Racing News Digest

I have to disagree with NASCAR on this one. I don’t think slowing the cars down is the answer.

NASCAR has made some great changes this year all due to listening to the fans. Double file restarts and “set” time schedule for the 2010 season although the later of the 2 was not a big deal to me, buy NASCAR listened to the fans.

But shrinking the restrictor plates just is not the answer on this one I don’t believe. Some fans were hurt when Carl Edwards had his nasty crash at Talladega. They got hurt from debris making it through the catch fence.

Quick not about the catch fences, Talladega and Daytona both have raised their fences at least 8 feet, which I don’t think the height of the catch fence was a problem when Carl Edwards slammed into it at Talladega because the debris went through the fence. I honestly believe that just has to be a possibly consequence for having up close seating. It is a danger you acknowledge and accept when you get those seats. The catch fence did it’s job and kept Carl Edwards car out of the stands.

The biggest problem was that Carl Edwards car got airborne.

“I’m glad somebody did something, (reference to catch fence)” Ryan Newman said. “Ultimately that’s not the answer. Ultimately we need to keep the race cars on the ground and I don’t think anything has been done with respect to that.

“I don’t think that the parts and pieces that flew through the fence and hurt the people, no matter what the height of the fence are, you’re still going to have that … So I don’t think that the solution is fixed. I’m glad that somebody made an effort.”

Newman’s car was pretty demolished in the Edwards crash as Edwards came back down on Newman’s hood basically and then kind of got relaunched into the catch fence.

The speed is not the problem. As safe as the COT’s are, and they have proven to be very safe, more needs to be worked on to keep them on the ground and not have the ability to get airborne.

I understand that is impossible to do. You can not have flaps in place for every scenario. There is no way you are going to 100% prevent cars from getting airborne unless you slow all the race speeds down to 55 MPH.

NASCAR says that this new restrictor plate will slow the cars down a very little and of course affect the amount of horse power. Estimates are about 12 HP when shaving down the restrictor plate down 1/64 of an inch.

I have no idea what 12 HP equals out to in mile’s per hour, but no matter how slow you go (unless it is ridiculously slow) you can not prevent all these things. The drivers, fans and NASCAR know this.

Plus, I am thinking that maybe an even more dangerous situation is being bred with this. Couldn’t this result in the cars all staying bunched up together even more. Which if that is the case, then we are talking about more accidents. And if we are talking about more accidents at Talladega or Daytona then we are talking about the possibility for a car to get airborne.

So for me slowing the cars down doesn’t work. I agree with Newman that something needs to be worked on somewhat to keep the cars on the track. Because think about it, the cars are now going to be going a little slower. Do you really think that will keep them from getting airborne? I think not.