Johnson column: Newman not happy with NASCAR officials

TALLADEGA — The television cameras captured Krissie Newman giving her husband a kiss before the start of Sunday’s AMP Energy 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway.

Ryan Newman, the driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, quipped it wasn’t a good-bye kiss, but one for support as he prepared to compete on one of the most dangerous speedways in the world.

Toward the end of the race, Newman’s car would go flying through the air and land on its roof in a spectacular crash.

With the smashed-in car upside down on the infield grass, there was reason to fear for Newman’s life.

This story thankfully has a happy ending, with Newman exiting with hardly a scratch after the car was turned over and the roof peeled back like a can of sardines so the driver could crawl out.

Newman wasn’t smiling afterward, however, despite being thankful for his health.

What irks Newman is NASCAR officials — who he believes have taken the fun out of this race track in trying to make it safer.

“The more rules, the more NASCAR is telling us how to drive the race cars, the less we can race and the less we can put on a show for the fans,” Newman said.

On Sunday morning, the big voice of NASCAR — president Mike Helton — gave the drivers a stern warning not to bump-draft in the corners, or else be subject to penalties.

“We want to see sunshine between the cars,” is how Helton stated it.

That came in addition to the hole in the restrictor plates being slightly reduced for this race in hopes of slowing the cars just a tad bit more.
It was all done in hopes of preventing the “Big One” wreck this track is so known for, but in reality the new measures only prolonged the inevitable.

For almost three hours, the safety plan worked.

It was boring racing — mostly single file as cars stayed away from trouble — instead of the aggressive bump-drafting, daring moves we’re used to seeing here.

But when push comes to shove, race car drivers are going to compete and let it all hang out as the race draws near a close.
And that’s where the problems begin.

The restrictor plates often keep the cars bunched, which can lead to multi-car crashes when any driver slips up in any way.

With five laps left, Newman went flying after being bumped into another car. With two laps left, Mark Martin was among those tumbling when another multi-car accident occurred.

Newman is among those who believes NASCAR officials should have more confidence in the ability of the drivers, instead of constantly searching for ways slow them down.

“It’s just a product of this racing and what NASCAR has put us into with this box and these restrictor plates with these type cars,” Newman said. “You know with the yellow line, no bump-drafting, no passing.

“Drivers used to be able to respect each other and race around each other. Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison, and all of those guys have always done that.

“I guess they don’t think much of us anymore.”

This coming from a guy who went flying and lived to tell about it.

Let ’em race.