July 6, 2005

By Rebecca Gladden

Since NASCAR introduced the restrictor plate to superspeedway racing back in 1988, the device has been an ongoing source of controversy for fans and consternation for drivers.

Originally intended to create safer racing on the sport's 200+ mph tracks, the restrictor plate works by reducing horsepower, thereby reducing speed. Ironically, the safety device has become synonymous with a huge multi-car pileup that inevitably occurs at the plate races in Daytona and Talladega; a mega-wreck known euphemistically as "The Big One."

The Big One occurred early on Saturday night in the Pepsi 400 when, on Lap 35, Jeff Gordon slowed his car for an upcoming green-flag pit stop. Although Gordon had signaled his intention to pit, driver Scott Riggs, two cars back, missed the hand signal and was forced to slide up the track, triggering a multi-car pileup. In total, nine drivers were caught up in the wreck, including Riggs, Mark Martin, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader and Scott Wimmer.

Mark Martin was understandably disappointed after the incident, which terminated any hope he may have had for victory in his final Daytona appearance. Martin, who is retiring at the end of the season after 24 years in Cup racing, took a few parting jabs at the plate racing track: "I'm glad this is the last time I ever have to race here," he said. "That's the story of Daytona. I'm just bitter right now because that's a stupid way to wreck."

Martin finished the race 39th and dropped three spots in the standings, slipping from fifth to eighth. Several other drivers caught up in The Big One had similarly poor finishes: Kurt Busch came in 37th and fell one spot in the point standings to ninth. Bobby Labonte finished 35th, Matt Kenseth, 9th, and Scott Wimmer, 32nd. Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose damage was not as severe, fought back for a third-place finish and gained two spots in points, moving from 18th to 16th. Ken Schrader also recovered nicely and brought home a 10th-place finish.

Martin's Roush teammate Greg Biffle had entered the Pepsi 400 holding the Nextel Cup points lead for the first time in his career. After being struck on Lap 73 by Michael Waltrip's NAPA Chevy which had cut a tire, Biffle was also critical of plate racing in general: "I think we're going to be really good at Chicago and that we can go on and gain points at the racetracks (where) we can control what happens," Biffle said. "Here (at Daytona), you can't control what happens. Nobody can. You look at the finishing order, and it doesn't really reflect what kind of teams and drivers that we have. It's just circumstantial where everybody finishes. Restrictor plate racing is just what it is. It's going around in circles and putting on a show for the fans. Otherwise, there's not a driver in the garage that would do it … We had a good car and had worked our way up to the top-10, or wherever we were. That's unfortunate, but it's part of restrictor plate racing. It's just a roll of the dice to see what happens here."

For now, plate racing is considered by most to be a necessary evil, although drivers have complained for years about the multi-car pileups that invariably ensue. And with Talladega looming large as one of the final ten races in the upcoming Chase for the Championship, don't look for that trend to end any time soon.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.