NASCAR makes changes for Talladega

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Rule changes for Talladega’s Oct. 23 Chase for the Sprint Cup race, announced by NASCAR on Wednesday, could make it more difficult — theoretically — for cars to hook up in sustained two-car tandems.

The openings in restrictor plates for the Good Sam Club 500 will increase 1/64 of an inch to a diameter of 57/64 of an inch. The change should add approximately seven to 10 horsepower to the engines.

Drivers have said that the more horsepower their cars have at superspeedways, the more unstable they became in a high-speed draft, thereby making continuous pushing a more difficult proposition.

In addition, NASCAR is decreasing the pressure setting in pressure relief valves by eight pounds per square inch. In theory, cars should begin to throw off water at lower temperatures with the reduction — again making sustained pushing more difficult.

It should be noted, however, that race teams overcame measures — including reduced pressure relief valve settings and smaller grille openings—designed to separate the cars at Daytona earlier this year.

“After the last few superspeedway races, we’ve heard many drivers express their desire to open up the size of the restrictor plate some, and we thought the time was right to do that,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition.

“We anticipate these revisions in the rules package for Talladega will help continue to provide competitive and exciting racing for the fans.”

Whether it will help pry apart the two-car tandems, which have gotten mixed reviews from competitors and fans, remains to be seen.