Tale of two Talladegas
Before we close the curtain on the mayhem at Talladega Superspeedway for another season, it's worth pointing out that Sunday's Amp Energy 500 produced a range of opinions.
Anger and disappointment were perhaps the biggest responses from fans. NASCAR's strict prohibition on bump-drafting through the turns produced a lot of careful, single-file racing, and that's not fun for anybody at any track, particularly the wild and free Talladega course.
The two huge wrecks that pockmarked the final laps of the race brought forth some other emotions, however, including this in an e-mail from a fan in North Carolina:
"I’m done watching plate races because the carnage is too scary, and it’s inevitable that sooner or later, someone I’m a fan of is going to be terribly hurt or worse. The fact that these tracks are so popular proves that I am not in the majority. It’s a conundrum. These races are huge moneymakers. The drivers dread going there and are happy to simply escape with their lives. NASCAR will continue to run there because it makes them a buttload of money. The racetracks won’t be altered, as they are thought of almost as shrines by the racing faithful who spend that buttload of money. It’s a no-win situation. And someone is going to be killed."
Talladega and Bristol – they never fail to excite the masses, one way or another.
