As I was thinking back on the world of NASCAR in the 00’s, the sport has witnessed the most change in this ten-year span than any other decade. The series’ name change (Winston/Nextel/Sprint), the advent of the Chase in 2004, the drivers themselves, and the historic crowning of a fourth consecutive title for Jimmie Johnson.

Looking back at the drivers who were on top at the beginning, in 2000, only six drivers racing that year are still active and competitive today: Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (and even Jr. hasn’t been good this year). All the other drivers are either retired, dead, or just not competitive at all in this day and age (Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek).

What really got me thinking about all this was a video I watched on YouTube (below). The death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 was what really set the wheels of change into motion, in my opinion. Some were for the better, like safety features. The Head And Neck Restraint System (HANS), which protects a driver in a crash, SAFER barriers, and the COT are all examples. Other changes haven’t been so successful, like drivers bland personalities (if a swear word were to slip, NASCAR would issue penalties), the Chase (which is arguably allowing the wrong driver(s) to win), and the racing we see on restrictor plate tracks, especially Talladega.

The racing at Talladega has gotten out of hand…I will finally admit that. Todays race at ‘Dega had a very ho-hum look about it for the first three-quarters. Then, business started to pick up, and things got wild.

Before the race, NASCAR officials, including NASCAR president Mike Helton, warned drivers that they would not allow excessive bump drafting in the turns, and if that occurred, penalties would ensue. Drivers obeyed that to a fault, as much of the race was run single file, like one big congo line. But with the laps winding down, it was go-time.

It all started with five laps to go, when Ryan Newman got tapped from behind by Marcos Ambrose, spun into Kevin Harvick, then took to the air, flying end-over-end until he landed on top of Harvick, slid up the track in turn three, and pirouetted once more before coming to rest upside down on his roof. The horrifying wreck also took out his teammated Tony Stewart. Safety workers carefully turned his car right-side up, then cut the roof off so Newman could get out. He then criticized NASCAR for the rules and type of racing seen today, saying the intended rule backfired on them.

Because of the no-bump drafting rule, drivers would back off the bumper of another car going into the turn, and because of that the rest of the field would get stacked up and almost cause a crash. We saw last spring that two cars that hook up together can just drive off and leave everybody fighting for third.

Mark Martin barrel-rolled in the 13-car wreck with one lap to go. (Photo: Dave Martin/AP)

Setting up to be a green-white-checkered finish (two-lap shootout), many cars pitted for fuel, and some ran out completely on the track. When the race went green again, all leader Jamie McMurray had to do was run one lap before a 13-car wreck played havoc behind him. McMurray took the checkered flag under caution and collected his first win in the last 85 starts, dating back to July 2007 at Daytona. Kasey Kahne finished second, with rookie Joey Logano third. Only three Chase drivers finished in the top-ten.

Spring Talladega winner Brad Keselowski started the violent wreck when he turned Kurt Busch in front of the field coming off turn four, headed for the white flag. Every one else piled in, including second-in-points Mark Martin, whos car flipped and barrel-rolled on the frontstretch, and eventually landed back on his wheels. Two cars going upside down in one day is pretty rare, although recent racing at Talladega would suggest that.

What I can’t comprehend is just how lucky Jimmie Johnson is. All day long, points leader Johnson cruised around in the back of the pack, around 30th place, while Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin (second and third in points) raced for the lead and were consistently in the top-10. After Newmans wreck, Jimmie was still back there in 25th or so. But the last big wreck collected both Gordon and Martin, relegating them to 20th and 28th, respectively. While that happened, Johnson took advantage of cars running out of fuel and the wreck to jump up and grab a sixth-place finish, which has him sitting pretty and looking to clinch the title with one race to go, at Phoenix in two weeks.

It’s frustrating, especially as a Jeff Gordon fan, just how lucky Jimmie is, while Jeff keeps losing ground each week. Johnson really didn’t earn his finish. With three races to go, Jimmie is a lock to win a record fourth-consecutive championship. It’s especially frustrating seeing the top-five in points all taken out by a wreck, with the exception of Jimmie Johnson! Everyone once again lost ground to him today.

NASCAR has got to change something with restrictor-plate races, seeing as their rules today really backfired on them. Although the finish was exciting, it was exciting for all the wrong reasons. The Chase, intended to spice up the title race, has made the points racing worse. If the Chase didn’t exist, and NASCAR still used a season-long points race to determine the title, Jimmie would be a mere seven points ahead of Tony Stewart right now, with Jeff Gordon 79 back. Instead, Jimmie is on cruise control to wrap it up at Phoenix. Instead, Mark trails Johnson by 184, and Jeff is 192 in arrears, both which will take more than one race to catch Jimmie.

Qualifying this morning has been rained out at Talladega Superspeedway, so the lineup is set by owner points. Jimmie Johnson will start on the provisional pole tomorrow because he is the points leader. The top-35 drivers in points will start in the position they sit in the points, giving Jimmie and Mark Martin the front row.

- Jeff Gordon will start third in the race, being he is third in points.

If there is one race on the NASCAR schedule that drivers and teams circle on the calendar, it’s this week. Talladega. The

As a result of restrictor plates, the cars run in huge packs. (Photo: AutoStock)

wild card of the Chase. To NASCAR fans, the name suggests a monstrous track that breaks drivers hopes and aspirations. At 2.66 miles in length, Talladega is the biggest track on the schedule, and with 33 degrees of banking in the turns, it’s also one of the fastest. Because of the speeds that would incur if the cars were simply let loose, NASCAR implements restrictor plates on the carburators (since 1988) that reduce the speeds and danger. They are still lapping the track at average speeds above 190 mph. Because of the restrictor plates, the cars aren’t able to simply accelerate away from each other, and therefore travel around the track in a pack. This type of racing is prone to massive, multi-car wrecks. This phenomena is so common, in fact, that the big wreck that’s bound to happen is known as “the Big One,” and THAT’S  the key to surviving Talladega. Stay out of the “Big One.”

This year, the fall Talladega race falls as the seventh race of the Chase, in contrast to previous years, where it has commonly been held as the third or fourth race of the Chase. This makes the race a desperate attempt for some teams to rebound and try to grab the title from runaway points leader Jimmie Johnson. If Johnson is to win a record fourth-consecutive championship, he needs to have a decent run here and stay clear of the Big One. If Jimmie can do that, then he is a shoo-in for the title. This race is the last chance for guys like Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon to make up any ground on Jimmie.

Carl Edwards goes airborne after getting turned by Brad Keselowski on the final lap of the Aaron's 499 earlier this year. (AP Photo/Glenn Smith)

So who’s going home with the win? The answer to that is anbody. Really, any driver could win at Talladega. Many drivers throughout ‘Dega history, in fact, have only one career win; at this track. This past spring, Brad Keselowski ended up the surprise winner after nearly sending Carl Edwards into the grandstands on the last lap (video below). When it came time, Brad pulled out to pass Carl, but unintentionally hit him, sending him flying through the air, ricocheting off the fence and landing on all four wheels. Brad led one lap in that race, which so far is also the only lap he’s led in his short career!

Ron Bouchard, a rookie in 1981, won his only career race at Talladega after sneaking by Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte on the final lap. Richard Brickhouse won his only race here in the inaugural event in 1969. At the same time, Talladega can be frustrating. Tony Stewart, a two-time champion, finished runner-up here six times before finally breaking through with a win last October.

With such an even spread, it’s hard to pick a winner. The guys that may not necessarily win, but will likely run strong in the race are drivers like Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. Juan Montoya has had some strong runs here, and if guys like Kyle Busch can stay out of trouble, he should be a serious factor to win.

Well, stay tuned, viewers…The Amp Energy 500 should be an exciting race. I’ve been waiting for this race all month! It’s Sunday at 9:00 am on ABC.

- Jeff Gordon started 14th last spring here, but crashed in the Big One and was never able to show his strength, finishing 37th.

• Joey’s pick to win: I’m going with a non-Chaser for the first time. I think Dale Jr. will finally snap that winless streak and pull off a win at a track where he already has five wins, and his late father, Dale Sr. had ten wins. Earnhardt and Talladega just go together.

With the NASCAR series racing in Talladega over the next 3 days it isn’t hard to see why many drivers don’t like restrictor plate races there and at Daytona.  Check out these videos.  None of these drivers were hurt that badly and continued their racing careers.  

Rusty Wallace in 1993.

Ricky Craven in 1996.

Elliott Sadler in 2003.

Kyle Busch in 2007.

Let’s start with my usual disclaimer about all things Nascar — I’m not an expert.  I’m actually quite the newbie, and just blog aboput stuff as I start to figure things out.  One thing I know, though, is that I really enjoy restrictor plate racing.  It was after the Talladega restrictor plate race earlier that I acknowledged that I’m a Nascar fan.

A restrictor plate is a device used to limit the engine’s airflow.  It reduces power, and therefore speed.  It also flattens out the difference between cars.  As best as I can tell, most fans of restrictor plate racing like it because it has a lt of massive crashes.  This happens because when all the cars can run at about the same speed, there is less passing, and they tend to bunch up in a giant string, sometimes 2 across.  They run so tight together that a small incident can cause a huge pileup.

What I like, however, is another side-effect of the restrictor plates.  They increase the benefit that two cars get from drafting one another, when they really tighten up the space between them to mere inches or less.  Two cars will get into such a position, and suddenly benefit from a speed boost that provides a temporary advantage that lasts for as long as they can maintain their relative position.  The speed differential seems to far exceed the differential that can be obtained in any other races.  This leads to a lot of impromptu teamwork throughtout the race between ever-changing pairs of drivers who might have little in common except fortuitous circumstances.  At the end, drivers are less willing to be the second car in such a pairing — you are esentially agreeing to make a strong run to finish second.

I looked for YouTube clips that demonstrate the drafting effect of restrictor plate racing, but it seems all the restrictor plate compilations focus on the crashes.  I settled for footage of the finish of last night’s Coke One 400 at Daytona, won by our family’s favorite, Kylel Busch, who also won the Talledaga race I mentioned above.