Say A Prayer For The Drivers At Daytona

Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 2:29 PM

The "Big One" is coming, no doubt about it.

Anyone who believes this race is going wire-to-wire, clean and fast, has a screw loose. Could it? Sure. Will it? This race runs wreck free with as much of a chance as of me saying "NO" to my Granddaughters. With Tony Stewart as the acting mouthpiece of the drivers on the Nextel Cup circuit, it has reached a point where NASCAR must, for once in its recent life, forget about money and sponsors and television and make an aggressive move for the safety of the drivers at hand - and I'm not talking about having referees in the corners (will they have on zebra stripes?)

Stewart is troubled by the seeming rise in bump drafting and the boldness of those doing it. There have been others who have spoke out against the restrictor plate races at both Daytona and Talladega, Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin come to mind, not necessarily bump drafting, but the closeness of the cars in general, where every nuance of the cars instability is magnified ten-fold.

Restrictor plates were put on the cars to hold down speeds at the two tracks where the mph were rising into the 210 range, the close racing a by-product of that rule. With television ratings rising, sponsorship exploding, attendance through the roof (although attendance was always outstanding,) NASCAR decided they would leave well enough alone. NASCAR takes a gamble with every restrictor plate race - the problem is that NASCAR gambles with other peoples lives.

And those that drive accept the risks. From the amateur drag racer to the guy who drives the bullrings to the very finest the sport has produced, they all know that when you step into the car, whether you are travelling at 70 mph or 200, you are taking your life into your own hands. They're not daredevils, they don't race to "tempt death," they are skilled athletes who realize and accept the consequences of their actions - but the other side of that particular coin is that they don't come to Daytona and Talladega to gamble their lives on a roll-the-dice, especially when the dice keep coming up Snake-Eyes.

NASCAR has pushed the envelope as far as it can go. It's time to take the restrictor plates off, give the drivers the horsepower to get away from each other, put the emphasis back on the drivers and crews and not on the "deals" made up on the spotters stand. It's time for drivers to know what its like to pull out of line and PASS without help. Its time for drivers to have to LIFT when going into a corner. It's time for drivers to know what its like to SLINGSHOT again.

Racing is a wonderful, intricate dance of man and machine, at Daytona and Talladega it has been reduced to the unpredictability of the next country line dance. We know whats going to happen, it's just a matter of when. If NASCAR wants to hold down speeds then stand up the windshields and put flat, 6" x 6" side mirrors on the cars to gain more wind resistance, take away spoiler height, let more air under the cars from the front. Even though the cars will be faster, and maybe in some ways less stable, the cars will be running in much smaller packs - three, four, five car groups is much safer than 43 car groups with everyone running inches apart, right foot on the floor and the left foot tapping the brake to slow down slightly - all for three, solid hours!  Trust me when I tell you that there are more than a few drivers who would pass up the restrictor plate races if they could. They know the "Big One" is a stone cold fact.

Maybe somewhere, sometime, a major sponsor will step forward and tell NASCAR that they will not be bringing a car to those races until things change. Take it out of the drivers hands, for the driver knows there is someone else ready to take their place, should they take a stand against the restrictor plate races.

I can tell you this. For the drivers and fans the love of motor sports is innate. It is born the first time you feel the deep rumble in your chest from the thundering cacophony that explodes from red-hot exhaust headers, the sweet aroma of un-spent gasoline, the merciless assault on your deafened ears as the engines rpm climb. To the driver it's the most powerful drug known, a palpable, seductive temptress that beckons with the anticipation of mainlining speed for real. There is not an experience on earth that gives such a pure, clean rush of adrenaline. To be in control of a finely tuned race car, to know that only your hand-eye co-ordination, mental focus, agility and sheer force-of-will, are what enable you to defeat your competitor, is a potent and robust emotion.

Ernest Hemmingway once wrote; "There are only three true sports, Bullfighting, Mountain Climbing and Auto Racing, the rest are merely games." NASCAR - Take the restrictor plates off, make some meaningful changes and let them race, safely.

Feel free to copy and send this to: FanFeedback@nascar.com AND OR mhelton@race.NASCAR.com (I believe, but am not certain that this is Mike Heltons email address at the Daytona NASCAR offices)