DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 17, 2010) – The 26th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will once again feature a 10-lap shootout as its final segment and will add a new wrinkle that should make the competition even more exciting for the fans.

The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, set for Saturday, May 22 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (SPEED, 7 p.m.), will consist of four segments, concluding with a 10-lap sprint and a $1 million pay-out to the race winner. There’s an added twist this year before the green flag drops for the final segment: once the field takes a lap behind the pace car, all cars must enter pit road for a four-tire stop. The order in which the cars exit off pit road is how they will line up for the final 10 laps, placing an even greater premium on the efficiency of the pit crews.

The 2010 format is as follows:
· Segment 1: 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on Lap 25 at which time teams must pit and take on four tires. Following the end of Segment 1, the caution flag will be displayed for an optional pit stop.
· Segment 2: 20 laps with the caution flag displayed at the end of Segment 2 for an optional pit stop.
· Segment 3: 20 laps with a 10-minute break at the end of Segment 3. Teams may make normal adjustments to their cars during this break. The finishing order after the third segment determines the field’s lineup for the pace lap prior to the start of the fourth segment.
· Segment 4: Once the field takes a lap behind the pace car, all cars must enter pit road for a four-tire stop. The order in which the cars exit pit road is how they will line up for the 10-lap shootout with only green-flag laps counting.

“We saw last year just how competitive this format can be, with Tony Stewart battling Matt Kenseth for the win on the final couple of laps,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “With the addition of the four-tire pit stop, there is going to be even greater competition between the pit crews on who can get their driver serviced and out the quickest. I think the fans are in for quite a show.”

Mark Martin, a two-time NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner, is looking forward to competing in his 21st all-star event this year, which is the most of any driver.
“I love the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race as much as the fans do,” said Martin.

The eligibility standards for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race remain the same: race winners from either the 2009 or 2010 season through May 16 or any past champions of the all-star event or NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (over the previous 10 years) are eligible for the race. In addition, the top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap preliminary race scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote, all advance into the all-star race lineup. Joey Logano won the Sprint Fan Vote last year.

Individual tickets for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and CREED pre-race concert start at just $39, and four-pack prices with four tickets, four hot dogs and four soft drinks start at just $35 per person. Tickets can be obtained by calling the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at (800) 455-FANS or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com

The sixth annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman returns to kick off the all-star week’s competition, Wednesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the Time Warner Cable Arena. The event’s finishing order determines pit selection for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team is the defending Pit Crew Challenge champion. Tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman start at $15 and can be purchased online at www.pitcrewchallenge.com or by calling the Charlotte Bobcats ticket office at (800) 495-2295.

Drivers currently eligible for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (as of March 17): Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers.

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PHOTO CREDIT: NASCAR MEDIA

Car # Driver’s Name Make Best Tm Best Spd
11 Denny Hamlin Tyt 47.366 202.170
20 Joey Logano Tyt 47.438 201.863
83 Brian Vickers Tyt 47.841 200.163
00 David Reutimann Tyt 47.909 199.879
18 David Gilliland Tyt 47.914 199.858
48 Jimmie Johnson Chv 47.928 199.800
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Chv 47.930 199.791
56 Martin Truex Jr Tyt 47.939 199.754
78 Regan Smith Chv 47.962 199.658
98 Paul Menard Frd 47.969 199.629
39 Ryan Newman Chv 48.057 199.263
14 Tony Stewart Chv 48.107 199.056
77 Sam Hornish Jr Dge 48.116 199.019
24 Jeff Gordon Chv 48.264 198.409
29 Kevin Harvick Chv 48.276 198.359
6 David Ragan Frd 48.279 198.347
5 Mark Martin Chv 48.319 198.183
2 Kurt Busch Dge 48.374 197.958
17 Matt Kenseth Frd 48.384 197.917
82 Scott Speed Tyt 48.461 197.602
31 Jeff Burton Chv 48.825 196.129
12 Brad Keselowski Dge 49.121 194.947
09 Aric Almirola Chv 50.969 187.879
37 Kevin Conway # Frd 50.992 187.794
66 Dave Blaney Tyt 51.726 185.129

JEFF GORDON: We stayed at home, which was really nice for a change. Normally we’re always going somewhere. We had some exciting news during the off week that we announced on JeffGordon.com that we’re going to have a boy. So that was certainly great news to find out over our off week.
Other than that, it was nice and relaxing, opportunity to get some things around the house.
Q.: Congratulations on that. Let’s look at this morning’s test here at Talladega. Obviously we’re here going to the spoiler. Just talk about how it felt in the single-car runs, and I know you were part of a mini draft towards the end.
JEFF GORDON: Yeah, you know, we made some single-car runs. Didn’t do a whole lot of like qualifying runs or anything like that. Felt like we learned some things, enough to where we could go ahead and start getting in the draft.
There was about five of us out there. It was definitely productive. Nothing eye-opening. Felt like it went well. The cars have a little bit more turbulent air when you’re behind other cars. Makes the car rattle and shake a little bit more, which I heard was similar to what the Nationwide cars have.
So no big surprise there. A little bit of visual, not necessarily behind you, but when you’re behind a car, because the corners of the spoiler are real tall. Just seeing across those corners to the side of somebody, trying to look further ahead.
But, you know, other than that, I thought everything went really well.

Q. Jeff, you touched on the visibility. Michael Waltrip said if they made it out of acrylic, it would help the racing. Talk about if it would help you visibility-wise if it will make the racing better?
JEFF GORDON: We certainly hope so. I think the races are pretty darn good here to begin with. It’s hard to make them a whole lot better. We’ve seen the evolution of aerodynamics and the draft with two cars being able to connect together with the wing here the last few races and get a little bit of a breakaway.
You know, I think that’s what’s gonna be unique and probably the biggest challenge is trying to figure out if we can do that with this car. With only a five-car pack out there, there wasn’t a lot of that that materialized. When more cars get in the pack this afternoon, we’ll find out more.
I think the car looks really cool. You know, I think that there’s some benefits that are going to come along with it, not only here, but at a lot of the other tracks that we go to.
But, I mean, it’s hard to have a bad race at Talladega, in my opinion. You know, I think that you’re still gonna have guys have strategies of wanting to be at the front versus maybe wanting to hang in the back. You know, you’re still gonna see some big pile-ups, bump-drafting, you’re going to see a lot of passing for the lead, which to me is what we’ve had here at Talladega for the last several years.
The last race or maybe sometime last year, they were criticizing the single-file race during the middle. But that’s just because it’s 500 miles and you got to make it to the end. Then all the action’s gonna happen. That’s just sort of a product that it’s so easy to pass.
Until we get more cars out there, we’ll find out if it’s maybe a little bit harder to pass.

Q. Did you spend more time during the week thinking about this test or thinking about what colors to make the baby’s room?
JEFF GORDON: I could tell you, I didn’t spend a lot of time this last week thinking about the test (laughter). Part of my duties this past week was, you know, cleaning out the storage room and getting out some of the things that we had for Ella that we could still use for a baby boy.
So, no, most of my time was spent waking up at 6:30 in the morning with Ella, spending the days with her and Ingrid, having a great, fun family week till I got on the plane this morning to come here, and that’s when I started thinking about Talladega. Luckily I had a team that was thinking about it before then.

Q. Jeff, just kind of thinking back about when you first started coming in and you had that rivalry with Earnhardt. Obviously you received some not-so-friendly welcomes. Did you ever sort of wonder to yourself, Why the heck are these people booing me and did it ever bother you?
JEFF GORDON: You know, certainly early on you come into the series and all you want to do is be successful, win races and compete at this level against such incredible teams and drives. So we started doing that. Definitely that’s when the boos started. At first they were cheers. The 600 and the Brickyard 400 in ‘94, that year we only won two races, and I don’t remember where we finished in the points. Nowhere near the championship battle. Seemed like it was all good stuff.
Then in ‘95, we came out, we were just strong right from the beginning and started being very competitive, winning races, and a threat for the championship. That’s when I really started to see, you know, the split between my fans and Earnhardt fans. And he had a lot of fans (laughter). There were quite a few boos. Some tracks it was more than others. Here at Talladega especially.
But, you know, early on, I was like, Hey, what’s that all about? But then I realized pretty quick. Earnhardt was probably one of the first ones to say, I learned a long time ago, as long as they’re making noise…
I think it was in ‘92, ‘93, ‘94, hearing him get booed, I was like, What is that all about? That was more of, in my opinion, a sign that you’re doing something right. If you’re out there winning the race and they’re booing, you’re doing more good than you are bad.
I didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it. It wasn’t long, maybe a couple years later, where I realized it was definitely a good thing.

Q. Moving on to Bristol. It seems as if a majority of the drivers have really liked the Bristol configurations that we’ve had the past couple of years. But a majority of the fans, at least those who have email, don’t. Is there kind of a happy medium that can be reached at that track?
JEFF GORDON: Possibly. With the SAFER barriers making the track narrower, it might make it a little bit harder to get side-by-side and make passes. That might give the fans what they want. You’re going to have to use your bumper a lot more to make those passes happen, which causes more cautions and excitement and sparks and tempers, all those things. It’s obvious the fans, the majority of ones that have email, what they want.
You know, I think as drivers, we like a track that’s not a one-groove racetrack. That’s what they did at Bristol, they created a multi-groove racetrack where we could get side-by-side, get our nose, get completely underneath or to the outside of a car and race ‘em clean for the pass, but still be able to make those passes.
You know, I still think it’s great racing at Bristol. I think it’s some of the best we’ve ever seen. But that’s not always what the fans, you know, want. So I think this should be a happy medium with narrowing up the racetrack, but we’ll see.

Q. Jeff, just a word from you on the Canadian Motor Speedway development in Ontario. I know you designed the oval. You’re very excited about that. You’re aware that Canadian fans are excited about this project and want to get this thing built.
JEFF GORDON: Yes, and so do we. It’s a long process. There’s a lot that goes into it. That’s certainly one of the things that I’ve learned through this project. We’re all excited about it. We know the Canadian fans are excited. I think it can be really good for the local economy around there, as well.
So I think there’s nothing but positive from our end and from what we’re hearing and seeing. But there’s still always those hurdles. I’m focused on the design part of it when I have time to dabble in it, which is over the off-season and off weeks, not this past one. But in the past I’ve spent a lot of time just trying to create my own ideas to go into it.
I’m certainly excited for us to break ground and get it going. Hopefully that happens soon.

Q. Jeff, when NASCAR brought the bump-drafting back in, how do you think that affected the racing at Daytona and what do you anticipate at Talladega this time around?
JEFF GORDON: Well, you know, I never thought that the bump-drafting went away. I mean, it was always there. It was maybe not as aggressive. So I think that now you’re able to see us be more aggressive. You don’t see that as much at Daytona because handling is such an issue at Daytona that you can’t really push one another through the corners there.
So when we come here is when we’re really going to put that to the test, just how aggressive we can be bump-drafting. Then, you know, you throw the spoiler in there, the restrictor plate, that’s definitely going to I think certainly make things challenging and interesting from a driver standpoint of how we’re going to be able to work those things, what it’s going to take to win the race and stay out of trouble at the same time.
You know, I think that this is really truly where it’s going to be put to the test, not Daytona. So we didn’t see a whole lot of change and difference at Daytona, but we definitely will when we come here.
And even this afternoon, you know, we start getting out there in larger packs, we’ll just see how easy it is to bump-draft, how aggressive you can get with the bump-drafting. Obviously we’re not under the competitiveness of a race weekend, so we’ll try to still be somewhat in control.
But when we get here for the race, I’m pretty sure it’s going to get wild and crazy.

Q. Jeff, very seldom here do we see people with a dominant racecar. I think the last time you won here, you were running the Pepsi Star Wars car. You seemed to have a car that could do just about anything you wanted to do with it. What as a driver tells you you’ve got a really good car at Talladega?
JEFF GORDON: Well, these days with the new car, the new aerodynamic package, restrictor plate, if you see a dominant car out there it’s because the guys behind him are letting him lead. They’re like, Yeah, you go ahead, and I’m fine right here because I know when it comes down to the end of this race, all I need is one or two guys with momentum and we’re going to drive right by you.
It’s not the way it used to be. You know, dominant performances that I’ve seen here in the past with Earnhardt, myself, you know, it was just aerodynamics were completely different, so if you had good power under the hood and you got out front, you could use your mirrors and block the cars behind you and prevent them from getting the momentum it took.
It used to take four or five guys to all get together and work together to make a pass on the leader. And now it’s really not like that anymore. Now, you know, it takes two, maybe three to make that pass and that push happen.
So any dominance you see today, it’s only by choice of the other competitors. It’s interesting that you’ll see that. You know, you’ll see a guy get up front. I’ve seen Junior or Harvick, a couple of ‘em, they get up front there, they get the right guys behind them, run that high lane, everybody seems to be content at that point in the race. Away you go. You let one guy lead a bunch of the laps.
But it’s really just a matter of time, truly just laps and time, to get to the right point in the race where you start thinking, Okay, now I got to make my move. You’re gonna see the whole field spread out and start getting two- and three-wide and start passing, doing all the things to try to win the race.

Q. Jeff, I have a baby question. I was wondering if you were secretly rooting for a boy? Not to discredit Ella and any potential talent she has, but what are your thoughts now that you are having a boy on potentially raising a racer?
JEFF GORDON: Haven’t even thought about it. I think we’re going to approach it the same way we do with Ella. There’s no doubt we were rooting for a boy. I think for us, you know, the ultimate would be to have a boy and a girl. We want two. We want both. But the most important thing is just for a healthy baby. So we were gonna be totally content and fine and stop at two no matter what, even if it was a girl.
But as far as from whatever it is that is going to be their passion in life, I want to support them in whatever that may be. If it’s racing, that’s great. I’ll support either one of them. You know, but we’re just gonna try to present as many opportunities as we possibly can and see if there’s something that they’re really truly passionate about, interested in.
Kind of do it the same way I feel my parents did with me. You know, I don’t think they thought I was going to be a racecar driver when I was born. I think that they were just interested in trying to pursue opportunities with their children and find their passion. For me, I was fortunate that I got introduced to racing and loved it right away.

Q. Jeff, did you ever really get comfortable with winged cars? Are you glad to see them kind of on their way out?
JEFF GORDON: Yeah, I was never crazy about the way the wing was mounted on the back of the car. When I envision a wing being put on our car, I envisioned it a little bit more like a Trans-Am car, where it was raised up, more of a cool-looking concept, and also fit a function of aerodynamics, just made the cars a little bit more futuristic.
But, you know, the wing that we put on there was just a glorified spoiler. It sat down on the deck lid. It wasn’t very appealing. We weren’t really using it efficiently. So when I heard about going back to spoilers, I was totally fine with it. This car looks good with a spoiler on it. You know, from what I’m hearing, we’re going to get more downforce in the car.
The balance is really what we’re interested in, is how much the balance is going to change versus just overall grip. You know, if it plants the back of the car too much, we’re just out of tools to make the front of the car work in turn. But we’re kind of hoping that it actually helps the front of the car turn a little bit, too.
So I’m very anxious to get to Charlotte. This test is really what’s going to happen in the draft. You’re not going to find a lot about balance and those things, plus the spoiler is bigger on this car. When we get to Charlotte I think is when we’re going to find out what a spoiler really does in comparison to a wing.

Q. The switch back to the spoiler, with this current generation car, when it came in, your criticisms of its look are well-documented.
JEFF GORDON: Appreciate you pointing that out (laughter).

Q. Did you think at some point they were going to alter this design, go to a spoiler to make it look more like the cars used to, what you were used to driving?
JEFF GORDON: I mean, you never know. You know, when they were developing this car, there is a lot that went on. A lot of us weren’t sure if we ever were going to have this car. When the reality of it came that, yes, we were going to have this car, we really started getting serious about it. When we got serious about it, there were definitely some issues that could only be worked out through seasons of racing and getting out there and doing battle and really learning about it.
I feel like really over the last year, we’ve really gotten this car dialed in good. I think we’ve learned a lot about how to make it work well and race well. So, you know, this is a change. I’m hoping and thinking that it’s going to be a change for the better. But I’m very supportive of it, open to it.
After going through all the big changes with the car we have now, I realize that anything’s possible. I try not to, you know, have too many opinions before we go and test it and get into race conditions.
But, you know, the fans seem to be supportive of it, as well. That’s important. So I think if it’s good for the competitors, good for the fans, then I think it’s great for the entire sport. I’m very supportive of that. I look forward to getting it out there in race conditions.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 16, 2010) – Twenty-four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams assembled Tuesday at Talladega Superspeedway in an R&D test session that was used to confirm that the gear ratio was compatible with the restrictor plate size for next month’s running of the Aaron’s 499 (Sunday, April 25, 1 p.m. ET).
The cars ran with the spoiler on the rear of the cars, as NASCAR announced in January that it was going to transition from the wing to the traditional spoiler sometime during the first quarter of this season. Teams started the day with a 1 1/32-inch sized restrictor plate. For the majority of the morning session, the teams participated in single-car runs over the 2.66-mile superspeedway. However, five cars hooked up for some drafting shortly before the lunch break and the speeds picked up a bit, with Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) putting up the quickest time of 48.741 seconds or 196.467 miles per hour.

Teams began drafting in earnest after lunch. The plate size went down to 31/32” and the teams adjusted the size of their rear spoilers in order to find that happy medium between high speeds and handling.
“I think we are going to take some benefits from today’s test and be able to apply them down the road with this car and particular package,” said Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet). “I think the car looks really cool and I think you’re going to see some more great racing here at Talladega next month. You see it all here – you have pile ups, you have three-four wide racing, you have bump drafting and you have passes for the lead.”
Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, was pleased with how the adjustments went during the afternoon practice.
“We saw that the closure rates were a little too quick in the initial drafting session after lunch,” said Pemberton. “So, we had the teams make some adjustments, including going down on the plate size and trimming the spoiler back some. We believe we came away here today with a good starting point and are looking forward to coming back here next month with a great race.”

More than 1,500 fans participated in a Fan Q&A session during the lunch break. Sitting in the track’s newly renovated grandstands on the frontstretch, the fans heard from drivers Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) and Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet), along with NASCAR Managing Director of Competition John Darby. Some of the fans were seen waiting in line outside the gates as early as 6 a.m. Tuesday.

NASCAR also has a test planned next week – March 23-24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway – for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams to test the spoiler on a 1.5-mile race track.

Car # Driver Make Best Tm Best Spd

48 Jimmie Johnson Chv 48.741 196.467
24 Jeff Gordon Chv 48.780 196.310
83 Brian Vickers Tyt 48.905 195.808
82 Scott Speed Tyt 48.936 195.684
14 Tony Stewart Chv 48.958 195.596
2 Kurt Busch Dge 50.581 189.320
09 Aric Almirola Chv 50.751 188.686
20 Joey Logano Tyt 50.836 188.370
11 Denny Hamlin Tyt 50.838 188.363
98 Paul Menard Frd 50.847 188.330
18 David Gilliland Tyt 50.890 188.171
5 Mark Martin Chv 50.896 188.148
31 Jeff Burton Chv 50.942 187.978
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Chv 50.944 187.971
12 Brad Keselowski Dge 50.954 187.934
77 Sam Hornish Jr Dge 50.98 187.838
17 Matt Kenseth Frd 50.999 187.768
39 Ryan Newman Chv 51.023 187.680
78 Regan Smith Chv 51.053 187.570
00 David Reutimann Tyt 51.067 187.518
29 Kevin Harvick Chv 51.114 187.346
56 Martin Truex Jr Tyt 51.118 187.331
37 Kevin Conway # Frd 51.173 187.130
6 David Ragan Frd 51.283 186.729
09B Aric Almirola Chv 51.557 185.736
66 Dave Blaney Tyt 51.789 184.904

For fans of Penske Racing, the March 7 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was, in the words of Charles Dickens, the best of times, and the worst of times.

Kurt Busch was first across the start/finish line to win the race, mere moments after his teammate, Brad Keselowski, went airborne and hit the retaining wall after receiving a “nudge” from Carl Edwards. The tap came in retaliation for contact between the two drivers earlier in the race, which took Edwards out of contention.

Clips of the incident have been replayed so many times that it’s starting to resemble the annual A Christmas Story marathon on TNT, complete with schoolyard rivalries, pragmatic authority figures and a protagonist who reached his breaking point in a most dramatic, and nationally-televised, manner.

NASCAR has been riding the crest of a veritable tsunami of media attention since the race. Fingers are being pointed in so many different directions that we’re all basically spinning around in circles at this point trying to figure out where we are.

It hardly seems possible that anyone could be unaware of what happened, but just in case, here’s a brief recap.

At the Talladega race back in the spring of 2009, contact between the two drivers sent Edwards’ car sailing through the air into the catch fence. In Atlanta, the two cars touched again, sending Edwards to the garage and costing him over 150 laps.

When he finally got back in the race, Edwards returned the “favor” by deliberately — I’m not judging him, Carl openly admitted it — putting Keselowski into the wall. The result was a weird case of rewind/replay as Brad’s car then went sailing through the air and into the catch fence.

NASCAR put Edwards on probation for the next three races, the two drivers and their car owners, Jack Roush and Roger Penske, will be sitting down with NASCAR officials to discuss and settle the issue, and then I guess we will return to our regularly-scheduled racing.

Except it isn’t quite that simple. For starters, almost nobody you talk to seems satisfied with NASCAR’s decision. Comments run the gamut, from “Edwards should have been parked for at least one race” to “Keselowski had it coming.”

Next is NASCAR’s decision earlier this year to allow more contact between cars on the track, a policy a lot of people are referring to as “Have at it.” That’s all fine and good when you’re jostling shoulders at a concert venue in order to get a better view, but when you’re using a 3,400 pound stock car to move your neighbor a couple inches to the right, things can get dicey.

Also to be taken into consideration is the fact that these are two very different drivers. Edwards is experienced, monumentally talented and amiable by nature, while Keselowski, while also talented, is still a brash rookie trying to make a name for himself. So far, that has often meant deciding where he wants to be on the racetrack and refusing to give up even a fraction of an inch of space.

But when exactly did determination become a bad thing?

So we have controversy, excitement and a rivalry. I’m liking it.

What I do not like so much is the “stock car as a weapon” scenario.

Professional drivers are smart and they can do amazing things with those cars. To watch them strategize and maneuver around one another to improve their positions bit by bit, lap after lap, is one of the most fascinating things about racing. It’s so much fun to watch.

But although many people love them, crashes are not so entertaining. They’re terrifying. Yes, the safety features of a Sprint Cup car are amazing. Week after week we see wrecks — some mild, others more dramatic like the ones at Atlanta and Talladega — and watch the drivers simply climb out of the window and walk away.

I’m afraid we’re almost becoming conditioned to think that regardless of the severity of the accident, no one will ever get hurt. Even the drivers seem to feel that way. After the wreck at Atlanta, Keselowski said he wasn’t worried about himself, but about the fans.

Whether NASCAR’s handling of Carl Edwards was right or wrong is not for me to judge. I have my opinion, but there’s one thing I know for sure. A race without Edwards in it is a less interesting race for an awful lot of people.

That old line from the movie Days of Thunder — “Rubbin’, son, is racin’” has practically become the mantra of the sport. NASCAR’s decision to allow the drivers to mix it up during races was a good call. It did not cause this accident.

Race car drivers are fierce and passionate. They worry and laugh, and they get mad. It would be unnatural if they didn’t. They’re human.

But I hope I speak for most people when I say that when friction occurs, the boys might consider taking a page out of the old Yarborough/Allison book and settling things the old-fashioned way, by finding a nice quiet place in which to slap one another upside the head.

Now, THAT would be fun to watch.

The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.

Approximately 24 teams are expected to participate in the one-day session, which will target a number of mechanical options in advance of the Aaron’s 499 on Sunday, April 25 at Talladega.

NASCAR Sprint Cup officials will analyze the data gleaned – along with teams’ input – and later make several key decisions for the Aaron’s 499. Teams also will test spoilers, which will replace the current wings on the backs of cars.
No timetable has been set for the wing-to-spoiler move.
“It’s a confirmation test for restrictor plates and gearing, and an opportunity for teams to work on their handling packages as we transition to the spoiler,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition.

Rule changes, announced on Jan. 21, are the impetus behind the test. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams used larger carburetor restrictor-plate openings in the 2010 Daytona 500 and larger plate openings are expected for the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega.

At 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR mandated openings of 63/64-inch – the largest since the one-inch mandate in 1988, the first year the horsepower-reducing plates were used in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition at Daytona. Each plate contains four openings, which restrict air flow to the engine, thus slowing stock cars. Larger openings mean more air, and more horsepower.

The switch from wing to spoiler also was a rule change.
The wing replaced the traditional stock-car spoiler on NASCAR’s new car, now in its third fulltime season. Returning to the spoiler means on-track testing, and another series test – Tuesday, March 23 and Wednesday, March 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway – will be devoted solely to spoiler work.

Both the Charlotte and Talladega tests are exceptions to the current testing policy. For the second consecutive season, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams may not test at facilities that host national-series events. This year, teams may test at tracks that host regional touring series events, but not national series events.

Next Tuesday’s Talladega session begins at 9 a.m. CT and runs until 5 p.m. CT with a noon-1 p.m. lunch break.
Fans are welcome to attend, with free admission. The track’s Gadsden and Lincoln grandstands only will be open, with parking lots behind those grandstands opening at 8:30 a.m. Grandstand gates open at 8:45 a.m.

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Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
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