DARLINGTON TOUGH ON DRIVERS.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

It's difficult not to feel a little sorry for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers.

Last week they were at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, where 25 cars were taken out in the inevitable big one that has become as predictable as Jeff Gordon's beer-bottle baptism after winning the race.

This weekend they are at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, the first super speedway built for NASCAR and arguably the toughest track on the circuit.

Imagine getting from the Ventura Freeway to the Foothill Freeway via Glenoaks Boulevard, and you might get a taste of what the Cup guys are going through during this stretch.

One driver who has found considerable success at Darlington is Jimmie Johnson, the Nextel Cup Series points leader.

Johnson won both races at Darlington in 2004. Despite his winning runs, Johnson is hardly comfortable at Darlington.

``The day you believe that or feel that you have, she'll bite you,'' said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports. ``I don't think I've tamed her. I've become decent friends with her, and we'll just try to keep it that way.''

During the weekly NASCAR teleconference, Johnson was asked what he thinks his odds are of adding a third consecutive win at Darlington.

``I don't think we spend too much time looking at the odds and approaching things that way,'' Johnson said. ``I think we look at our past performance and try to see what we can do better. In looking at the Darlington track, it's tough to do better than what we did. We just look at it more in that light, though.''

Sounds like anything short of victory would be a setback. Then again, just making it to the finish would be a moral victory after what happened at Talladega.

Johnson missed the big one only to be taken out later in the race in what can only be described as the aftershock. As Johnson attests, finding a way to end the big wrecks that have become commonplace at the restrictor-plate tracks, Talladega and Daytona, is no easy task.

Johnson compared racing at Talladega to trying to maneuver a boat across another's wake, with 42 other boats doing the same thing.

``NASCAR is in a corner where they can't allow us to run any faster to separate us because of safety issues of the cars taking off,'' said Johnson, who lives in El Cajon. ``We just kind of concede, we know we're going to Talladega or Daytona, there will be a 20-car wreck. We just kind of hope we're not in it. It's what we have to do there, unfortunately.''

Reducing the cars' speeds is not an option. That's what the restrictor plates are for. But Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, offered a suggestion, one that has been kicked around NASCAR for a few years.

``So one of the things we've talked about in the past with NASCAR is going to a narrower tire, a tire that will give up more, wear out more, give less contact patch to the ground,'' Knaus said.

``I think that's something that they can maybe look into that would help that.''

Ultimately, fans want to see the tight packs and the three-wide racing at Talladega. Until that changes, it's doubtful NASCAR will do much to change how the cars race at restrictor-plate tracks.

``I don't really think it's anybody's fault,'' Johnson said. ``We're racing hard. NASCAR, for safety reasons, have to keep the rules how they are. We just hope we're not in the big wreck.''

Just like driving the 101 at rush hour.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

JEFF GORDON

Box:

RACE WEEK

BY TIM HADDOCK