Safety at core of rule change
NASCAR will try to make the chaos at Talladega more manageable this weekend.
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, told “The Morning Drive” on Monday that they were “leaning” toward limiting the number of attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.
On Tuesday, NASCAR made it official. There will be just one attempt to finish races under the green flag this weekend. NASCAR traditionally allows three attempts at finishing a race under greenwhite-checkered conditions. But Talladega and the odds of “The Big One” at a restrictor-plate track always add a dramatic element to those circumstances.
Witness Daytona in July when Austin Dillon’s car flew into the catch fence at the end of the first green-white-checkered attempt. His car shattered into pieces. Fortunately for Dillon, he was fine but five fans were injured.
“That scared the hell out of me,” winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “I saw the whole thing happen. … That was terrifying to watch.”
O’Donnell says the change is an effort to balance “exciting finishes and safety.”
Kurt Busch, one of the Chase contenders, is expected to announce on Wednesday that he has re-signed with Stewart-Haas Racing. The team has called a media conference with Busch and team co-owner Tony Stewart at the team’s race shop in Kannapolis, N.C. There will also be a car unveiling, likely tied into a sponsorship.
Busch and team co-owner Gene Haas have said they have a “handshake deal” to keep Busch on board.
Busch, a former Cup champion, is third in the standings and likely to advance to the next round of the playoffs barring unforeseen circumstances at Talladega.
Contract update:
The 2015 Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship will bring fancy vittles and A-list entertainment to Franklin, Tenn. Terry Bradshaw will be the host and Travis Tritt is going to perform on Wednesday during the gala dinner, followed by golf the next day.
The pot of fundraising money — which should push close to $500,000 — goes to three charities: Motor Racing Outreach, Feed the Children and the Steve Byrnes Fund, which will go toward his son Bryson Byrnes’ college fund. Steve Byrnes, a popular and respected NASCAR analyst for Fox Sports, died April 21 of cancer.
Waltrip
fundraiser:
— George Diaz