The debacle we watched at Talladega today was simply a travesty of racing. I don’t know how many columns I have written about this subject over the years. Mostly, I’ve been shouted down by fans who love the gore and the excitement of 43 cars running within inches of each other, where the slightest mistake can mean disaster. It’s akin to the action movie where the hero cheats death time and time again, but in the end the hero conquers. But this is real life, and watching this year after year leaves me in a state of anticipation of the time that the hero doesn’t walk away. I dread that.
It doesn’t help that the folks who could really do something about this mess think they can mandate how racers race. No passing below the yellow line. Wow, that worked when a hotshot driver trying to make a name for himself punted Carl Edwards nearly into the stands. I laugh at all the pundits that said and keep saying it was Edwards’ fault. He acted like a racer, which is normal. And so did Brad Keselowski, who was the punter.
Today, the edict that no one should bump draft in the corners without facing penalty really worked well. We saw over 150 laps of what they used to call freight-train racing. One and sometimes two lines of cars with no one getting out of line. I nearly fell asleep watching it, and I’m sure many fans did, too.
When push got came shove, with about 30 laps to go, the racers came out of their shells -- and what happened? Lots of action and carnage. With five laps to go, Ryan Newman took a seriously scary tumble. It was nothing more than running close and the fact that no human can expect to not touch at those speeds when the margin for error is so small. And when that touch puts a driver into that position, the worst can be expected.
And it wasn’t over. Before the green-white-checkered finish was completed, it happened again. This time it was Mark Martin who took the worst of the damage. The message is clear. Run around within inches of each other or race. If you race, you face the possibility of being part of the “Big One,” or you can be safe and just let the others wreck. Man, that’s great racing, isn’t it?
The late David Poole and I talked about this a few times. It was usually at Martinsville in the fall, traditionally the race before Talladega. Poole thought the race track should be reconfigured with lower banks. I always argued that a smaller engine was the answer. I still stand by that opinion. Truth is, maybe both should happen at both Daytona International Speedway as well as Talladega. If NASCAR continues to believe that engines should be restricted, this is what you get at these high-banked tracks. It will always happen unless folks with more progressive ideas come along.
It was telling in what the drivers had to say. Many tend to adhere to the company line. Speak no evil is their motto. Mark Martin just refused to comment on the situation. In two interviews I heard from Sunday, Martin just avoided the subject. Newman was more candid. To paraphrase, his opinion was that racing at restrictor plate tracks was not racing and if fans enjoyed it, they were wrong. He should know.
As long as the sanctioning body continues to think that making rules that take the racer out of the business of racing, it’s the way it’s going to be. Drivers really cannot race at Talladega and Daytona. And to keep stating that insurance prohibits cars going more than 200 mph at those tracks isn’t enough. Find a way to solve the problem. Tear down the walls. Reduce the banking. Introduce a smaller engine. Do something. Yes, the fans love it, but is it racing? No. We patiently wait for those in Daytona Beach to come up with an answer. We’ve been waiting since the mid 1980’s. And we continue. That’s shameful.
