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Two past NASCAR Cup series champions say they feel comfortable racing at Talladega, even with the threat of danger that lurks at that track.

Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch discussed safety and driving at Talladega Superspeedway — where the series heads this weekend — in light of the IndyCar crash that killed Dan Wheldon on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Pack racing has been common at Talladega, but this year the packs have broken into two-car drafts with one car pushing the other. The advantage is it spreads the field. The disadvantage is that the driver in the car pushing can't see what's ahead and has to rely on the driver ahead or a spotter to alert him.

"I feel very safe, especially in a stock car with the roll cage," Busch said. "The speeds we run aren't as great as the IndyCars. Talladega is Talladega. Everybody knows it going in. There's much more comfort when you've done it year after year after year and you trust the 43 guys that are out there."

Gordon says he feels "very safe" in the car, but admits that cars swapping positions in the two-car draft can cause safety issues. He notes that cars running together can be going 10 mph or so faster than cars side-by-side as they swap who leads and who pushes. With rules changes intended to limit how long a car can push before its engine overheats, there could be more swapping this time.

So, which style of racing is safer? The two-car draft or the large pack?

"I think there's pluses and minuses to both," Gordon said. "I can remember being in the middle three-wide, four rows back, not being very comfortable, not thinking this is the best situation to be in, yet that's kind of where you're forced to be. As a race-car driver, as a competitor, you've got to put yourself in positions at times, it doesn't matter if it's just you and one other car and you dive inside of him and you know you're going to get loose inside of them at Charlotte or at another race track. You have to take risks.

"You try to make sure those risks are calculated. But on the spot, at the moment, sometimes it's a split-second decision, and it can work out to win you the race or it can cause you to lose the championship.

"When it comes to Talladega, to me for the most part of the race, I think this two-car draft is actually a little bit safer than what we've had with the big packs and a little bit less stress. But when it comes down to winning the race with 20 or 25 (laps) to go, it is as intense as it can possibly get for a race-car driver ... especially if you're pushing. It's no fun to go through there somewhat blind."

FIRST-TIMER: Kasey Kahne drove a Hendrick Motorsports car for the first time during Monday's fuel-injection test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kahne will join Hendrick next year, replacing Mark Martin. Kahne tested with Hendrick since his Red Bull team did not take part.

"Getting to drive the Hendrick engine ... and the Chevrolet was a first for me, so just to have that in my head and be able to think about that for a while is a good thing," Kahne said.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com