Produce--or proceed to the unemployment line: it's one thing to make it to the big time in NASCAR--and another to stay there.(NASCAR)

With the exception of the pit crew, the cast of characters in Reed Sorenson's pit stall during the Busch race last Saturday looked very similar to the support staff for Sterling Marlin's Cup effort on Sunday.

There were owner Chip Ganassi, team managers Andy Graves and Tony Glover and crew chief Steve Boyer all watching Sorenson, a 19-year-old rookie, intently. These men were protecting their investment--and the future of Ganassi Racing.

Considering Sorenson's early-season success--he's second in Busch points--Ganassi could plug him into Marlin's No. 40 car next year if he weren't so young. A driver has to be at least 21 to drive a car with an alcoholic beverage sponsorship.

Still, the pressure would be fierce, even for a driver who has been racing since grade school. If the kid couldn't cut it by the second season, he might have to find a ride back in the Busch Series or Craftsman Truck Series.

Just ask Casey Atwood, who was 19 when Ray Evernham recruited him as "the next big thing" in 2000. Atwood lasted one year in the No. 19 Dodge, ran additional races in a research and development car and now bounces between Busch and truck.

Welcome to the age of the disposable driver.

"A lot of these guys figure if they don't prove themselves in their first race or the first situation they get into, then they're not going to be here very long," seven-time champion Richard Petty says. "It used to be you'd recycle drivers. Drivers would come in, and they'd last 20 or 30 years, and they'd drive six or seven different cars. You're not going to see that in the future.