Max Papis (left) talks with Jimmie Johnson at Watkins Glen International. (Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Over the last few years, several former open-wheel racers have migrated over to the stockcar world to try their hand at NASCAR. For many of them, the move has resulted in little, if no success, especially for drivers making the move from higher divisions of open-wheel racing — like the IRL or Formula1.

Sure, several drivers have made a successful move from what would be considered lower levels of open-wheel, like sprint cars, etc. — Jeff Gordon is one that comes to mind.

However, it seems like drivers who have found success at a higher level in both open-wheel and stock cars are few and far between. Tony Stewart seems to be more the exception, not the rule.

There are a few drivers that have found a limited amount of success after moving to the NASCAR ranks. Robby Gordon won a few races here and there a few years ago, and Juan Pablo Montoya occasionally finds himself in a NASCAR victory lane, but it’s not consistent success.

Sam Hornish Jr. has never really found significant success in the stock car world, but he does seem to be improving.

Success in one form of racing obviously doesn’t predict success in another.

After trying Sprint Cup racing last season, Dario Franchitti has since returned to the more familiar world of open-wheel. Patrick Carpentier also tried his hand at NASCAR last season, only to be considered an “also ran.”

Since the migration doesn’t seem to be going in the opposite direction — NASCAR drivers making the move to open-wheel, we don’t really know if the move in reverse would be more or less fruitful.

Most NASCAR drivers don’t seem to even consider a move to the open-wheel world. The only ones who are ever rumored to be toying with the idea are Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch.

Recent NASCAR competitor, John Andretti, did compete in this year’s Indianapolis 500, but he comes from an open-wheel racing family and never really was all that successful in NASCAR. He didn’t set the world on fire in Inday last month, either, finishing 19th.

Drivers aren’t the only racers who either try to move from one form of racing to another or try to keep at least one foot in both worlds. At least a few car owners have tried making transitions from open-wheel to stockcar or vice versa, or even fielding entries in both forms of racing.

Indy Car / NASCAR car owners Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi come to mind. Both beyond successful in the open-wheel world, they both expanded into NASCAR several years ago. Ganassi, while he may not seem quite as successful a NASCAR team owner right now with the recent merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the lack of a win the last year or so, has found some success on the NASCAR circuit.

Penske has also, at times, found his share of success in the NASCAR world, even winning NASCAR’s premier event, the Daytona 500 in 2008.

Car owners seem to make the transition much better than the drivers. But then again, they’re not the ones actually driving the cars. Their job of hiring / firing crew members and signing checks probably doesn’t change a whole lot from one form of racing to another.

As far as drivers are concerned, jumping from open-wheel racing to NASCAR, be it the Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series, or Sprint Cup Series, is a major change. The cars and kind of driving required are so different that success in one, no matter how great, can in no way completely predict success in the other — especially behind the wheel.

That doesn’t seem to be stopping drivers from trying, though. Former open-wheel star Max Papis is trying to move his way up the NASCAR ladder as we speak, and Danica Patrick's name seems to come up in NASCAR conversation anytime she’s in contract negotiations.