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I'm sure that there's lots of arguments for and against, but my personal preference would be for the 'hired guns' to stay at home. I say this because I look forward to the road races each year to see how the regular speedway guys handle themselves. One of the marks of a great driver is versatility, and road racing is a skill that the great drivers will master.
Were there any regular Cup drivers who went home this weekend because they were bumped by a hired gun? It seemed to me that most of the hired guns were replacements rather than additions to the field. There were at least 2 replacements for injuries, and I think the only addition to the field was Joe Nemechek's car (can't remember driver).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there owner points and driver points? Whatever the case, the point is probably moot because the drivers in the hunt for the championship will unlikely be replaced with a road-course specialist therefore little impact on championship standings, and the drivers at the other end of the points table could be replaced without having much impact on championship standings while the owner is gaining valuable points that will help with provisionals and final owner standings, etc.
One last thought - the 2 Cup races on road courses are probably not a good way to compare the better drivers from the different disciplines. The best way to do that would be to use something like IROC and add 4 road course races to the 4 speedway races! That would be interesting!
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