Talladega: The Equalizer

I watched the UAW Ford 500 today. The race was quite a great race for the fans, but not so great for several drivers. There were a couple "Big Ones" today, and each took several chase contenders out. The first big one came around lap 20, and was the result of Jimmie Johnson getting into the rear of Elliott Sadler as they entered a corner. Johnson claims that Dale Jr was all in his bumper, and that's the reason he couldn't help but hit the rear bumper of Sadler. Close examination of the replay tape clearly shows that Johnson was in the bumper of Sadler long before Dale Jr reached him. As a result, Dale Jr, Mark Martin, Elliot Sadler, Michael Waltrip, and a few others sustained damage that basically ended their days.

After the incident, Mark Martin was quite outspoken. He says that only the fans can change this type of behavior, and these types of wrecks. Martin doesn't like restrictor plate racing, and is quite certain it can't be all driver error. I think Martin needs to have a talk with Jeff Gordon to get a better perspective on the matter.

Jeff Gordon, on the other hand, is more sensible. In his post wreck interview, he says the drivers just need to get off the bumper. He says only the driver can prevent his car from hitting the car's bumper in front of him. And I have to agree. I think the plate racing is great. Anyone can win. Today, Dale Jarrett won the race. I for one did not expect that, yet when there was 2 to go, and he was catching the leaders I was cheering him on! It was awesome!

The announcers were discussing the incident and I think they had a great idea to force the hand of the drivers. Remove all of the added support to the front bumpers at the plate tracks. Without this, there's no bump drafting. Without the bump drafting the likelihood of crashes goes down drastically. If they were to try it, they smash the front end of the car in, resulting most likely in the engine overheating from restricted airflow. Problem solved.