A day after Carl Edwards' car careened into the fence at Talladega, injuring seven fans and leading Edwards and other drivers to question the racing at that track, NASCAR officials explained the changes they'll make.
Not much.
Series officials have examined Edwards' car and noted the safety devices worked properly as did the fencing, which kept the car from entering the grandstands.
They will continue to study the situation but don't expect the restrictor plates to be replaced by smaller engines, the track's banking to be reduced or the yellow line out-of-bounds mark, to be eliminated.
The one change likely to come from Sunday's event is that series officials will be stricter in penalizing those who block or drive aggressively at Daytona and Talladega.
John Darby, Sprint Cup director, said race winner Brad Keselowski did nothing wrong as he raced Edwards to the finish before they bumped, sending Edwards on his wild ride.
Darby also said he didn't see too much racing that was too wild at all Sunday; no driver was penalized for aggressive driving.
"For the most part, (Sunday) was rather calm on the aggressiveness," Darby said on Monday.
If series officials do start judging aggressive driving more, it puts them in a position they don't like — as those who could change the outcome of a race with a decision.
"We have tried to let the racers take care of themselves," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition also said on Monday.
"When certain situations develop a pattern on a more regular basis that's when we may have to step in and make some calls that we really &ellipses; don't want them to put us in that position to make the call. We'd rather the competitors take care of it on the track."
As for other ideas, Darby says taking the banking out of Talladega and Daytona speedways to reduce speeds is something he doesn't see as a viable option.
He also said if officials remove the restrictor plates, which choke horsepower and keep the cars bunched, and let drivers use a smaller engine, they would still face similar issues as they do now.
Pemberton said the fence was "plenty high," but that officials will review its height. He said he anticipates series officials will talk to Edwards about the accident.
Edwards, who was not a fan of restrictor-plate racing before this past weekend, said after his crash: "I guess we'll do this until someone gets killed and then we'll change it."
Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com
SPRINT CUP
What: Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400
Where: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. Saturday/WGHP-8
Qualifying/TV: 5:30 p.m. Friday/Speed
NATIONWIDE
What: Lipton Tea 250
Where: Richmond International Raceway
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. Friday/ESPN2
Qualifying: 4 p.m. Friday/Speed
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