Some of my favorite finishes have come at restrictor plate tracks. I won’t soon forget Kevin Harvick overtaking Mark Martin at the 2007 Daytona 500. I also enjoyed Bobby Labonte overtaking Tony Stewart in the Busch Series race at Talladega (sorry, Smoke). Or what about Jamie Mac’s last win before Sunday- the 2007 Pepsi 400? My family and I all watched Mc Murray edge by Kyle Busch on our feet…in our living room.
If you’ve also read Bump Drafts more than twice, you know I am 
not a curmudgeon by nature. It’s just not me. Having covered sports for several years, I also understand the powers that be are placed in a position of having to ask the tough questions and answer them in ways that sometimes disappoint even their most ardent fans.
By the same token, the time has passed for band aids and blame shifting concerning restrictor plate racing and Talladega Superspeedway in particular. None other than 5-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. summed it up best when he said, "We over-engineered and the technology has sort of passed what they were trying to accomplish here when they built this place. But what we are doing now, is ok, but I don’t think it is the best solution.”
People keep calling for the abolition of the Car of Tomorrow and the heads of France, Helton, Darby and Pemberton on a platter. Let’s just clear the table of those so-called solutions right now, because that’s not going to happen.
That aside, I hear a lot of ideas that sound interesting, but I must confess I’m no engineer, and I sure as heck have never driven there. Darrell Waltrip has echoed the sentiments of the late David Poole by saying its time to lower the banking. Jeff Gordon confesses to expertise on aero, but suggests wicker as a possible solution. Bump Draft’s own John "Dawg" Chapman proposes closing off the first 25 rows, taking the plates off and letting them race. You know that’s not radically different from what Dale Jr. is proposing.
I’m not smart enough to tell you what NASCAR ought to do. I’ll tell you what they shouldn’t do, and it seems to be the one thing they appear to continually do, and that’s nothing. From my perspective, what’s frustrating to fans is the perception NASCAR leadership is dug in and completely unresponsive. When I hear comments from Robin Pemberton about "side by side" racing, I wonder if maybe I was living in some alternate reality.
NASCAR has required change of their drivers and fans. It hasn’t been fun for a lot of folks, but I also get where the brass is coming from. Things can’t stay the same forever, and the truth is, the world has changed and the sport, on some level, has to change with it. The NASCAR of the previous generation is gone and it’s never coming back. Dale Earnhardt will not rise up from the grave, Richard Petty is not going to discover the Fountain of Youth, and the adage "What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday" is a romantic notion from days gone by.
With that said, NASCAR needs to stop operating such as it did under the days of Big Bill France. As a political conservative, I’m no fan of unions, but I think it’s time NASCAR, with something that resembles seriousness, started listening to it drivers by setting up some kind of driver representation, not by some tin horn attorney, but by a well-respected group that might include, for example, Jeff Burton and a Ryan Newman (he of the engineering degree) as two possibilities of a council of five. Concerning Talladega, I think ever driver I’ve heard from has it right. It’s time to let the racers race again.
NASCAR also needs to clean its ears out when it comes to the fan. Now, one thing we as fans need to consider is how far we are willing to go. Are we willing to stop buying tickets, stop watching the races and purchasing the merchandise? If you aren’t, then you aren’t pissed off enough.
I’m not willing to go as far as to say that Daytona and Talladega should be demolished. I’m not sure that’s needed. What I am saying is it seems like it is time for a high profile summit of NASCAR leadership, drivers and track management to address this matter with swift resolution.
Because sooner or later, you reach the point where it’s too late.
PHOTO CREDITS- Talladega racing by terry.lamb. Ryan’s Wreck by amanda480744. Martin’s wreck by rickibsen. To see more, visit flickr.com, or click on the links.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank YOU! Unfortunately NASCAR is NOT a democracy..not even close. As fans..we are in a box…I absolutely love racing..almost any form..and I watch as many different types as I can (well not F-1). So..as a fan I have quit going to races (not due to the economy but the racing presented is not worth the BIG bucks charged). I don’t buy NASCAR related products. I don’t watch all the programs “made up” for the NASCAR audience. I try to respond to the daily columns with my opinion hoping someone NASCAR related will read it and take notice. I always turn on the Truck and Camping World races..those series still seem to have some “real racing”..NASCAR hasn’t seen fit to screw them up “too bad” as of yet (well in the Truck series the double pitting rule for gas and tires sucks). BUT..I still turn on the CUP races..hoping for some good racing..and I find myself channel surfing..wondering if I am missing something..knowing I am not. It’s an addiction..and like any addiction.. it takes is a good intervention and there is hope the addict will give it up. In my case NASCAR is providing their own intervention..the are slowly weaning me off my drug of choice…I am fighting it..but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.. Please NASCAR..make my “racing drug” good for me…listen to the fans…listen to the drivers and owners and sponsors..do something before I have to give up this “racing high”.
well we know the wickers and removing plates won’t work. they put wickers on the cars in 2000 and it didn’t help. as matter of fact it was after that when earnardt made his now infamous comment about bill france sr turning over in his grave.
with how competitive and close the teams are today removing the plates would do nothing. because you don’t have to lift at dega they would just flat foot it around there at 220 instead of 195. you would still have the packs just moving at a higher rate of speed.
the only thing that seems like a reasonable solution would be to take down the banking. it seems like the only way to change the racing there is to make handling through the corners a necessity. charlotte, atlanta, and texas are all fast tracks but because they just cant flat foot it all the way around the track it spreads everyone out and seperates the fast, good handling cars from the poor ones.
the last thing to keep in mind is that plate racing is like boy bands. nobody will admit they like them but there are millions of fans. i must have saw the 39 and 5 flips on espn a dozen times yesterday in a 2 hour span. people who don’t follow nascar were talking about it in the gym and at work. so it’s like you say. unless everyone quits going or turns off the tv im not so sure nascar wants to change things at those tracks.
by the way can you remember back to either the 99 or 00 season? there was a company, a major primary sponsor, that gave their driver the okay to skip the talladega race. do you remember who it was? i do, but nobody would follow suit and that particular driver was a weekly contender and title contender and could not afford to skip the race.
Great points… Looking at it since we have the new car, more are going airborne. Maybe it has something to do with the new spoiler, maybe they should add trunk flaps. I am not an engineer but if Newman hadn’t landed on Harvick’s hood when he came down, We may have had a funeral this week. Newman stated that the roll bar was touching his helmet when the car stopped.
I don’t have a clue about what should be done at Dega and Daytona, i’m not an engineer. But look back at the races in the 60’s, 70’s and right through today, cars have been getting airborne forever. Am I concerned about safety? absolutely, for the drivers and the fans, but people are treating this like it’s something new. It’s Not, It’s just Dega.
Rather than have restrictor plate engines maybe consider a smaller engine without the plate, say 250 cu. in.
What I love is the call by so many people to change (or eliminate) Talladega from the series. Ok, good, let’s do that. Let’s bulldoze Talladega and never, ever race there again. Then let’s give it’s two dates to California and Chicago (or pick another 1.5 mile cookie cutter), and I won’t have to buy tickets 2 times a year, and I’ll have Sunday afternoons open to watch football. AND I WON’T BE ALONE!!!!! I am sick and tired of hearing this crap about changing Dega or not racing there when week after week I watch the WORST, most BORING racing. So what if we saw a long string of cars go around for awhile???? At California, Kansas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, etc, we see the leader go by 5-8 SECONDS ahead of 2nd place (and 2nd place 5 sec ahead of 3rd)…IS THAT NOT BORING???? At least Sunday, the TENTH place car was 1/5th SECOND behind. I’m tired of these mealy-mouth reporters and fans, and I’m tired of NASCAR’s stupid rules (like the no-bump crap). I’m almost ready to quit watching either way!!!!!!!
Lower the banking? No.
Remove the restrictor plate? Yes.
But…
Nascar (in their attempt to control all things) could mandate a smaller engine, even *gasp* a sealed engine built expressly for Daytona and Talladega which would generate only X horsepower, go with a wider tire, and tweak the aero package just enough to break up the field, but still allow two or three car drafts…
Personally, I just say let the drivers race–take off that restrictor plate and let ‘em go. I mean, they are race drivers after all.
Newman summed it up though (and the crash problem isn’t speed or bump drafting), there’s “no respect” out there. What I think he means is, people are just driving over their heads, out racing their talent, and counting on the COT to keep them “safe.”
If you think a mistake my actually hurt you, physically hurt you, even kill you, you might start driving with your head in the game and have a little more respect for other racers.
Nascar now is nothing more than a glorified video game and the drivers act like nothing can hurt them. Take away some of that safety and maybe, just maybe, real race drivers will emerge.
I don’t have a solution or a comment about a solution for Dega or Daytona plate racing. I think its exciting the way that it is. Yes its a crapshoot and the best driver doesn’t always win. Its about being lucky and being in the right place at the right time. Accent the “lucky”
In the end you have edge of your seat exciting racing for just about every single lap. It’s the most exciting 10 to go that you will ever see.
Some of the most vicious crashes happen there, and they probably should move the fans back a little. This should realistically happen at every track. I go to Texas Motor Speedway and you sit literally 12 feet from the racing.
I guess my point is that Dega and Daytona are fine. It’s the most exciting racing that we see.
It’s all of the other tracks with maybe the exception of Bristol and Martinsville that need to be worked on. I wish we could see 10 – 15 drivers going for the win in the last 10 laps on those tracks as we do on the big ones!
If it is not reconfigured with either lower banking and / or squared up to make four turns (like Indy) the problem at Talladega cannot be corrected. Making the fence higher, the seats further back, the engines smaller or chunks of flat metal on the roof are all band-aids to mask the problems. IMO, anyone who likes what they see at this track now is not a race fan. You buy tickets or watch on TV because you want to see a big wreck. NASCAR knows that and is trying to provide you with the product you want. They have created the current car with a larger driver compartment that is located closer to the center of the “greenhouse”, installed stronger roll cages, roof flaps and an assortment of other safety features including higher fences and softer walls all just so you can see these wrecks. NASCAR is now close to being a live video game. What drivers lack in talent, they make up for in balls. Mash the gas until you wreck or win. No worries about getting hurt anymore. Just hit the reset button and there ready to go next week. When drivers have to use skill instead of their right foot, you will see real racing again. Trouble is, a large portion of the revenue will go away because the current fan does not want to see skill because that would be boring. And so we have identified the real problem. Do we want real racing that would be enjoyed by a smaller hard core fan base or do we want “racing entertainment” featuring smashing and crashing with a hard rock sound track playing in the background and announcers promising that the “big one” is just around the next turn because we’re at “Dega Baby!!!!!”
JR, I have to disagree with you on the part that NASCAR likes the “Big One.” If Ryan Newman didn’t come down on the hood of Harvicks car, but instead directly on the race track, I think the results of that would have been a lot worse. And no one wants to see that.
i was just on lunch listening to sirius nascar radio and they had a great interview with mario andretti. they talked about this whole dega contraversy and mario told them how when they built daytona they wanted a track where they could run comparable speeds to the indy cars at indianapolis. the only way that could be done was to build the track with 30+ degrees of banking. the cars at that time would never be able to get around a daytona or talladega at 200 mph without banking. so that’s what they did.
so as many suggested mario andretti feels the only way to change the racing at these tracks would be to take the banking down to 22 degrees. you don’t have to eliminate it completely you just have to alter it so that handling will come into play. i thought it was a real good interview from somebody who is knowledgable but doesn’t really have a bias either way.
janine,
we have seen far more violent wrecks at talladega than what ryan newman took sunday and the drivers have got out and walked away. what do you think the percentage is of drivers be fatally injured or even seriously hurt in a wreck is? look at rusty’s infamous wreck there 15 years ago or sadler’s from 2003 or any number of wrecks from years past. heck i remember in the 2001 daytona 500 tony stewart was running top 10 when robby gordon turned him. smoke eventually landed on the 18’s hood which was runnning 30 something at the time.
i happen to agree that nascar doesn’t mind the flips. every promo you see for the next 2 years will include the 39 and 5 going upside down. they are trying to draw in the crowd that watches football on sundays and running that on sportscenter was a step in the right direction. like i said. i saw first hand talking to people who aren’t into nascar that were buzzing about the wrecks.
1. Take off the wing
2. Remove the front splitter
3. Disallow using ANY tape on the nose
4. Run skinny tires
5. Pull the plate
I think these changes would encourage the drivers to “lift” before entering the turns and would make Daytona and ‘Dega tracks where car setup, driver skill, and raw guts would trump luck (ie. missing the “big one”) in determining the outcome.
An unfortunate by-product of the restrictor plates is the lack of throttle response. The drivers are hesitant to ever lift, due to the fact that it takes so long to gain that speed back. Watch how long it takes the cars to get up to speed at Daytona and Talladega compared to Atlanta, for example. Removing the plates would increase the speeds, but I contend that it would break up the packs, because the drivers would not be so hesitant to slow down a bit when it is needed.
canucme, yes, i agree, we have all seen more violent wrecks then Newmans. My concern is how hard Newman’s car could have hit the race track, taking a direct hit on his roof.
@Canucme. All good comments and intelligent discussion here. I like hearing a variety of points of view without it degenerating into a name-calling contest.
Appreciate canuc, you sharing the commentary from Mario Andretti. That historical perspective is good. That sounds somewhat similar, I believe, to what D.W. is suggesting.
mgj,
based on what i heard today they could easily run 220 around talladega without lifting which is why many contend removing the plates wouldn’t work. if a driver can flat foot it all the way around what would be the reason to lift?
Make Talladega a gigantic “over-under” figure eight racetrack.
Since NASCAR is all about the dumb rule changes lately, here’s one they might consider: At Daytona and Talladega, the leader always has to run in the bottom lane. Has anyone else noticed that since they’ve been using the new car at these two tracks the leader can run the top groove without being passed? If the leader were forced to run the bottom, there would be more double file racing, because the guy up top would have to move to the bottom and somebody would try to pull up behind him to gain a few spots and maybe take the lead themselves. This rule could be thrown out during the final twenty laps or something just so nobody could say NASCAR forced anyone to give up the win in the end. Another idea could be to ban bumping at these tracks completely but also institute an extra fifty bonus points for leading a lap under green. That would get plenty of people interested in getting to the front.
In all seriousness, if NASCAR and the drivers were really interested in their own safety, they’d be taking this issue way more seriously. In 1960, the drivers got together and boycotted Talladega because they were concerned for their safety. NASCAR ran the race anyway, but today NASCAR has much more invested (like hundreds of millions of dollars) in keeping the top teams and drivers at the track every week. Let’s say for example Dale Earnhardt Jr. were to boycott the Daytona 500. Don’t you think NASCAR might take notice and try to do something to appease their biggest cash cow? Or maybe some of the more respected veterans like Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin could ban together and say they weren’t racing. Could NASCAR really survive that kind of embarrassment?
I think the teams have their own selfish interests in mind instead. The safety improvements NASCAR has made mean there is very little risk to the driver- in the last 3 restrictor-plate races, four cars have flipped and all four drivers walked away. Meanwhile, missing a race would mean lost winnings and lost points. While the drivers sound like they talk tough after these races, all they really say is, “Somebody has to do something or something bad will happen.” Maybe they should take their own advice. Continuing to race, even if it means making a farce of it for 450 miles and then putting on a show, will not get NASCAR to radically change anything. They seem pretty happy to let their product die slowly rather than make any big changes to save it.
Anyway, I think it was David Poole who made this point that really stuck with me. He noted that Talladega and Daytona were built for a different era and probably don’t suit the car of today very well. Maybe just like how NASCAR outgrew it’s dirt-track roots, it has actually outgrown it’s mega-super-speedway phase.
Crud, I just re-read this article and realized the comment I attributed to David Poole was really in this article the whole time and was from Dale Jr. It’s still a good point.
What Darrel Waltrip said about what David Poole said is what thousands of us have been saying for 20 years. Cut down the banking. It is nothing new, but it is the only solution NASCAR has flatly refused to even consider. Maybe a smaller engine would help, but you have GOT to bust up the conga lines to have any real racing out there. You can say they had 100 lead changes on Sunday, but none of them meant squat because they weren’t real passes. In 1985, in an UNRESTRICTED car, Bill Elliott passed the entire field twice to get his laps back after a mechanical problem. That is passing and it is what is lacking at Dega and to some extent at virtually every track on the circuit. Bring back passing and you will have racing people want to watch.
The answer to Talladega and Daytona is the same as it’s been for over 25 years. Smaller engines. NASCAR uses the restrictor plate as a bandaid because it knows the cars will remain bunched up and create the problems we continue to see. What it now is however, is total hypocrisy. NASCAR touts it’s safety concerns and then creates the carnage in the name of excitement. Shameful.
Really good article and comments. I’m not convinced that knocking the banking down a whole lot is the most practical solution because what do you do if you take the banking down substantially and that doesn’t solve the problem? Seems to me that NASCAR and the teams need to take 10 to 20 cars to Dega and do a whole lot of testing of all sorts of alternatives. It seems to me that Cup has much more horsepower than is really needed everywhere, as Robert Yates said years ago, and I know that in the current economy changing the engines might take time to put into effect. Rusty tried a car at Dega a few years ago without a plate, got up to 223 or 226, and said the car was undriveable – so I don’t think no plate is the answer.
I hate to say it, but I think the smaller engine solution is the best answer. I’ve always thought Cup should run the 5.0 Litre V8 and Busch should run a 3.8 Litre V6. Isn’t that really your options when you buy a stock Chevy, Ford or that other make?
Shame on you “lower the banking” guys. All lowering the banking would do is create another one groove race track.
NASCAR is really afraid sooner or later a car is going to fly into the crowd. We should remember that when we are condeming them. That’s why all the jacking with the rules.
Last comment…when Ryan’s car went airborne, it appeared to me as if the new wing kept air off the roof flaps and made them not really deploy. Did anyone else think that? I’ve always thought the roof flaps did more to stop those kind of crashes than all this other stuff.
The whole “lower the banking” idea is crap. I go to Talladega every year. Partly because The April race always falls on my birthday weekend and also because I live a total of 10 miles from the track. If they keep up this limiting of power, I will not attend anymore and many people from this area feel the same way.
To those of you who say that running unrestricted will not work, if the cars are capable of running 230mph, and they can’t hold the corners going that fast then what will they do? They will have to let off. It’s the same principle as lowering the banking. Some of yall wan’t them to lower to banking so they will lift. Why not let them run as fast as possible to make them lift? That will definitely break up the big pack. But, make no mistake about it, letting off the throttle on a track this big is a big mistake. Thats what causes wrecks now. Drivers check-up which causes a chain reaction and then a wreck.
To Thejoker about Newmans car sunday, according to a an aerodynamicist that was on the radio, the wing IS the reason the car lifted off the ground. Once the car is traveling backwards, it takes on the same aerodynamic properties as an airplane wing.
Personally, I like the pack racing. It makes it more exciting. Does it risk a major wreck? Of course. But the fact is that these drivers chose this profession and, consequently, wrecks are sometimes a part of the job. If they are going to keep them restricted, the least they could do is remove the “no bump drafting” rule. Bump drafting does not cause a problem. Indecisive drivers who think they want to move to the outside/inside and then they jump back in line causes the problem.