The main storyline coming from Talladega
Superspeedway wasn't the final result, but how NASCAR exposed itself to more
controversy after tweaking the rules in hopes of better and safer restrictor-
plate racing.
During Sunday's pre-race drivers' meeting for the Amp Energy 500, NASCAR
announced to teams that there would be a ban on bump-drafting through the high
33-degree banking turns at Talladega. Officials warned drivers an aggressive
driving penalty would be assessed for anyone caught bumping in the turns.
NASCAR tinkered with the rules change throughout the weekend after Michael
Waltrip was parked for the last 30 minutes of final practice due to aggressive
driving. Waltrip bump-drafted behind Jimmie Johnson's car throughout the 2.66-
mile track.
Hours after NASCAR gave their stern warning on bump-drafting, drivers
responded in a way that made for a boring race at Talladega, instead of the
exciting one we usually see there. For a majority of the 500 miles, fans saw
single-file racing that was as much of a thrill as watching a freight train
roll by. Many drivers, such as Johnson, played it safe and hung around in back
of the pack for most of the race.
So what if there was a season-high 58 lead changes among 25 drivers? There
could have been a lot more if it weren't for long periods of tedious racing.
It wasn't until the final 20 laps that things livened up at Talladega. And so
did the mayhem and wrecks.
With five laps remaining in the scheduled 188-lap distance, Ryan Newman got
spun around before his car flipped upside down onto Kevin Harvick's car.
Newman skidded up the track, hit the wall and slid down to the infield grass
where it flipped several more times.
While NASCAR briefly halted the race, safety officials had to turn Newman's
car right-side-up and then cut his roof off to free him. Newman was not
injured, but apparently annoyed with NASCAR's bump-drafting ban.
"It was a boring race, and it was a ridiculous race," Newman said. "To see 43
cars run single file is not worth it to show up here today."
The second big wreck -- a 13-car pileup -- occurred during the two-lap
overtime finish, which ended the race under caution. Mark Martin's car went
airborne and then flipped on the track. As a result of his 28th-place finish,
Martin is now 184 points behind leader Johnson.
When the Sprint Cup Series came to Talladega in April, Carl Edwards held the
lead as the field approached the finish line, but Edwards made contact with
Brad Keselowski, then spun into Newman and sailed into the safety fence along
the front stretch. Eight spectators sustained minor injuries from flying
debris.
After his third-place finish, Newman faulted NASCAR for unsafe racing at
Talladega. Now, he was more critical after being a victim of a scary crash.
"It's just a product of this racing and what NASCAR has put us into with this
box and these restrictor plates with these types of cars," he said. "Drivers
used to be able to respect each other and race around each other. Richard
Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison and all those guys have always done
that. I guess they [NASCAR] don't think much of us anymore."
So what can NASCAR do about Talladega?
It seems there's no perfect solution to satisfy NASCAR, the drivers and the
fans.
"If you want to make this a really exciting race for the whole race, make it
200 miles," Gordon said. "That's why the truck races and other races when they
come here are so exciting."
Gordon is right, judging from Saturday's truck event at Talladega. Even though
an 11-truck pileup happened in the closing laps to set up a green-white-
checkered finish, race winner Kyle Busch got a perfect push from teammate Aric
Almirola to pass Todd Bodine for the lead a couple of hundred yards from the
finish line.
Many drivers have been outspoken regarding NASCAR's approach to resolving the
issues at Talladega, but Johnson perhaps has the best logical solution.
"The only way we avoid this, if anybody wants to avoid these big wrecks and
this type of racing, is to eliminate the need for restrictor plates," Johnson
said. "That means get the tractors out and knock down the banking."
Obviously, the bump-drafting ban was not the solution for better and safer
racing at Talladega. NASCAR needs to do something soon to avoid another
shameful race for the drivers and the fans.
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