Racing at Daytona is done till February. Running under the lights on the big track is over until next July. The wrecked cars have been put on the hauler and brought back to their shops. The crews scratch their heads. They know they have their work cut out for them to get the car ready for Talladega, if it's possible. It was a good car. Now it looks like a pile of colorful scrap metal.

Yes, many cars were involved in a wreck, some more than one. The "Big One" happened. 25 to go. Positions for points are on the line, one-second to make a decision. The right decision, you are a hero. But if it's the wrong decision, many cars spin, collide and crash on the high-banked oval. Some even burn. Now you are not a hero. Drivers involved look for someone to blame. "Had a good run, now the car is junk".

The highest banked tracks on the circuit are Bristol, Talladega and Daytona. Bristol is a ½ mile in length so speed is not an issue. Daytona and Talladega are the two tracks where NASCAR requires the restrictor plate. It's that part that chokes the speed out of an engine. But then the cars can't get away from each other. Side by side they run lap after lap hoping that one mistake won't take out a third of the field. 160 laps in Saturday's Daytona race was apparently too much to expect 43 human beings racing inches apart not to make an error in judgment. But it's not the amount of laps in question; all races have a point the driver has got to go. That fraction of a second, one miscalculation and it would cost many.

The restrictor plate was the temporary fix for the high speeds the stock cars were reaching. But is this fixed? Were the cars running at those faster speeds worse than a pack of cars running together at not so fast a speed? Banging on each other all race long? Instead of three or four cars wrecking at 210 mph we have 14 -18 wrecking at 190. And this is better?

Talladega was boycotted in 1969 for being unsafe. Race or go home, we'll find other drivers. And that was that. The 1986 Winston 500 at Talladega was the first time the entire field qualified over 200 mph. Haven't heard anything about a driver being killed in that race. Without the restrictor plate just maybe they were able to get away from each other and actually race.

Qualifying in 1987, Bill Elliott reached a speed over 210 mph at Daytona and 212 at Talladega. This was the year NASCAR implemented the rule requiring the restrictor plate at the two tracks. And not for the speeds reached. The decision came after a scary crash by Bobby Allison at Talladega.

It appears no one can come up with a remedy that works. So the drivers pay. The car owner pays. The crew working on the crumpled stock car pays. And again, the track owner doesn't suffer any of the consequences.

Not a big Bruton Smith fan and don't like his tactics but when NASCAR told him to fix Texas Motorspeedway or the series would not return, he fixed it. Has the France family even looked at the tracks for a better fix to the problem? What about lowering the banking? Wouldn't that slow the cars down? Takes money? I believe they got it. Or is it just easier to keep the restrictor plate?

Safety is everyone's priority. NASCAR insists on plenty of safety features to the cars and the driver's gear or they don't race. You can only do so much to the car before you start looking at the tracks they run on. I keep saying this!

Still waiting for the soft wall issue to be resolved. It appears the drivers while testing at the Brickyard didn't even notice the soft walls. The driving line is not affected. What is the hold up in getting the other tracks to install some form of soft wall? How long do they plan to test? As long as the temporary restrictor plate?

New Hampshire track owner Bob Bahre was going to install the soft wall at his track. But NASCAR told him to hold off. Why? Could it be if one track installed them, they all would have to? What is the France family waiting for? They keep acquiring racetracks. Now what about putting money into safety features? It is all about safety, right? I know it can't be about money, I believe they got it. And I pray that another driver won't lose his life hitting the wall at Loudon this year. Whose fault would it be then?

The restrictor plate slows the car down. Thats all! But wasn't it about safety way back then? Protecting the drivers and the fans? Is it actually safer to have such big wrecks, with many cars crashing into each other and the concrete? Only the few that makes it through the carnage are actually safer.

The restrictor plate was ruled a necessary part 15 years ago! How long is temporary? No one has come up with something better yet? Has NASCAR become so complacent with the plate that it will be a part of the solution forever? Can't they see it doesn't solve the original problem, safety?

Why don't we try something new? Take the plate off and let them run at speed! Wouldn't they just spread out, with the faster cars up front, like at every other track? Wouldn't this lessen the percentage of having 20 car pileups? Install soft walls for possible impact and let all the safety features in the cars do their stuff. Allow the drivers to do what they know how to do, drive! Maybe we could get back to real racing at Daytona and Talladega.

Don't you think we have a safer racing car than Open wheelers? They do 200 plus, why can't we? I say try it without the plate!

- gertie