While it cannot be denied that there are people who go to races to see cars crash, the majority go to watch a favorite driver. Sunday's big wreck effectively eliminated both Labonte and teammate Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Ward Burton, Jeff Burton and several others from competition, although some of the cars returned to the race. But safety remains the primary issue, finding some way to keep the cars relatively equal while, at the same time, giving them the acceleration they need to pass and make moves to avoid trouble. A few years back, Robert Yates, who owns Jarrett's car, engine builder David Evans and others proposed reducing engine size from 358 to 305 cubic inches. Evans also recommended a smaller carburetor.
High compression is especially valuable in restricted engines as a means of boosting horsepower.
As he watched Labonte's totally demolished car being loaded into its hauler Sunday, Labonte's crew chief, Jimmy Makar, simmered. To me, this isn't racing. It's about as exciting as watching a traffic jam on the interstate. And that is the drivers' major complaint, that under current rules, there is no room for error.