Who is the most underrated driver in Winston Cup?

[Joe Fan]

Gimme some feedback.

[Lee]

I can think of several that fit this description. Four that stand out in my mind are, Elliott Saddler, Ricky Craven, Kenny Wallace and Chad Little. There are others, but I won't try to name them here. Take care.

[Redneck]

Ed Berrier

[marcus]

dont know if yas are gonna laugh at this one or not ..but when i first watched Nascar a few years back there was this guy always having a crash or getting in the way and just plain slow..now i dont get coverage of every race but the ones this year i have seen he is pretty much towards the front of the pack and havin a real go and is greatly improved on what i have seen in the past..so maybe he is underated

[marcus]

I am of course speaking of Robert Pressly..he in my view has improved heaps and must be seen as possibly able to go onto bigger and better things

[Heeltoe6]

Yes, Pressley has been hot as of late, probably because of his new cc, Ryan Pemberton. Seem to be really lciking

My vote goes to Phil Parsons. Go back to the late 80s, he was in the top 10 quite often

[Lee]

Redneck,
I didn't choose any of the rookies because I don't think they have had the time to prove wheather they are under rated. Berrier is a good driver and given the equipment that Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth have, I think he, plus Stacy Compton both would have won a race by now.

Heeltoe6 and Marcus,
Keep your eye on Pressley, I really think that before this year is out, he will win a race. I hope he does, he deserves it. I think Pemberton has been the difference. The team has been good in the past, but has never had a crew chief that was a leader on the order of a MacReynolds, Parrott, etc. Ryan Pemberton, I think, is. HT6, I think Phil Parsons is a classic example of a driver being brought into Winston Cup before he was ready. He has talent, even won a race, but the teams he drove for would have only been consistant winners it they had a driver of the calibre of an Earnhardt, Martin, DW (when he was in his prime) etc. He was not ready at that time, and that, plus the physical problems he had (I know of at least one surgery he had for a detached retina) hurt him. I'll like to see Phil get another shot at Cup.

[Joe Fan]

Ted Musgrave. Does anyone remember a few years back where he pressured Jarrett for a`win at the very difficult Darlington track? He could have won the race if he had less integrity and put the chrome horn on DJ but that is not how he races.

[ISCGirl]

I have always liked Michael Waltrip...He seems to be in a no money ride and encounter the worst luck. My wish would be for Richard Childress to lose Skinner and put Michael in his place. He is marketable,young,likable and would work with Earnhardt eagerly I'd suspect...Elliot Sadler,Steve Park also come to mind in their share of the luck dept.

Tish

[Lee]

Greetings Tish,
And welcome to the forum. Glad to have you aboard, you should enjoy yourself here, there are some very good people here who are also knowledgable about NASCAR. Look for Michael Waltrip to do better now that Ultra Motorsports has purchased the team. They have more resorces (read that money) than Jim Matiea could provide. Well, take care.

Lee

[Joe Fan]

I second Lee's statement, Welcome aboard Tish! Tell all your friends to come join us here. I also agree that Michael Waltrip is underrated. I hope that he gets a better ride in the future somewhere because he is deserving and one of the funniest drivers on the circuit.

[budlightgirl1975]

Hey fellow forum friends. I think Tish hit the nail on the head. I don't think anyone is more underrated that Michael. He's got the skill, knowledge and know how. He's a great guy with alot of bad luck. I've gotten word through the grapevine that Childress is looking to dump Skinner so keep your fingers crossed. Im just wondering if Michael and Big E were to work so closely if Michael wouldn't make Dale crazy. They seem to have the most opposite personalities possible.

[ISCGirl]

Hey All !!! Thanks for the welcoming... I know that DW and Michael have different characteristics...but they have some similar personality traits. I hope your right on Childress!
Michael is getting older and he definitely needs a break...
If he gets partnered up with the likes of RCR, Mc Reynolds, and SR. you never know what might happen??? That Cocker Spaniel could turn into a German Shepard! Ultra Motorsports isn't enough to put that fire in him...Sorry, Lee! (Not enough $ or experience yet...) Sometimes the competition we're around improves our game immensely.

What about ol' DW??? I was thrilled for him! That twinkle of youth in his eyes said it all... C'mon Childress you have a diamond in the rough with Michael get rid of Skinner and you won't regret it! lol...That clock is ticking!

[Joe Fan]

Welcome Budlightgirl! I would love to see Michael get a Childress ride. I believe in Mike Skinner's talent and abilities but at some point this year, he has got to produce a win or I am going to wonder if he would be better off, being a star in the BGN series. Michael and Big E are fishing buddies so I think they would work well together.

[Lee]

Hello Budlitegirl,
Welcome aboard, good to have you here at the forum. I think you'll like it here, good people, good talk about NASCAR racing. I look forward to some good discussions with you.

[John B]

An old favorite of mine in Cup (who just won the NASCAR truck race at Indy this week and has won a number of events in that series since it started up) was Joe Ruttman. He came sooo close to winning a number of races including:

-Riverside, 1981, just beaten by Bobby Allison.
-Daytona 1982, was in top 3 all day though Allison dominated.
-Richmond, 1982, dominated until blown tire, during the yellow for his crash it poured and Dave Marcis won without leading green flag lap.
-Contended to win the Daytona 500 in the Levi Garrett car, as well as the #75 (RahMoc?) in 1991.

He also won the ARCA race during Speed Weeks 1982.

[Heeltoe6]

Oh YES! Joe Ruttman, very much underrated. Caught up in the whoel JD stacy debacle of 82. King of USAC stockers. Didin't even get any respect in the cts, Roush stupidly kicked him out. Well Ruttman's showing em. Ole Man Joe rocks!