Restrictor plates have long history
Q: When did NASCAR start using restrictor plates? I personally like the close racing, but maybe it would be better to let the cars run faster and spread out a bit. — H.P., Tennessee
A: Most people think NASCAR began using restrictor plates in 1988, but that’s not the case. NASCAR started using restrictor plates in 1970, mainly because speeds went through the 200-mph barrier on the big tracks in 1969. However, unlike today, drivers had to use the restrictor plates on all the tracks, including Martinsville, where speeds at that time may have hit 85 mph on the straight-aways.
Also unlike today — where all teams must use the same restrictor plate — certain engines were allowed to run restrictor plates that let more fuel into the engines, mainly the wedge-head Ford engines, while Chrysler’s Hemi engines ran plates that restricted more air and fuel. This caused quite a controversy between the manufacturers, so in 1971 NASCAR utilized a carburetor sleeve to limit air and fuel. NASCAR finally went without restrictor plates when identical cubic-inch limits for all engines were announced in 1975, and it wasn’t until 1988 that they reappeared in their present form.
Concerning the racing, I, too, would like to see something done to spread out the cars and eliminate the big crash, but we’ll leave all of that up to NASCAR. Granted, most of the drivers and teams hate the restrictor-plate races, but the fans love them, and the speeds are kept lower.
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Q: I enjoyed your article on Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. What I’d like to know is why his teams are running so poorly this season? He’s three wins away from 100 career wins with three separate cars, but he hasn’t done well thus far in 2004. What’s wrong? — Pamela M., e-mail from Pennsylvania
A: Pamela, nothing is really wrong. Things right now are just not going Prudhomme’s way, but I’ll assure you his team will be heard from before the year is out. Sometimes everything goes right for a team, while other times the smallest thing that goes wrong during a race can throw the whole operation off. Prudhomme’s been around for a long time. He knows how to win and has the right equipment, and I feel that before this season is over he’ll be enjoying his 100th win.
At Bristol this year all three of his cars lost in the first round, even though Tommy Johnson in the SKOAL Blue Monte Carlo had the quickest run of his career in his loss. Johnson said that his eyeglasses fogged up and he couldn’t see the starting lights, something I know from experience can happen. The Bristol race was run Monday morning due to rain on Sunday, and the cool weather and heat from the engine produced the fogging. They’ll get it all straightened out, and enjoy those victory-lane laurels soon.