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Published Monday, April 26, 2010 | 3:40 p.m.
Updated Monday, April 26, 2010 | 3:50 p.m.
The last win for Richard Childress Racing at Talladega came in 2000 by Dale Earnhardt. I attended that race and I can vividly remember to this day how no one in the grandstands sat down once during the entire event. People in Alabama take their racing seriously.
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The three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish turned the Aaron’s 499 into the Aaron’s 532, but I’d rather put up with the delays caused by the late-race wrecks than see the winner cross the finish line under a caution. Especially after watching almost 500 miles of racing.
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What a difference a spoiler can make. Could anyone have asked for more lead changes? A bigger restrictor plate and the demise of the rear wing gave us one of the most exciting Talladega races I can remember. The two-car drafting and a record number of leaders and lead changes made what is usually the less-exciting midsection of the race more interesting. And, fortunately, no one got airborne. It seems that the spoiler is having the right effect on the quality of the racing.
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I suppose that somewhere someone is grumbling that restrictor plate racing is just a wreckfest. But isn’t it up to the drivers to avoid creating wrecks? The drivers seem to be able to race most of the event without the carnage we saw in the final laps. Sure, restrictor-plate racing creates tight racing that makes wrecks harder to avoid. But you can’t have a chance to win if you cause the “Big One.”
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Talladega is the great equalizer. It allows for drivers who normally don’t run in the front to lead a few laps. It was great to see Sam Hornish, Michael Waltrip, Robby Gordon, Elliott Sadler and David Ragan spend a little time in the lead. That kind of unpredictability is what’s needed in the era of Hendrick domination.
Aaron's 499 finish
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It looks like the Gordon-Johnson feud is real. At least from Jeff Gordon’s perspective it is. Gordon says he’s close to the ‘boiling point.” How often have you heard Gordon talk like that? Now the series heads to Richmond where racing is a true contact sport and emotions can boil over like a volcano in Iceland. Cinch up your belts, Jimmie.
I can almost hear JG saying, "Hey 'Four Time', fool me once (or twice), shame on me, come down three lanes on me again, find yourself on fire against the infield fence". I was pleased that JJ wound up further back then JG. I also smiled because after trailing all day, MM was best among the the Hendrick team. Instant Karma gonna get you...
Na$car must be loving this, four hours of driving in circles followed by _three_, two minute climax sessions. I was rooting for cars to run out of gas, as this would make the "Line 'em up, Crash 'em again" controversy more complex.
I'm glad that this year at Talledega, none of the pinballs, uh, I mean cars, ended up spraying parts on the fans. Tough but true, Mike.
If "green/white/checker" were pulled, maybe the late-lap crashfests would go away too. If enough races finished under yellow without the extra laps rule in effect, I imagine that the fans would demand that the drivers learn to behave themselves enough to have races finish properly, without all the mayhem at the end.
Maybe then I could go back to watching NASCAR again.