Rogue Report Dega Rules
| Dega Rules |
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| Written by Rogue Reporter Andy | |
| Thursday, 25 September 2003 | |
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Originally Posted on Race2Win and JNFL September 25,2003 - Talladega has got to be one of the most exciting places for a racer to drive. It is one of my personal favorites. The speed and competition are the reason fans come to this track and it is arguably the biggest, fastest, most competitive racetrack in the world. I am a bit worried though. It seems every time NASCAR changes the aero package for superspeedways someone either gets really hurt or worse.
I don’t want to jinx this race before it even gets started but I believe my concern is well warranted. I fear that NASCAR is changing things without the proper testing. Yes, I know what you are all thinking. NASCAR changes things all the time and they do nothing but brag about all the testing that goes into a decision before they make it. In this case, I don’t think they really looked at it close enough. The last time they made a big change to the way these cars handle aero wise was back at the Daytona 500 in 2001 and I know you all remember what happened there. That is not to say Dale Earnhardt died because of the change, but it may have played into the way his car reacted in the situation he ended up in. I believe that is why NASCAR changed it back to almost what they had before that time in 2002. Holes are being punched in the air both back and front, you are driving at about 200 mph and you have cars on the outside and inside. You fly off into the turn and now someone is taking air off the rear of your car while gaining momentum in the turn. One bounce and it is all over. Some would say, that is just racing and I can accept that, but the problem lies within the system. You need to give the teams more time to prepare and the drivers need time to see how the car reacts to given situations. After all, they are the ones who know best. They can put the car through its paces and see if the change is good or bad. I don’t understand why NASCAR doesn’t use the people who know best. What ever happened to the days when NASCAR depended on the drivers input for critical and crucial information in their decision making process? When did they become smarter than the people who actually build and race these cars? I know and believe that NASCAR is doing this in the spirit of competition for the drivers as well as the excitement it provides for the fans. I also know they have a tough job and I applaud them for all of their efforts. The problem is this change is one that has happened to quick. It is almost like they are throwing something out there to make the drivers happy and they are hoping these changes will somehow make the difference they are all looking for. They don’t really know for sure but what the hell, lets try it. I wonder if these changes would have been made if Dale Jr. didn’t win four in a row. Safety for the drivers is NASCAR’s biggest concern and they have no problem telling you that. We have to have trust in those who make the decisions in NASCAR and I do for the most part. I am having problems with this one only because of the lack of time and testing as I said before, and especially because it is happening so late in the season. The teams were not afforded the proper time to test their cars under this new rule change and it is my opinion that bad things will happen because of it. I hope I am wrong but the equation I presented above is one that equals disaster. I wish all the teams and drivers good luck this weekend and I hope that NASCAR proves me to be an idiot and not a psychic. I would rather be wrong then right in this case. Have a safe one fellas.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 March 2008 ) |
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