Talladega's not Daytona, but it is a long, fast track where the rules-makers have mandated restrictor plates to cut the engine's intake of air and output of power. As racing goes, this is nerve-racking, dangerous stuff. But it does tend to be exciting. This weekend at Talladega, all teams will use the same specified rear shocks but will be allowed to choose their own for the front. Naturally there's a trade-off.
Smaller holes provide less air and consequently less power and speed.
And you've got a smaller restrictor plate, which is basically going to bunch the cars up even more, if that's at all possible. I'm a little bit concerned about how good the race is going to be. Some competitors also worry that because the shock rules will allow the noses of the cars to be lower, the cars will be more likely to flip over during a spin. Yet it also wants parity among competitors, to the point it has considered requiring all makes of cars to have the same basic shape. Well, at least these latest tweaks have given us something to talk about.