Nascar: Please get rid of those blasted restrictor plates!

[BigBlue75]

This last race at Talledega only accentuates the point that NASCAR needs to get rid of restrictor plates and let 'em RUN! In the pre-plate days, there were four or five cars that would pull away from the rest and run wide open. You never saw any multi-car accidents, at least not with the frequency there is now.

I wish the NASCAR bigwigs would get together and ditch the restrictor plates before someone gets killed. They can say what they want about leveling the playing field and making things more exciting for the fans, but it's simply not worth it.

[kybuc]

BigBlue75 wrote: This last race at Talledega only accentuates the point that NASCAR needs to get rid of restrictor plates and let 'em RUN! In the pre-plate days, there were four or five cars that would pull away from the rest and run wide open. You never saw any multi-car accidents, at least not with the frequency there is now.

I wish the NASCAR bigwigs would get together and ditch the restrictor plates before someone gets killed. They can say what they want about leveling the playing field and making things more exciting for the fans, but it's simply not worth it.


The crashes are the best part about Nascar. You notice how on ESPN they only show highlights of the wrecks and then the show the checkered flag finish.

[hoosierhateruklover]

I love resctrictor plate racing at Talladega. Without the 42 bunched up cars Talladega isn't Talladega.

[DenCat]

BB75, Ithinkplate racing is pretty boring, unless you are waiting for "the big one" to happen. I agree that someone is going to get killed one of these days. My only problem is they will have to do something else to keep speeds down. If not, speeds will get up to over 220 mph, and IMO that is dangerous. At speeds like that the margin of error for the drivers become virtually zero.Drop a right front tire at those speeds and it is going to hurtwhen you hit the wall. I also wonder how the cars would handle aerodynamically while going that fast.Would they be more inclined to go airbourne? I still remember Tony Stewart's wide ride at Daytona a few yearsback. I think if they had beengoing faster it could have been a lot worse. Of course you can argue, if they hadn't been running so close together, a by-product of plate racing, the accident may have never happened.

[BigBlue75]

DenCat wrote: BB75, Ithinkplate racing is pretty boring, unless you are waiting for "the big one" to happen. I agree that someone is going to get killed one of these days. My only problem is they will have to do something else to keep speeds down. If not, speeds will get up to over 220 mph, and IMO that is dangerous. At speeds like that the margin of error for the drivers become virtually zero.Drop a right front tire at those speeds and it is going to hurtwhen you hit the wall. I also wonder how the cars would handle aerodynamically while going that fast.Would they be more inclined to go airbourne? I still remember Tony Stewart's wide ride at Daytona a few yearsback. I think if they had beengoing faster it could have been a lot worse. Of course you can argue, if they hadn't been running so close together, a by-product of plate racing, the accident may have never happened.



Points well taken. I don't know what the solution is. I heard on a couple of the NASCAR shows that some new technology is coming out that will allow for 230 mph speeds even with restrictor plates. There is supposedly some testing being done on a couple of cars. If that comes out, I don't know how available the technology will be..meaning it might be just the more successful teams with deep pockets can get it.

I get a kick out of three-wide racing as much as anyone, I just would hate to see it come to someone losing their life over it. There are pros and cons to every idea on this one.

[cbc317]

DenCat wrote:
I agree that someone is going to get killed one of these days.

There have already been deaths, most recently Dale E Sr....As the races and equipment become more technical, the chance to happen again only increase...

As for the subject of the original post, I also wish NASCAR would get rid of the plates. While some may believe that wrecks are the "only reason to watch," as a fan, it was one of the reasons I was watching Football this past Sunday. Basically half of the Chase Contenders were taking out of the race by the mid-point! And many times, a Chaser was taken out by the mistake of another driver...

The drivers have no real control over the situation they are put into? The aredependant on the decisions and skill of the drivers that surround them. i am tired of watching drivers taken out of races because of another drivers stupidy or inpatience....it is definitely causing problems for the chase this year

[WildcatGirl]

While I somewhat see the arguement that it bunches up groups of drivers...I'm not 100% sold on that analysis either...I do believe that initially on re-starts it takes much longer for the leaders to pull away from the other cars...but it doesn't totally prevent it...when you go to Talladega, except for the first few laps of the race (and the first few laps of a re-start, there are cars passing by you all the time...which would indicate that the cars actually are pretty well spread out around the track...which IMO somewhat negates the argument that it leaves all the cars bunched together for the whole race.

I have to admit that I find plate races boring because (except for theincidentsthat cause the cautions) they pretty much become a game of follow the leader...with no one really having the ability to do alot of passing...unless they get some great drafting help and leave someone out to dry. So I can't say that I'm a fan of them...or that I would like to see them stay necessarily, but I still think that they have probably saved many more lives than anyone will ever know, simply by keeping the speeds down

Just think on this one a minute...if Elliott was able to qualify at 212 way back in 1988 then you tell me what with todays advances in technology those cars would be running now if they had not had the restrictor plates added to them? (Just think about the differences in production cars from 88 to now and all the advaces that have been made in them if you are having trouble imaginind it)

No one really knows what that number is...but I can tell you this...it's a scary number, think of the injuries as they vaguely described them of Earnhardt after his fatal crash, I know for me they produced CSI like images of the massive forces that were exerted on his body at the moment of impact...now imagine that he was doing say 50-75mph faster...when they take the restrictor plates off...true enough that there might be less accidents as a result of less crowded racetracks...BUT a large percentage of the wrecks that do happen could result in fatalities. How many fans out there have been touched by on-track deaths of prominent drivers like Earnhardt, Bonnett etc...I am one fan who lost alot of interest after Earnhardt died...not that I don't still watch from time to time...but it's not like I sit down and watch a race flag to flag anymore...and I know many other fans like myself...it's like your interest was left out there on that last lap...if you think that makes me any less of a NASCAR fan then somone who's favorite driver is out there racing so they are watching...then I would say, how much more interest do you watch the NCAA finals or would you watch a bowl game when UK is in it than when it's two teams you don't care about? Does that make you not a basketball or football fan? no, just a fan who will probably watch...but isn't going to change plans or take off work to do so...and I think it's simalar with a lot of NASCAR fans...they root for this driver or that driver...and that leaves the fans of drivers who are killed sort of disassociated, unless they pick a new favorite...now consider how quickly that number of disassociate fans would grow if those deaths became more the rule than the exception when your favorite driver slams the wall at such high speeds. Just some food for thought that I'm sure NASCAR is chewing on.

[yitbos]

Plates make the superspeedway races what they are these days. That being said, the one thing I see as being a problem in getting NASCAR to take those plates off are the speeds that these cars would be going if there were no plates on there.

[DenCat]

cbc317 wrote: DenCat wrote:
I agree that someone is going to get killed one of these days.

There have already been deaths, most recently Dale E Sr....As the races and equipment become more technical, the chance to happen again only increase...

The drivers have no real control over the situation they are put into? The aredependant on the decisions and skill of the drivers that surround them. i am tired of watching drivers taken out of races because of another drivers stupidy or inpatience....it is definitely causing problems for the chase this year

The death of Dale Sr, even though it happened at a plate track, was not the result of conditions created by restricter plates. At least IMO.

I agree with you that the skill or lack of skill is an issue that many drivers have to deal with. There are some drivers who have no business being on the track. I also think some of the younger drivers, even though they are talented drivers, do not have theexperience to be racing at this level.Some of these guys would not have even sniffed Cup racing as little as 10 years ago.

[NotFrank]

Take the damn plates off and change the banking and angles of the tracks. Speeds stay about the same and puts the handling/driver/team element back into it

[wildcatfaninnc]

NotFrank wrote: Take the damn plates off and change the banking and angles of the tracks. Speeds stay about the same and puts the handling/driver/team element back into it

I was at Dega last Sunday and I heard alot of rumbling from fans about it being boring. NotFrank has it right....take the plates off, change banking so the drivers have to let off the gas going into the corner and it will slow them down. Just as they are getting back up to speed they are back letting off the gas. I dont want it to be a cookie cutter track like boring Kansas, Chicago, etc., but I think this would bring a new element to the racing at Dega.

[surveyor]

I would argue that if you remove the restricter plates you could keep the banking the way it is. Drivers will be going faster than before in the straights and will have to slow down anyway for the banks - at least at the non super speedways.

[NotFrank]

surveyor wrote: I would argue that if you remove the restricter plates you could keep the banking the way it is. Drivers will be going faster than before in the straights and will have to slow down anyway for the banks - at least at the non super speedways.



Do you really want guys going 225-230 down the straight-aways and blowing a right front tire? That could get ugly. The banking changes would force them to get off the throttle a little sooner. I see what you are saying though.

[ukfanman]

A very good example is Lond Pond in Pennsylvania. The banking in the 3 trurns are 8, 10 and 12 degrees. (Correct me if I am wrong) Yet the track has the longest straightaway in Nascar, but because of the banking, no plates needed.

We all know that ISC is not going to spend the money to change the banking, so it is something we are going to have to live with.

Ithas beensaid that 50% of a Nascar teams budget goes toward the 4 plate races, I have always said, for Daytona and Dega, run a smaller motor. Something like a 305 cubic inch, with a 450CFM 2 barrel carb.

[WildcatGirl]

I say we race all the races at Bristol...no plates needed there...lol

[ukfanman]

WildcatGirl wrote: I say we race all the races at Bristol...no plates needed there...lol


I said long ago every track should have only one race a year except Bristol. Then every other week, run at Bristol.:):):)

[WildcatGirl]

Best racing there is!

[cbc317]

DenCat wrote:
The death of Dale Sr, even though it happened at a plate track, was not the result of conditions created by restricter plates. At least IMO.

You may be right, however if the plates were not on, then I don't believe Dale Sr. would have been worried about blocking...Instead, the plates created a bigger draft, which allowed Schrader (i believe) and others to catch Sr. If no plates, Sr may have had to speed to pull away? Maybe not?

I guess my point was that plates are one of the primary reasons for the bunched racing...if no plates are used, you will see the cars become a little more spaced out and they would lose the draft much quicker...