A love tap here, a slight nudge there. With speeds nearing 195mph, few dared to test NASCAR's soft new bumpers on Friday with a full-forced slam.
That's exactly what NASCAR was hoping for when it ordered teams to relax their front bumpers for Sunday's Aaron's 499 race at Talladega Superspeedway. The rule was a reaction to dangerous bump drafting this season at Daytona, where defending series champion Tony Stewart warned someone was going to die if the practice wasn't reigned in.
Now, a tiny bit of contact might cripple a car, and drivers didn't want to risk it during Friday's two practice sessions.
"I have to admit, I was a little timid with it up there," said Jimmie Johnson, the Daytona 500 winner. "I knew it was there and it was softer, but I am really trying not to bump draft.
"I've gotten myself into more trouble at plate tracks than I care to, so I'm just going to keep my bumper to myself."
Bump drafting -- the art of one driver slamming into the rear bumper of the car in front of him to push it along -- was out of control during February's racing at Daytona. When Stewart and others complained that it had become too dangerous after an exhibition race, NASCAR president Mike Helton sternly warned drivers to tone it down.
Then he sent additional officials to different perches around the track to police it. Stewart and Kyle Busch were both caught and penalized for aggressive driving.
So NASCAR tried something different for this restrictor-plate race, ordering teams to remove the steel plates from their front bumpers to "soften" them. Now, excessive contact could crumple the car nose and ruin the aerodynamics or cause the car to overheat.
"I've been out there and gotten hit in the back with a bump draft that you would have thought you hit the wall it was so hard," Michael Waltrip said. "And that's not going to be possible anymore."
Only it's not clear how much contact will be too much, and defending race winner Jeff Gordon said drivers didn't want to find out during practice.
"I felt guys being really careful -- I had one guy barely touch me, and I barely touched someone once," Gordon said. "I didn't see or feel guys pushing the limit too much."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., a five-time Talladega winner who has mastered the art of bump drafting, wasn't one of them.
"I used mine," he said after practice. "It worked just fine."
But Earnhardt can get away with the practice because he knows how to properly do it. Rather than slam into the car in front of you, the right way to do it involves pulling back just a bit before getting to the next car -- then give it a gentle nudge to move it along.
"I think you'll still be able to bump draft effectively, and I still think it'll be an effective way to advance your position and that of the guy in front of you as well," Earnhardt said.
"If you do it right, the person on the receiving end is appreciative of the help. People just don't like getting the fire knocked out of them all the time."
But Gordon, just like every other driver in the field, said all bets will be off when a race win is on the line.
"In the closing laps, we're going to see guys using their front bumper no matter what and then it's going to be up to NASCAR to monitor it," Gordon said. "I am certainly going to do everything I can in those final laps if I have a chance to win the race."
RSS