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October 10, 2002
I loved Talladega racing. The first Winston Cup race I attended was at ‘Dega many years ago. It July and hot as blazes. Deep South oppressive and miserable hot. I didn’t notice. I was so excited I don’t remember the drive to the track or any of the pre-race festivities. The first clear memory I have of that day is the command to fire the engines. That’s when I fell in love with racing at this historical track. I was seated on the frontstretch, directly across from the exit of pitroad. When the engines came to life the roar was deafening and wonderful. Elmo Langley, driving the pace car led the field slowly onto the track. The cars climbed the high banking off turn one. Gracefully taking turn two the parade disappeared down the backstretch. The crowd watched the tri-oval in anticipation for them to reappear. Moving at a snail’s pace the field came by and the air vibrated with power. The light atop the pace car was out; the green flag was in the flagman’s hand.
Standing on tiptoe, holding my breath I watched as the pace car left the track. Seeming to move in slow motion the cars took the green flag. They entered turn one, swept out of turn two and vanished again. The next time the field came by the engines were at full-song, belting out a beautiful aria of speed. Five hundred miles passed in the blink of an eye and the race was over. After an afternoon of on the edge racing Dale Earnhardt put the #3 in victory lane. Since that hot July day I’ve been to many races at this superspeedway. I have witnessed the best and the worst the big track has to offer. I saw Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison trade slingshot passes. First one then the other would take the lead. Dale and Davey were having a ball and those in attendance were privileged to eavesdrop on their fun. I also saw Rusty’s #2 flip through the infield like a toy thrown by an angry child. Wallace gave us the thumbs up from the stretcher, as he was loaded into the ambulance. And we all gave a sigh of relief. NASCAR’s constant rule changes have completely emasculated the superspeedway cars. A Winston Cup car with an unrestricted carburetor has about 750 horsepower. With a restrictor plate that number falls below 500. The power zapping plates have made the drivers merely passengers in their cars. There is no racing, just riding around wide open. Bobby Hamilton said of plate racing, "We just put our foot on the gas and flatten it out. There is no changing gears and hardly any movement…We all wave at each other as we drive by." How can the Daytona Gang expect to hold the interest of fans if the drivers are bored? Racing at Talladega has become an emotional roller coaster for drivers and fans alike. After loving ‘Dega for years I have grown weary of this carny ride. The racing is either frighteningly tense as the drivers fight to stay one step ahead of disaster. Or more often, they are a 200mph game of follow the leader. Either way the experience is no longer worth the price of the ticket. And I am ending my love affair with the big superspeedway in Alabama.
KUDOS -- This week let's take a moment to say thanks to the Petty family. At the darkest time of their lives NASCAR’s royal family chose to help others. After Adam’s tragic death the family decided to honor his memory by building the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The mission of the camp will be to enrich the lives of children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Construction began on the camp this week. The camp will be built on 65-acres of land donated by Lynda and Richard Petty. Pattie and Kyle have worked tirelessly raising funds. Over $10 million has been collected towards the $24 million required. Richard Petty said, "This was never supposed to be a Petty thing. This was supposed to be a NASCAR thing and it’s just so incredible to see our community help out the way it has." It makes me proud to be part of the NASCAR community.
Other articles by Orlena Miller.. 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.
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The Talladega Love Affair is Over
