HARRISBURG, N.C. — The lower divisions of NASCAR are loaded with talented young drivers who will eventually win races on Sunday afternoons.

Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer could comprise one of the Cup Series’ most potent rookie classes in recent memory next season, while racers such as Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Ankrum, Harrison Burton and Christian Eckes continue to hone their skills.

The driver-development pipeline is full, which bodes well for the future of NASCAR Cup Series racing.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the car owners’ side of the equation.

We did the math and found the average age of the seven individuals who own the six teams with cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is 69. That’s an age by which many successful businessmen are enjoying the fruits of their labors.

Roger Penske is the elder statesman of the group at 82 and he’s been involved in the Cup Series on and off since 1972. Joe Gibbs became a Cup Series team owner in 1992 and the former NFL coach is now 78 years old. Jack Roush, who ventured into NASCAR racing in 1988, celebrated his 77th birthday this year.

Rick Hendrick has been fielding Cup Series cars since 1984 and he’s now a septuagenarian, having turned 70 in July. Chip Ganassi is relatively young at 61, while Gene Haas turns 67 this month and his co-owner, Tony Stewart, is the youngest among the group at 48.

And don’t forget, team owners Richard Childress and Richard Petty, whose drivers failed to qualify for the playoffs, are 74 and 82, respectively.

Even though today’s top NASCAR teams are major corporations with detailed succession plans should anything happen to the team leader in the corner office, those ages are alarming as seven of these nine car owners are eligible for Social Security.

While NASCAR’s ladder system is doing a fantastic job of developing and advancing drivers, mechanics, engineers and over-the-wall pit crew members to the premier series, it has failed to produce a new generation of car owners.

That could become an issue as NASCAR navigates the next decade.

– It’s time for Marco Andretti to step out of the cockpit and assume more of a managerial role at Andretti Autosport.

The third-generation Indy car racer is now 32 years old and this was his 14th season in open-wheel racing’s premier series.

Andretti hasn’t scored a podium finish since he took the checkered flag third at California’s Auto Club Speedway on June 27, 2015, and he hasn’t been to victory lane since he won at Iowa Speedway on June 25, 2011. His best points finish of fifth came in 2013, and he was a distant 16th in this year’s standings.

There’s no way those stats are sufficient to keep a ride with one of Indy car racing’s powerhouse operations — unless your father owns the team.

– On Thanksgiving night at California’s Ventura Raceway, Christopher Bell will attempt to join Ron Shuman and Billy Boat as the only drivers to win the Turkey Night Grand Prix midget event in three consecutive years.

– With McLaren preparing to make its full-time return to Indy car racing next season, we came across an interesting article in the Nov 12, 1969, issue of National Speed Sport News.

Here are the first three paragraphs: “Weather permitting, testing of the new M15 McLaren Indianapolis car will be conducted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week, driver, designer and builder Bruce McLaren advised this newspaper Thursday. Drivers will be 1967 world champion Denis Hulme and Chris Amon, both of New Zealand.

“Designed by McLaren and Gordon Coppuck, the orange-red cars were called, ‘single seater versions of our successful Can-Am cars.’ They utilize a semi-monocoque chassis made of 16-gauge Reynolds aluminum.

“Power will come from a 650-horspepower, turbocharged Offenhauser engine bolted to two engine bearer plates on the rear bulkhead behind the cockpit where the monocoque ends.”

McLaren ended up making its Indianapolis 500 debut in 1970 with Peter Revson and Carl Williams driving a pair of M15s.