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Talladega proves rules don't lead to safety

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Lee Spencer

Lee Spencer is the senior NASCAR writer for FOXSports.com. She has provided award-winning coverage of auto racing over the last 15 years. Spencer has lent her expertise to both television and radio and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM Radio and the Performance Racing Network.

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Updated Nov 2, 2009 5:57 PM ET
     
 

TALLADEGA, Ala.

NASCAR changed the rules Sunday at Talladega, but the outcome remained the same. Teams were warned about repercussions for bump or push drafting in the corners during the drivers meeting just before the race. They were told explicitly that an aggressive driving zone existed around the entire 2.66-mile tri-oval. How did the competitors respond? With single-file race revolts from drivers throughout long stretches of the race that elicited requests from drivers for iPods and Tony Stewart asking for NoDoz followed by: "Will someone tell me something interesting to keep me awake?" But when go time finally arrived, the mad rush that we are accustomed to at the superspeedway returned. With five laps remaining, Ryan Newman received a bump from behind by Marcos Ambrose entering Turn 3, which turned him sideways into traffic, launching his car into the air — going nose to tail before settling on its roof. After being extricated from the No. 39 Chevrolet, a frustrated Newman emerged from the infield care center and his sentiment on restrictor-plate racing hadn't changed from previous criticisms. "It was a boring race, and it was a ridiculous race. To see 43 cars run single file is not what we showed up here today for. We'll see what happens," Newman said. "I respect NASCAR, I wish they would respect us," Things didn't improve following the 12:34 red flag caused by Newman's wreck. In the ensuing green-white-checkered finish, a 13-car melee coming off of Turn 4 ensued, allowing Jamie McMurray to coast to victory. "The more rules, the more NASCAR is telling us how to drive the race cars, the less we can race and the less we can put on a show for the fans," Newman said. "I will go back in the day, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip ... all those guys, they respected each other. "In the end, there were some big accidents, but geez, we don't need the cars getting upside down like this. This is ridiculous. "There is way more technology than that to help us out. Whether it is a speed issue, a roof flap issue, whatever. I said it myself in the media center after the spring race here, and now to be the guy standing here trying to live it all out again, I'm just happy I am living it out. But it is ridiculous situation. It is a shame that not more is getting done."

Fallout from 'Dega

Neverending story: Anyone who has watched a 'Dega race knew what would happen Sunday. It's time for change.
Survival mode: Oh by the way, Jamie McMurray endured the madness Sunday to snap an 86-race losing streak.
Flippin' out: Tune out from Talladega after a boring start? You missed a wild finish. Check out the best images.
Read more from Lee Spencer
Newman asked for "a little more respect" from the governing body — and he wasn't alone. Most of the drivers took offense after having to change the racing style they've adapted taken away from their repertoire. Although Denny Hamlin exited the event on Lap 137 after his engine failed, he offered the sentiment, "Let us race," before leaving the track. He said being "put in a box" limits the control the drivers have over the outcome of the race. "They gave us a car to race, now let the drivers handle it," Hamlin said. "The one thing I noticed today that was different was that we were hitting each other harder on the straightaways. You'll see when the big one happens today, it will be because someone hits someone too hard on the straightaway. It's because we can't push each other. "They say you can hit each other and that's what you have to do on the straightaway, but you can't push all the way around the racetrack. Pushing each other in the corners and all the way around, that is the safest driving you can possibly do because that's eight tires." Six-time Talladega winner Jeff Gordon, who became a casualty in the 13-car pile-up during the last-lap wreck, said NASCAR's last-minute ruling didn't change the racing. It simply delayed the inevitable. "As long as you can bump-draft, you're going to have those kinds of incidents," Gordon said. "Everybody really used their heads all day long, and it was great. With guys staying off of you in the corners, I think it definitely allowed us to get to the end. "But we had more cars at the end, and you know that it's going to happen coming down with a green-white-checkered finish. It's no different — same old thing as usual."
Tagged: Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin

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