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Fantasy Insight : Talladega
Restrictor Plate, Made-for-TV Fun · Dennis Michelsen · Wednesday April 26, 2006
There are only two reasons we get four restrictor plate track races every year. Obviously, reason one is safety for the fans. Ever since Bobby Allison attempted to enter the seats without a ticket, NASCAR has added a restrictor plate to slow the cars down to less than takeoff speed! However, there is a second, more ominous reason for restrictor plate racing"¦it makes for great theater. As much as they try to tell you that fans tune in to see good hard racing, the more spectacular the wrecks are without killing anyone, the more viewers tend to tune in and watch!
This seems to be the old “gladiator in the arena” concept playing out. There are other ways NASCAR could choose to slow down the cars, but they always seem to end up using the method that gives us a nice big pack waiting for the “Big One” to happen. Lately, it has been not a matter of if but a matter of when that accident will occur, with the last caution-free race at Talladega back in 1997. Even worse yet, since with restrictor plates those wrecks seldom happen until the cars are up to speed, Fox won’t worry about snipping the first 10 seconds off of every restart once again this week.
Race Game Update
Bob’s Corner Racing Game
Frontstretch is proud to be the host of this great race game that has been around forever! Join Bob and have some fun by clicking here and remember, as always, Bob’s Corner Racing Game is FREE!
Last One Standing
Segment One started with the Daytona 500. We are down to our final four this week!
Check out our new sponsor www.hotjackets.com and play LOS with a chance to win a new NASCAR jacket! StockCarPitPass.com will be your official race game headquarters for Last One Standing!
Segment two starts May 6th at Richmond"¦GET IN THE GAME for a chance to win a NASCAR jacket from www.hotjackets.com.
By the Numbers: A Statistical Look at This Week’s Race
(Detailed stats located at http://www.stockcarpitpass.com/stats.html)
Horses For Courses
| Driver | Car # | Course Rating |
| Kevin Harvick | 29 | 93.2 |
| Tony Stewart | 20 | 93 |
| Dale Jarrett | 88 | 90.4 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 8 | 90 |
| Jeff Gordon | 24 | 88.8 |
| Kurt Busch | 2 | 88.8 |
| Jamie McMurray | 26 | 88.2 |
| Robby Gordon | 7 | 88.2 |
| Ryan Newman | 12 | 87 |
| Michael Waltrip | 55 | 85.8 |
Consistency Factor
| Driver | Car # | Rating Last 5 Races |
| Tony Stewart | 20 | 95.4 |
| Mark Martin | 6 | 91.8 |
| Matt Kenseth | 17 | 91 |
| Kevin Harvick | 29 | 91 |
| Kasey Kahne | 9 | 90.4 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 8 | 89.4 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 88.6 |
| Jeff Gordon | 24 | 88.2 |
| Kyle Busch | 5 | 86 |
| Dale Jarrett | 88 | 84 |
Track Type Factor
| Driver | Car # | Restrictor Plate Track Rating |
| Tony Stewart | 20 | 96.6 |
| Dale Jarrett | 88 | 92 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 8 | 88.2 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 87.6 |
| Jeff Gordon | 24 | 87 |
| Matt Kenseth | 17 | 86.4 |
| Ryan Newman | 12 | 85.8 |
| Elliott Sadler | 38 | 85.6 |
| Kurt Busch | 2 | 84.6 |
| Jamie McMurray | 26 | 84.2 |
Power Rating
| Driver | Car # | Course Rating | Rating Last 5 Races | Restrictor Plate Track Rating | Power Rating |
| Tony Stewart | 20 | 95.4 | 93 | 96.6 | 285 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 8 | 89.4 | 90 | 88.2 | 268 |
| Kevin Harvick | 29 | 91 | 93.2 | 82.4 | 267 |
| Dale Jarrett | 88 | 84 | 90.4 | 92 | 266 |
| Jeff Gordon | 24 | 88.2 | 88.8 | 87 | 264 |
| Matt Kenseth | 17 | 91 | 82.4 | 86.4 | 260 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 88.6 | 77.2 | 87.6 | 253 |
| Jamie McMurray | 26 | 80.6 | 88.2 | 84.2 | 253 |
| Kurt Busch | 2 | 79.4 | 88.8 | 84.6 | 253 |
| Ryan Newman | 12 | 79 | 87 | 85.8 | 252 |
| Mark Martin | 6 | 91.8 | 79.2 | 78.4 | 249 |
| Kasey Kahne | 9 | 90.4 | 75.2 | 82.8 | 248 |
| Robby Gordon | 7 | 73.2 | 88.2 | 82 | 243 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 1 | 80.4 | 81.8 | 79.8 | 242 |
| Ken Schrader | 21 | 78 | 80.4 | 83.4 | 242 |
| Bobby Labonte | 43 | 83.4 | 83 | 75.2 | 242 |
| Elliott Sadler | 38 | 78.4 | 76.8 | 85.6 | 240 |
| Casey Mears | 42 | 78.6 | 82 | 79.6 | 240 |
| Jeff Burton | 31 | 80 | 82 | 78 | 240 |
| Tony Raines | 96 | 77.8 | 79.4 | 81.8 | 239 |
Handicapping the Race
Win: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Not as solid a favorite as he used to be, but Junior knows a thing or two about this track and that ain’t no (25-point deduction).
Place: Tony Stewart
A Smoke-Junior box looks good in your Exacta wagering this week.
Show: Kevin Harvick
Could make it two in a row after a long drought.
Top Rookie: Clint Bowyer
RCR knows a thing or two about restrictor plate racing!
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