New rules fail to keep cars grounded

TALLADEGA — Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway just wasn't NASCAR's day.

NASCAR mandated the use of smaller restrictor-plate holes to slow the cars in the AMP Energy 500 to keep them on the ground in wrecks. It didn't work: The Chevrolets of Ryan Newman and Mark Martin landed on their roofs.

NASCAR warned drivers in the pre-race meeting that it wouldn't tolerate bump-, push- or tandem-drafting in the corners during the Sprint Cup Series race, creating what many drivers said was a boring race.

NASCAR implemented the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2004 to make sure the battle for the season championship annually went down to the final race. At Talladega, Jimmie Johnson virtually assured that it won't.

After spending almost 10 minutes in a flattened wreck, Newman was barely out of Talladega's care center before he laid into NASCAR.

"There is way more technology than that to help us out, whether it is a speed issue, a roof-flap issue, whatever," Newman said of his flight. "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 a ridiculous situation. It is a shame that not more is getting done."

Newman had been part of Carl Edwards' wreck in the April Talladega race. After Edwards' Ford had flown into the catch fence on the last lap, Newman had called on NASCAR to make sure it didn't happen again.

NASCAR responded with the smaller plate and the drafting rules, which quickly drew the blame for three periods of single-file "racing" during the AMP Energy 500.

"It was a boring race for the fans," Newman said. "That's not something anybody wants to see. At least, I hope not. If they do, go home because you don't belong here.

"The more rules, the more NASCAR is telling us how to drive the racecars, the less we can race and the less we can put on a show for the fans."

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