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SPEED Crew Readies For Restrictor-Plate Racing At Talladega
The SPEED crew offers their perspective on the week’s news and looks ahead to Talladega...
SPEED Staff  |  Posted May 03, 2012   Charlotte, NC
NASCAR teams head to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, the biggest track on the circuit. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
With one-quarter of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season behind them, teams head to the biggest track on the circuit this weekend. Below, the SPEED crew offers their perspective on the week’s news and looks ahead to Talladega:

Q: To a significant degree, NASCAR broke up tandem pairs at Daytona via several rule changes. Do you anticipate the same thing at Talladega?

“Everyone I’ve spoken with expects Talladega to be very similar to the Daytona 500 -- lots of big-pack drafting, the occasional two-car tandem and a shootout at the end that features two cars hooking up for a lap or two.” - Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

“We won’t see much tandem drafting at Talladega because of the heat. I won’t be surprised if during or after Friday’s practice sessions, NASCAR makes adjustments just to keep cars cool enough to race. With two or three to go, they won’t care about blowing up. Let ‘er burn down. I think we’ll see racing even closer to what we used to have at Talladega because now it’s going to be about drafting – not about pushing someone. I think they’ll have to go to a bigger grille opening and/or a bigger pressure relief valve for the cooling system.” - Larry McReynolds, NASCAR on FOX and SPEED analyst

“It’s going to be very hot this weekend, so the rules package from Daytona probably won’t work. The first order of business will be deciding what, if anything, needs to be done to the cars to ensure they won’t overheat and blow up. Next will be determining how long they can push, and at Talladega, that will be easier than it was at Daytona. Tandem drafting still will be a factor in the race, although I don’t know yet to what degree.” - Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR on FOX and SPEED analyst

Q: How important were Kyle Busch’s wins at Richmond, both as an owner in the Nationwide Series and as a driver in the Cup Series, to his season?

“Both of Kyle’s victories last weekend were equally important. Kyle Busch Motorsports won its first Nationwide Series race, which helped legitimize that team with sponsors and put them on the map. As a driver, Kyle has had a slow start this year. His cars haven’t been all that good, so getting a win is a big confidence booster because, let’s face it – with one victory and a top 20 in points, there is a good chance you can make the Chase. That win should take a lot of pressure off.” - Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

“Kyle’s personal team scoring the Nationwide win Friday with his brother, Kurt, was a huge relief because it put sponsor Monster Energy in Victory Lane. Then Kyle’s Sunday account received a large deposit with Saturday’s victory because he needs wins to lock in a Chase wild card spot. He’s on the outside looking in, but Kyle is one of only two guys outside the top 10 with a win. He's usually cold in the win column from late summer to Homestead, so he needs big gains and wins now.” - Matt Yocum, NASCAR on FOX/SPEED reporter

Q: We’re headed to Talladega, where Dale Earnhardt, Jr. holds five Cup Series wins. If he were to break his winless streak this weekend, he also would give Rick Hendrick his 200th win and almost certainly would take the points lead. How significant would a Dale Jr. win this weekend be?

“If that were to happen, it would be the sport’s biggest news story in a long time. With all those elements in place, you can’t overestimate the significance of a win. At Talladega, even if it’s on lap five, when Dale Jr. pulls out and passes for the lead, the grandstands sound like the world is ending. It certainly would be good for the sport if he could pull it off.” - Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

“Talladega is part Mardi Gras and part Spring Break. If Junior Nation got a win Sunday, fans would stay for a week if the track would let them. Assuming the points lead would be second compared to what a win would mean to Dale, Steve Letarte and especially Rick Hendrick, who has moved pieces around within his organization to help all four cars. Dale Jr.'s team could be building their heart monitor spike at the right time for his title chances, which is what Junior Nation has been patiently awaiting.” - Matt Yocum, NASCAR on FOX/SPEED reporter
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