Talladega: Who or What is to blame?

Its the Monday after Talladega and once again people are talking. Fans leaving the track yesterday definitely got their moneys worth and those at home were glued to the TV as the final laps unfolded. On the flip side, those in the media are taking a more critical approach when describing yesterday's race.

Is it the rules package these guys are forced to race under? NASCAR has a knack of painting drivers and teams into a corner. Once out on the track and in the heat of battle frustration sets in and drivers run out of patience. The end result has drivers taking matters into their own hands ultimately putting themselves and others in danger.

Others take the stance that the track is to blame for the type of mayhem and destruction that comes after each race there. Jack Roush agrees. He commented that the track is outdated and was built for the cars of that era rather than the current stock cars raced today. He also went on to say that since its first race in 1969 Talladega has always been dangerous.

Jack is right, Talladega is dangerous; but is it more dangerous than Charlotte, Daytona, Loudon or Indy? If you look at the statistics then the answer is No. Of the top five most dangerous tracks in all of motorsports two host NASCAR sanctioned events: Indianapolis and Daytona. Talladega doesn't even come close to the number of racing deaths those two tracks have seen.

Carl Edwards said something interesting yesterday in his post-race interview when said NASCAR has put the drivers in a box but "it's something we'll do...until somebody gets killed, and then we'll change it."

He's right. By creating a boxy car with a restrictor plate that chokes speed and horsepower at a track designed to see speeds in excess of 200 mph you have a recipe for disaster. Throw in the yellow line and you basically have 43 caged animals trying to fight and claw their way out danger. The end result is what you saw Sunday on lap 7, lap 180 and lap 188.

Changing Talladega is not the answer; changing the rules package is the answer.

Dale Jr took a different approach when addressing the problem. He believes the media, the networks and NASCAR are just as much to blame as anyone else.

"You have to understand that, for years, we have had wrecks like this every time we come to Talladega, ever since the plate got here. And for years it was celebrated. The media celebrated it, the networks celebrated it – calling it ‘The Big One’ – just trying to attract attention and trying to bring people's attention to the race," Earnhardt said.

What is the answer? What is the solution? There really isn't an answer or a solution. Changes have been made, rules have been implemented but the result still ends up the same: Intense, fierce and close racing at the world's most competitive track.

"This is the way it's been for a long time," Earnhardt, Jr said. "Didn't just happen. Didn't just get worse. Didn't just start happening."It's been like this since the mid-90s."

Taking a negative and turning it into a positive has been the cornerstone of the NASCAR sanctioning body for years. Since Bobby Allison's horrific wreck in 1987 NASCAR has worked to keep both the fans and the drivers safe. Since the fatalities of 2000 and 2001 the focus on fan safety, the implementation of the SAFER walls and head & neck restraints has kept those on both side of the catch fence safe.

After Sunday's race NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter says he doesn't see anything that could have been done differently or any better. The fence did its job and the COT did its job by keeping Edwards safe. That's what matters most.

Look we all know sports, as a whole, is dangerous. It's why only a small percentage has the privilege of playing professional sports. As fans we know the dangers of sitting down the foul lines at a baseball game or on the first few rows at a race; but we do it any way because we love the thrill and we love the excitement.

Its a major sacrifice for a great reward.