Fan Commentary

Is It Racing or Just Driving?

by Grandstand Bob

It’s extremely frightening to think of what might have happened to Sterling Marlin had he not had an MRI, which detected a fractured vertebrae. Scarier still is the fact that Talladega was the next race of the season. In races past, nearly half of the field has taken a hard hit. In his condition, one of those hits could be fatal. Which begs the question, are we playing with drivers’ lives for our own entertainment and NASCAR>ISC’s benefit?

Let me be upfront and honest, I see myself as somewhat of a hypocrite when it comes to restrictor-plate driving, because I watch the damn things. It’s hard to turn your head away, because the cars are all so close and any little bobble can change the complexity of the drive. In addition, the politics of drafting can be revealing. Just look at how much help Jeff Gordon gets in restrictor plate drives.

Drives? That’s right, drives! It’s a real stretch to see restrictor-plate events as races. Very little true racing takes place. Many drivers even admit that it doesn’t take much skill to drive around Daytona or Talladega. Nerve and concentration, yes – but skill, no. The driver simply mashes the accelerator to the floor and gets in line. There’s no slowing for corners, and if you dare get off the pit sequence, you’re screwed. That’s not racing. That’s driving insanely fast in close groups.

The results of driving insanely fast in close groups are occasional tragic wrecks and occasionally, people with little merit driving into victory lane. You don’t have to be a particularly good driver in a particularly good car to win a drive. You just need to stay in front of people who make mistakes and in position to work with your buddies to get to the front.

Meanwhile, the best drivers in the best cars sometimes find themselves shuffled to the back of the pack, where people like Jimmy Spencer are swerving around. A driver can do absolutely nothing wrong and get completely taken out of the race. Unlike the smaller tracks, it’s rare that you wreck at a restrictor-plate race and get back into competition. Thus, you can be the best driver in the best car, and watch someone who hasn’t won a race in 15 years cruise into victory lane.

The trouble with restrictor-plate tracks is that there is no safe way to race around them. If you pull off the plates, the cars go too fast to be safe for either drivers or spectators. If you mess with the aerodynamics to slow them down, you’ll have 43 cars spread all around 2.5 or 2.66 miles, and passes on the track will be very infrequent. Still, it would be racing, because the best drivers with the best cars will come to the front.

Can anyone name another Winston Cup track criticized by fans and drivers alike to be dangerous and prone to boring races? You know what I’m talking about. For quite some time people have been saying that New Hampshire should be redesigned or lose a race date. While I agree with this, I notice that these pleas aren’t often applied to Daytona or Talladega. Anyone have a theory why?

One of the main reasons fans don’t complain is because restrictor-plate drives are spectacular. Many long-time and dedicated fans hate them, but ask a new fan which tracks he or she likes, and you’ll probably hear Daytona and Talladega mentioned with Bristol. Those fans and others who simply like the atmosphere of these tracks (who hasn’t heard a Talladega infield story?) buy tickets, so the grandstands will always be full. Plus, restrictor-plate drives make for intriguing television, because most of us can’t peel our eyes off of the television.

Another reason that few talk about redesigning these tracks is their ownership. Because these tracks are owned by the France family themselves, most in the NASCAR family treat them with a gentle touch, and because track criticism typically starts at the driver level, criticism of these tracks is effectively muted.

Thus, don’t look for restrictor-plate driving to disappear any time soon. Just as the drivers stare straight ahead and hope no one dies, so too will race fans four times per season.

Grandstand Bob Profile and Past Columns

note: This opinions expressed in this column are those of writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of ARS Racing Outlet or its parent company, amI, Inc.