It struck me, thinking about the upcoming events at Texas, how dramatically the roster of home towns has changed in the last two decades.
When we first started running at Texas Motor Speedway, Texas Terry Labonte was a superstar. And, it was a big deal when he won at his "hometown" track in its third year.
Now, there's not a single Texas driver running regularly in the Sprint Cup series. But, the Lone Star state is far from alone in that regard.
This is a sport with southeastern roots, whose fields used to be billed with drivers who hailed from the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia. Not anymore.
Only three full-time Cup drivers list themselves as North Carolinians: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Austin Dillon and Brian Vickers. There aren't any from South Carolina and only two from Virginia and one from Georgia. That's six total.
By contrast, no fewer than eight are California natives.
For a sport that wants to be big time nationally, geographic diversity is a good thing. And, you Texans may see a native son return to Cup soon, a couple driving in the Xfinity series, Chris Buescher and Brennan Poole, look pretty good.