NASCAR Out of the Chase, some drivers have nothing to lose

Restrictor-plate success and bump drafting are reasons the Earnhardts have done well at the track.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Talladega Superspeedway is a place where dreams can come true and nightmares are sometimes realized.
The third event in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup, Talladega, could turn out to be the most important race for Chase contenders. With its high-banked, 2.66-mile turns and the usual unpredictability that comes only with the art of restrictor plate racing, Talladega could prove to be the undoing for those hoping to win the Nextel Cup.
While the 10 Chase contenders will be tiptoeing around Talladega in hopes of leaving in one piece, several of the teams outside of the Chase hope to steal the spotlight and play the role of spoiler. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Chief among the would-be spoilers is the acknowledged master of Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr. For him, Talladega isn't just another race; it's a family tradition.
Special place
Coupled with his legendary father's unprecedented 10 wins, an Earnhardt has gone to Victory Lane 15 times in Cup races at Talladega.
"Talladega is a special place to me, always has been, always will be. I love racing there. I love winning there," Earnhardt said. "It's definitely one of my favorite tracks."
Dale Jr. goes into the weekend as the defending champion of this event. Last year he started fifth and led 78 laps en route to his fifth victory at Talladega. He has finished first or second in seven of his last eight races at the track. He also holds a track record of four consecutive victories from Oct. 21, 2001 to April 6, 2003. In fact Dale Jr. has led laps in 10 of his 11 career races; the only race he didn't lead a lap was his very first (April 16, 2000).
And now that his Dale Earnhardt Incorporated team has reunited him with cousin Tony Eury Jr. as crew chief for the rest of the season, Earnhardt looks to get back on a winning track.
"Tony Jr. has had Talladega marked on his calendar for a while, and he's been putting in overtime to get this car ready," Earnhardt said.
Gee was a wiz
"Our grandpa was Robert Gee, and Robert Gee was the best in the business when it came to hanging bodies on cars, so Tony Jr. learned from the best," Junior said. "Tony Jr. spent a lot of time with him learning how to hang bodies for different types of tracks.
He is certainly one of the reasons we've had success at restrictor-plate tracks."
Another of the fine arts Earnhardt has mastered at Talladega is bump drafting.
That's the technique of pushing the car ahead of you in order to maximize the slipstream and increase speed.
"I love doing it, but today's bump-drafting ain't like it used to be. It ain't your daddy's bump-drafting," Earnhardt said.
"You used to give a bump here, give a bump there, and push the guy in front of you past another car. Now it's more like 'slam drafting.' At Talladega we hit each other hard. It feels like being hit by a sledgehammer.
"But it's a part of it. Some guys don't like it, but I think it's fun. If you do it right, it can be a big advantage, but if you don't it isn't pretty."