How Much More ?

By M.L. Morgan

(October 11, 1998) - We just saw another really ugly restrictor plate race. How much more of this carnage will we have to endure ?

Talladega is considered a superspeedway, for some reason, as well as Daytona, along with all the other non-roadcourse tracks longer than one mile. I find nothing "super" about these needless wrecks which occur on these restrictor plate tracks.

At the Winston 500 (Oct. 11) I didn't see any bonehead moves, just the normal racing incidents which DON'T result in 11-car wrecks anywhere but at these restrictor plate tracks. After today's race Mark Martin said this isn't racing. I couldn't agree more.

By some chance King William II owns Talladega and Daytona, both of the restrictor plate tracks. Last I heard, he also controls NASCAR. I guess that's just coincidence.

I am by no means a champion of the down-trodden such as Bruton Smith. While the shortcomings of his Texas Motor Speedway are not only abominable but legendary, I'll wonder out loud how long Bruton would keep his racing dates if his tracks were as consistently as dangerous as Talladega and Daytona. In 1997 Smith was lobbying for a second Cup date for his new facility but after the innaugural debacle at TMS he had trouble getting support from anyone. After the great flood of 1998 at both TMS and Charlotte, his credibility was a little tenuous. Rightfully so. TMS is a beautiful facility and as soon as the race cars start running in the luxury suites, that will be important to me. Unless and until the race track is fit for Winston Cup cars I'll recommend it as a venue for rock concerts - but not for racing. But why are there different rules for the restrictor plate tracks? That's a rhetorical question.

That NASCAR polices and sets the rules for the tracks NASCAR owns is no revelation to any thinking fan. I'll wonder out loud again - how much more carnage are the fans willing to accept, not to mention how much longer are the race teams willing to condone these atrocities ?

Nothing I can say here will affect NASCAR very much - I've already learned if they cared about anything I say they would have sued me a long time ago.

I can't do any more than I'm doing but you can.

Have comments or questions ? E:mail:M.L. Morgan

Home | Past Editorials | Racing Links | M.L's NASCAR flags | Ask Uncle Mike