As you may or may not know David Poole a media icon, in the world of NASCAR passed away early this week. Not only did David write for the Charlotte Observer but he was also a host on " The Morning Drive " radio show, broadcast on Sirius NASCAR Radio,Channel 128, Sirius-XM Satellite Radio. I want to give my thanks to Sirius Satellite Radio for introducing me to the world of David Poole, as his comments and insights on the world of NASCAR were both educational and enlightening. Although I often didn't agree with David's comments I always respected his opinion, as I felt he was one of the most knowledgeable media personalities there was when it came to NASCAR. God be with you and rest in peace David.
It took me a few days to form an opinion about the Talladega race and the Carl Edwards crash. I read a lot of articles and opinions on the crash, all the way from technical stuff about the aerodynamics of roof and cowl flaps, to people who just felt that tracks like Talladega and Daytona should just be demolished, never to be raced at again. A lot of people feel that the yellow line rule should be changed and this is the only change that I might agree with. The crash was caused by racers racing, Keslowski went to the outside to try and pass, Edwards went up the track to block, Keslowski dropped down and got his nose just underneath the 99. Carl moved back down to block and clipped Brad's right front corner, end result- BIG CRASH for Edwards, causing debris to be thrown into the grandstand, injuring 7 people along with a non-related injury(not sure about that one, your guess is as good as mine; maybe a heart attack?) If the yellow line rule was changed to allow the drivers to drop below the yellow line, if only on the last lap, there is a slim possibility that this crash could have been avoided.
All of the safety measures that have been put in place worked. The special seat, the restraints, the roll cage, the Hahn's device and all of the other safety features that protect the driver worked. Carl exited the car and jogged across the finish line. The cowl and roof flaps that keep the car from going airborne worked,if you watch the replay after the initial contact and Carl's car goes sideways and lifts up it starts to come back down but lands on the front end of Ryan Newman's car which shoots Carl's car up into the catch fence. The catch fence itself did what it was designed to do, it caught and absorbed the force of the car and threw it back onto the track.
They don't need to move the stands back, as with a lot of sports, fans have to know that the closer you sit to the action, the higher the risks. They don't need to lessen, the steep banking in the corners or slow the cars down, that would take away the racing that is Talladega. Restrictor plate racing at Talladega is high speed with the cars running in a pack. The drivers are professional drivers that are at the top of their game, they've raced all of their lives and know the risks. So don't change a thing other than maybe the yellow line rule, at least for the last lap.
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