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Tuesday 9 OcTOber 2018

SPRINGER

INTO

Ryan Blaney poses with the
trophy in Victory Lane after
winning the NASCAR Cup se- ACTION
ries auto race at Charlotte
Motor Speedway in Concord,
N.C., Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018.
NASCAR

must push

its newest

winners into

superstars

By JENNA FRYER
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A
race car driver can have
all the personality in the
world but skills not much
better than an old moon-
shine runner. Or a driver
might be the second com-
ing of Richard Petty himself,
then fail to transfer any of
that on-track energy into a
sponsor appearance.
Sometimes a driver is the
perfect mix of talent and
marketability, yet get stuck
in mediocre equipment or
a team on a slide. It's hard
to build a fan base with a
car that can't compete.
NASCAR got a true gift
when Chase Elliott and
Ryan Blaney — YOUNG
GUNS! — put together
back-to-back playoff vic-
tories. The two are part
of the next generation of
NASCAR superstars, but
marketing that becomes
difficult when the drivers
don’t win.
The hard part temporarily
over, NASCAR must now
go to work on making Houston Astros' George Springer celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning during Game 3 of a baseball American
America care about these League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Cleveland.
fresh faces. Associated Press
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