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NASCAR has tried all but one thing to "fix" the racing at Talladega after tinkering with the car and the drivers.
"The only way we can get the racing to change is by changing the track," Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday, echoing his sentiments from Sunday. "It's the only thing left. We've messed with every other area, and nothing has worked."
But the track is sacred at Talladega. That banking is part of what makes it special and exciting.
So there seem to be only two options left.
Accept Talladega as it is or just walk away.
When speeds got too high, NASCAR mandated restrictor plates to temper horsepower.
Restrictor plates bunched up the cars, so when they wrecked, they wrecked spectacularly. To prevent so many dangerous wrecks, NASCAR tried to clamp down on drivers, outlawing pushing through the corners and warning against aggressive driving.
As a result, the two main complaints after Sunday's race were that it was boring and that it started being scary just like any crash there when it stopped being boring.
The problem with Talladega, with or without pushing in the corners, is that high speeds and awkward angles in crashes are what send cars upside down. Those same high speeds are what make the races exciting and what help teams win.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. identified the problem with Talladega perfectly.
"We have sort of out-engineered this racetrack somehow," Earnhardt said. "We over-engineered and the technology has passed what they were trying to accomplish here when they built this place."
NASCAR teams work to make their cars as fast as possible. When one team discovers an edge, it's only a matter of time before others catch on and implement those changes.
After his harrowing crash Sunday, Ryan Newman said there must be some technological advancement that could keep cars on the ground instead of allowing them to flip as his did.
But technology can't stop the laws of physics. Technology can't control drivers' aggression when their competitive fire takes over. And technology can't predict every possible scenario.
Perhaps it's time to accept the danger at Talladega. And if that's not OK, perhaps it's time to step away.
"The only way we can get the racing to change is by changing the track," Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday, echoing his sentiments from Sunday. "It's the only thing left. We've messed with every other area, and nothing has worked."
But the track is sacred at Talladega. That banking is part of what makes it special and exciting.
So there seem to be only two options left.
Accept Talladega as it is or just walk away.
When speeds got too high, NASCAR mandated restrictor plates to temper horsepower.
Restrictor plates bunched up the cars, so when they wrecked, they wrecked spectacularly. To prevent so many dangerous wrecks, NASCAR tried to clamp down on drivers, outlawing pushing through the corners and warning against aggressive driving.
As a result, the two main complaints after Sunday's race were that it was boring and that it started being scary just like any crash there when it stopped being boring.
The problem with Talladega, with or without pushing in the corners, is that high speeds and awkward angles in crashes are what send cars upside down. Those same high speeds are what make the races exciting and what help teams win.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. identified the problem with Talladega perfectly.
"We have sort of out-engineered this racetrack somehow," Earnhardt said. "We over-engineered and the technology has passed what they were trying to accomplish here when they built this place."
NASCAR teams work to make their cars as fast as possible. When one team discovers an edge, it's only a matter of time before others catch on and implement those changes.
After his harrowing crash Sunday, Ryan Newman said there must be some technological advancement that could keep cars on the ground instead of allowing them to flip as his did.
But technology can't stop the laws of physics. Technology can't control drivers' aggression when their competitive fire takes over. And technology can't predict every possible scenario.
Perhaps it's time to accept the danger at Talladega. And if that's not OK, perhaps it's time to step away.
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My wife and I have been to Talladega three times. We've seen the early race once and the late race twice. Stayed at Cheha State Park all three times. The racing at Talladega is different to say the least. As a qualifier, we've been to Daytona (multiple times), Lowe's MS (multiple times), Darlington, Texas, Martinsville, the old Ontario, and the old Riverside. Talladega is one of the oldest venues still racing. It is antiquated, faded, stuffy. But is also great racing when the drivers or at least it used to be. Last weeks race was ugly to say the least. Drivers were asking for cup holders and ipod holders. I think fans who go to the race must accept a certain measure of responsibility for their own safety. I know I always do. I've sat close enough at Darlington to get blasted by sand and bits of rubber as the cars went by. Dangerous? Certainly. Exciting? You bet. But that was my choice. I will occasionally accept some form of danger to experience a little excitement. That's the human condition. Drivers accept those conditions every time they strap in. Nascar should allow us, the fans, to make that decision for ourselves. To do otherwise is to condone and further the nanny state. I say let the drivers bump when they want and open up the plates a little. They've made the cars as safe as possible. Turn Talladega loose. Amen.
mikey360 (11/06/2009, 12:50 PM )