Talladega Upsets
10/1/2007"Alltime Upset" was the headline that jumped-off the cover of Sports Illustrated after Appalachian State stunned No. 5-ranked Michigan to open the college football season. As a Division I-AA school, the Mountaineers' triumph was the rough equivalent of Busch Series team Brewco rolling over Roush Fenway in Nextel Cup.
I'm thinking SI should reserve a cover for NASCAR. The UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeeday winner might make App State's victory as shocking as, say, another Super Bowl for the New England Patriots.
'Dega will be the debut for the winged wonder, the Car of Tomorrow, on a restrictor-plate track. Racers like to call this a "wild card" event. The combination of the CoT and the Chase on a speedway famed for its wacko finishes looks more than wild to me, more like an upset of historic proportions.
Better bum some Prilosec OTC from Jeff Burton.
"These cars line up better and you can get away with a lot more pushing and shoving," said reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson after a 50-car test a couple of weeks ago. "The cars have a lot of downforce and they're real comfortable to drive, so I think that will lead to a little bit more aggressive driving. The potential is there for more rough driving than in the past."
Commented Casey Mears: "You're going to see a lot of bump drafting - a lot of bump drafting - just because of the way these cars are built and the way the bumpers line up."
Denny Hamlin analyzed: "The way the cars are set up and the big hole they punch in the air, it should be way wilder than anything we've ever seen here."
"More aggressive driving." " More rough driving." "A lot of bump drafting." "Way wilder."
Yikes! I didn't think that was possible!
On the first day of testing, Johnny Sauter was fastest in the draft at over 196 mph. That was cause enough for NASCAR to reduce the plates from one inch to a 31/32d opening. Paul Menard topped day two at just north of 193 mph. The record book reveals to us that Richard Brickhouse, Dick Brooks, Lennie Pond, Ron Bouchard, Bobby Hillin Jr. and Phil Parsons all made it to victory lane at the massive Alabama oval. No disrespect, but they are not exactly candidates for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Will Sauter or Menard join that list of drivers who pull off a Talladega "Alltime Upset"? Or David Reutimann? A.J. Allmendinger? Tony Raines? Reed Sorenson? David Stremme?
"There are just a lot of unknowns that you otherwise wouldn't have coming here," said Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick.
"I think," Kurt Busch added, "it will be twice as exciting."
Which, no doubt, is how Ohio State fans felt after Appalachian State put The Big One on Michigan.
[ Next column: October 15 ]
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(I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.)
BackAbout I.N. Sider
I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.