Opinions mixed on latest Talladega rules package

I’m finishing up college finals before hitting the road for more races this summer. Before I do, here are some leftover notes that didn’t get posted immediately after Talladega. Enjoy!

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Driver opinions were mixed following the conclusion of Sunday’s Aarons 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR successfully eliminated the two-car draft at Daytona but created a rules package that’s resulting in a rash of overheating engines at Talladega.

Both Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards were victimized by the ‘big one’ on lap 14 but had different opinions on the new rules package.

“This [temperature] thing is a big joke and they’ve got to address it,” Gordon said. “You can’t even race out there because you’re watching the guages. There’s pack racing and that’s great. But when you can’t run in the fifth and sixth positions without overheating, there are problems there.

“I don’t even know what we’re going to do (at Daytona) in July.”

Gordon’s concerns stem from the fact that the Daytona 500 was ran at night in March, at temperatures of 78 degrees. When NASCAR returns to Daytona in July, the temperatures are expected to reach up to 90 degrees - the same temperature that plagued engines in Sunday’s race.

Unlike Gordon, Edwards’ temperatures were green all day, leading the Roush-Fenway driver to praise the new rules package.
“I think this is the best package we’ve ever had,” Edwards said. “My temperatures were great all day. We didn’t have any trouble until we got caught up in the wreck.”

The issue seems more pronounced for Chevrolet teams, judging by the problems faced by Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson. Ford and Dodge have now won the last two restrictor plate races while Chevrolet has been relegated to the back in search of clean air.
NASCAR faces an interesting decision leading up to Daytona. If fan response to Talladega is positive, while driver response is overwhelmingly negative, which direction will they go?

What they’re saying (Talladega Pack Racing)

Matt Kenseth: NASCAR will look at it. They have a better idea of where everyone ran than we do...It gets hot in the back. It was just so hard to push.

Kyle Busch: It’s what everyone wanted. The pack is back. We saw two lanes and three lanes throughout the race...The outside lane wasn’t as fast -- it’s the slowest way around.