Here’s Why the Likes of Elliott, Larson & Kyle Busch Were Not Selected to the NASCAR Driver Advisory Council

Recently, NASCAR announced a Driver Advisory Council to address issues that the drivers face from an organizational standpoint. Heading the board is Jeff Burton, with Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Corey LaJoie & Kyle Petty as members. Of course, some fans wonder why top drivers like Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, and others, were not on the board.

Fortunately, NASCAR pundit Bob Pockrass issued a clarification about the selection process. As it turns out, the six selected drivers have to meet certain criteria before making it onto the board. First and foremost, two drivers, whose average points finish was anywhere in the Top 10 were selected. Then, the same rules apply for 11th to 20th and 21st to 30th.

In the case of Petty and Burton, they are likely present in their capacity of former drivers, to offer their inputs. Interestingly, this is not the first time a drivers’ council has been in place; Denny Hamlin helped establish one in 2014, which consisted of a rotating panel of drivers. Unfortunately, it did not last very long and was finally dissolved by 2019 after most of the demands were met.

Will the other NASCAR drivers be involved in the process?

The good news is that the six current drivers only make up the board. As for the council itself, all of the full-time drivers are welcome to be a part of it. In other words, pretty much everyone will get to have a voice in the sport in order to try and improve it. Interestingly, there is also a Team Owner Council, which runs in tandem with the driver council. As it turns out, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Dave Alpern is the co-chairperson for that organization.

At the end of the day, NASCAR is simply looking to see if all parties can cooperate. They can air any grievances and all groups can work together to hopefully clear them. The primary purpose of these councils is to have a voice in shaping the sport and ultimately meeting in the middle.

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