Back to the future: Short tracks once again place to mine talent

Dale Jarrett's final ride in last weekend's All-Star Race brought down the curtain on one of the most storied careers in NASCAR history.

Jarrett followed his father Ned's footsteps into the sport and once he made it up through the ranks to NASCAR's top division, made the most of his opportunity.

Joe Gibbs Racing prospect Joey Logano will make his Nationwide Series debut at Dover on May 31. (US Presswire)

D.J. won 32 Sprint Cup races, including three Daytona 500s, as well as the 1999 series championship.

Although he stuck around a bit too long in the end -- NASCAR's version of Hillary Clinton -- Jarrett carried a lot of class and professionalism all the while and will no doubt have a fine career in the broadcast booth.

Jarrett is the latest veteran to step away from NASCAR, joining names like Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd and Terry Labonte as drivers who competed full-time in the sport for nearly three decades.

As these old hands walk away, team owners have been dipping into various talent pools to fill the open seats, as well as new rides that have sprung up.

The latest trend was to bring open-wheel stars to the Cup Series, which has been met with wide ranging results.

While Juan Pablo Montoya dazzled in 2007, winning a Cup race and Rookie of the Year honors, his sophomore season hasn't gone nearly as well.

In 11 starts this season, Montoya has posted only one top five finish and is currently 16th in the series standings. And just this week, team owner Chip Ganassi named Brian Pattie as Montoya's third crew chief of the year.

But some don't view Montoya's year as disappointing. His former open-wheel colleagues wish their seasons were going half as well.

Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Patrick Carpentier don't have a top five finish between them.

The tough transition for that quartet of drivers has changed some team owners' views of just where to find new talent. There now appears to be some momentum in returning to the country's short tracks as a place to discover and hone future stars of the sport.

There is a variety of regional stock car circuits where much of this future potential lies. NASCAR's two Camping World Series, the American Speed Association and the Hooters Pro Cup Series are just a few of the tours where young drivers can gain experience and demonstrate their skills, in hopes of grabbing the attention of a Nationwide Series or Sprint Cup team owner.