale Jr. retiring this year," Ryan Blaney, one of the emerging NASCAR stars, said Wednesday. "I would hope (their) fans still enjoy the sport and will want to pick new drivers."
