Q - What are your expectations for the Car of Tomorrow at Talladega?

“It’s going to be very unpredictable. The restrictor-plate size has not been determined yet and the book has not been closed on that specification. We do know that NASCAR is going to stay away from the 200 mph area, but how the car will handle in traffic is unknown. All of the teams are going down there in preparation for a 500-mile event that no one has done before. The guy out front is going to be at a disadvantage because he’ll be a sitting duck, but the rate of closure is a big question. We’re going back to the old Cale Yarborough heydays, where mastering the slingshot will pay very high dividends in Talladega.”

Q - What makes some drivers better at racing on restrictor-plate tracks than others?

“It goes back to the old era of Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt Sr. They would see a car and know how the air is moving over it. You have to be able to get that air to work in your favor and benefit from it. A lot of guys can do that, but then there are some who don’t have a clue.”

Q - How nerve-wracking is restrictor-plate racing for the teams in the pits and what should they anticipate?

“Everybody is going to be glued to the TV. They’re going to be clambering to get to the television, just like the drivers on the racetrack will be racing to get out front. It will be pins and needles for drivers, crews, fans and the people at home. The crews will be anticipating the big wreck and wanting their driver to miss it, but not everyone can. Everybody knows when the checkered flag is going to come on Lap 188, but they don’t know when the big one is coming. It can happen on Lap 3, 110 or 188 and it has happened everywhere in between in the past. That’s why it’s so mentally demanding on drivers and crews.”

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