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NASCAR outlaws "bump drafting" at Daytona 500
February 15, 2006

By Bruce Martin
SportsTicker Contributing Editor

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) - Tony Stewart spoke and NASCAR listened, so the art of "Bump Drafting" is going to be outlawed for this week's Daytona 500.

NASCAR announced Tuesday it would start policing bump drafting by assigning spotters around the massive 2 1/2-mile Daytona International Speedway. Drivers who are cited for bump drafting, a tactic where a car slams into the rear of another car to keep it's momentum, will be black-flagged and penalized.

The prohibition will be tested for the first time in Thursday's Gatorade Duel at Daytona, the two 150-mile qualifying races that set the starting grid for Sunday.

The reigning Nextel Cup champion, Stewart publicly complained about the frequent bump drafting at Daytona after last Sunday's Budweiser Shootout.

But some drivers do not believe the threat of "drive through" penalties will not stop bump drafting.

"Honestly, no," three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett said. "You can talk about it all that you want, but to say that you're going to put somebody on the inside or outside of the race track and monitor bump drafting at the right or wrong places, I don't know how you can do that.

"They can attempt to do anything. But until we do something that physically hurts the design of the car whenever you hit someone too hard, then we're not going to get much accomplished."

Jarrett said teams and drivers have realized they have a tool by ramming the car in front of them with the front bumper to keep up the speed. If done properly, bump drafting will make both cars go faster, but it has to be done on a straightaway. When drivers bump the car in front while in the turns, it can send it out of control.

On a restrictor-plate track like Daytona, that can be very dangerous.

"Coming off the corner and pushing the guy before he's quite straight," Greg Biffle said. "Maybe bumping a guy right going into the tri-oval or right coming off the tri-oval or getting in the corner, those are areas that we don't need to be pushing each other. If it's on the straightaway and everybody is straight and in the line and you come up and you shove the guy a little bit and get a little advantage, that's OK. But to constantly be jamming a guy's bumper all the way around is just not safe."

By placing even more power in the hands of its officials, NASCAR has satisfied the concerns of several drivers.

"I hope that NASCAR steps in," Elliot Sadler said. "They have to do something. Drivers all complain about different stuff all the time, but when we're all complaining about the same thing, then there must be a problem. We're always asking for help for the Fords or the Chevy guys are always asking for help for their Chevys. But when we're all complaining about the same thing for our safety, then I think NASCAR needs to step in and do something."

Sadler would like to see NASCAR take away the bumpers on the front of the Cup cars. That way, a front-to-rear impact would damage the front end of the car and affect its aerodynamic balance.

"We have more stuff done on the front of our car than you would have on a bulldozer, and it's made for that because you've got to get in where you fit in," Sadler said. "You've got to bump draft, if they're allowing it, to try to make passes. But I think if you weaken up the front ends on the stuff and make us take out some bars and all this metal plating that everybody is running ... it will make it a lot safer for everybody involved."

881 posted on 02/15/2006 7:30:49 PM PST by GRRRRR (Demokrats. Hitliary and the ACLU are the domestic enemy)

To: WestCoastGal

Jr. in Busch practice:

882 posted on 02/15/2006 7:34:08 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY global warming?)

To: WestCoastGal; All

This is officially NUTSCAR now...gonna blackflag to the pits when someone 'bump drafts'...France and his lackeys need to get slapped.

Time is coming for a NON France-Non Nascar League...horrible thing to do, but these silly rules are ruining the race.

Get rid of the plates and let them RUN!!

883 posted on 02/15/2006 7:36:19 PM PST by GRRRRR (ACLU, Hitliary and DemonRats are the Enemies of AMERICA and FREEDOM)

884 posted on 02/15/2006 7:51:21 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY global warming?)

885 posted on 02/15/2006 7:57:35 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY global warming?)

Bad deal for practice. Racin is tough enough...

886 posted on 02/15/2006 7:58:11 PM PST by tubebender (Everything I know about computers I learned on Free Republic...)

Lotta $ down the drain!

887 posted on 02/15/2006 8:01:40 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY global warming?)

"They can attempt to do anything. But until we do something that physically hurts the design of the car whenever you hit someone too hard, then we're not going to get much accomplished."

Think I said this LAST year!

You can measure the opening in a carburetor, bore & stroke, put a template on a car, all evenly, but this is nothing other than absurd.

888 posted on 02/15/2006 8:16:50 PM PST by SouthTexas (2006 will be a very good year.)

It's going to be funny-like-a-clown when NA$¢AR sends the entire field down pit road numerous times for bump-drafting.

Just get rid of the <expletive deleted> plates and get to racin'.

889 posted on 02/16/2006 4:20:57 AM PST by steveegg (Take two - throw those long knives at the DemonRATs and lieberals - and include the RINOs)

I want to know how they are going to police it evenly and fairly. How can so many different people (the NASCAR spotters) apply a rule like this one objectively? Someone is going to get ripped off here while others will skate for a more aggregious hit.

Like others said, get rid of the plates!

890 posted on 02/16/2006 4:57:51 AM PST by Toby06 (Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy)

To: GRRRRR; NYTexan; SouthTexas; tubebender; steveegg; Toby06

I bet some of us are gonna be mad as heck come Sunday, maybe even today! Na$car may just ruin plate racing this weekend.

I personally love racing at Daytona and Talladega, I wish Tony had gone to the drivers who were driving wild last Sunday instead of going to the media. Now it's blown way out of proportion. IMO

The main problem is the few drivers who can't restrain themselvews!! This problem did not happen until last year.

891 posted on 02/16/2006 5:25:13 AM PST by WestCoastGal (Jr -"This race is like a bar fight on four wheels" ~You know, I drive right off the hood.)

Knaus looking to get canned? By the way, a rumor floating around the garage says that [#48 crew chief Chad] Knaus has been trying to get out of his contract at Hendrick so that he can move to Evernham Motorsports, and that he might be trying to get fired to accomplish that goal.(Yahoo Sports)(2-16-2006)
And-
More on the #48 infraction: A respected source in the garage area reports NASCAR officials had a little help discovering the ingenious manner of cheating which lead to the ejection of Chad Knauss from the remainder of the Daytona activities. To add salt to the wound inflicted on the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team, this source reports the finger pointing that led officials to the infraction came from within the Chevrolet camp.(CircleTrackPlus)(2-16-2006)

Jayski

892 posted on 02/16/2006 5:27:21 AM PST by WestCoastGal (Jr -"This race is like a bar fight on four wheels" ~You know, I drive right off the hood.)

To: WestCoastGal

Is todays racing on regular network tv? I sure hope so.

893 posted on 02/16/2006 5:28:40 AM PST by Toby06 (Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy)

Nope; it's on TNT. However, both the Busch race and the Daytona 500 will be on NBC.

We'll keep you covered here.

894 posted on 02/16/2006 5:32:09 AM PST by steveegg (Take two - throw those long knives at the DemonRATs and lieberals - and include the RINOs)

OK, I get TNT --- PHEW!

Thank you!

895 posted on 02/16/2006 5:37:08 AM PST by Toby06 (Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy)

I want to know how they are going to police it evenly and fairly.

I'm sure they'll try but any sane person knows they can't. This is going to be a giant cluster ****.

896 posted on 02/16/2006 5:42:41 AM PST by michigander (The Constitution only guarantees the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.)

To: NormsRevenge; glock rocks; Pete-R-Bilt; NYTexan; steveegg; WestCoastGal; tubebender; Afronaut; ...

Duel PING for this afternoon.

Maybe you can all call your Dr's and have him tell you to take two Gatorade's and see him in the morning and stay home from work.

02|16|06 2 p.m.
Gatorade Duel at Daytona, Race 1
02|16|06 TBD
Gatorade Duel at Daytona, Race 2
All times ET and on TNT
This thread will go through testing tomorrow morning, then I will have a new "LIVE" thread up for the Busch, Truck and the BIG ONE Sunday. [drive through penalty free]

897 posted on 02/16/2006 5:49:39 AM PST by WestCoastGal (Jr -"This race is like a bar fight on four wheels" ~You know, I drive right off the hood.)

To: WestCoastGal

Good morning. THX for da ping. I'll be listening on XM or back at the office and on this thread.

898 posted on 02/16/2006 6:11:37 AM PST by umgud (uncompassionate conservative)

To: WestCoastGal

Thanks for the ping!!!!!

899 posted on 02/16/2006 6:42:56 AM PST by SheLion (Trying to make a life in the BLUE state of Maine!)

Sure is ironic that smoke was the main one bashing the bumps and on Monday night the first shot they played was him pushing Hamlin.

You can't have it both ways, either it's legal or it's not. Sounds like the flippin' dimorats "only I can do it right, outlaw everyone else's bumps"!

900 posted on 02/16/2006 7:05:58 AM PST by SouthTexas (2006 will be a very good year.)

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