RESTRICTORS ABOUT SURVIVAL.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

After what happened at Daytona International Speedway to open the season, Ryan Newman can't be much of a fan of restrictor-plate racing.

The winner of Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth was involved in one of the nastiest wrecks of the year so far. At Daytona in February, he tore through the infield and mangled his car in a way that looked far worse than it actually was.

Newman was able to walk away from the crash, but his car was destroyed. It was another disappointing Daytona finish for Newman.

The series moves this weekend to Talladega Superspeedway, and Newman knows better than most it is a Darwinian battle when it comes to restrictor-plate racing.

``A lot of it is just pure survival,'' said Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge Intrepid for Penske Racing South. ``At Daytona last year, we missed the wreck, went down through the grass in the infield, and came back and challenged for fifth and fell back to seventh at the end. The first Talladega race, we were going for third past halfway in the race and we lost an engine.

``We got back to Daytona for the night race, and we were challenging for fifth to get the No Bull deal and got hit in the rear corner, cut a tire down and crashed. Then we go back to Talladega and we had to battle a fuel-mileage race there and ended up finishing seventh.

``We had good performances. They weren't great by DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) standards, but it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. A lot of it is luck and fortune. Last year, we were in the wrong spot at the wrong time, but that's just part of it.''

DEI drivers Michael Waltrip, winner of this year's Daytona 500, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has won the past three Winston Cup races at Talladega, have become the kings of the speedway jungles in recent years. They are at the top of the stock car food chain at Daytona and Talladega, and some drivers almost concede victory to DEI at places like Talladega.

``It's difficult, and that's why I said you'll see some guys that are satisfied with a top-five (finish) and let the DEI cars run 1-2 again because they're strong and they're great competitors,'' Newman said. ``But it's touchy.

``It's a lot like last year in the Pepsi 400 (at Daytona). I was trying to get in the top five, and I probably should have settled for sixth. I ended up falling back and getting hit in the left rear corner and spin out and go from a potential top-seven finish to 32nd or 35th or whatever it was. You've got to be careful. All it takes is one little wiggle by somebody else to have a bad day.''

Strategy more than speed plays a role in succeeding at Talladega. Part of that sometimes involves following the DEI cars and staying up front with them. Another strategy is to try to get ahead of the DEI drivers and let them follow.

``There's two ways of looking at that,'' Newman said. ``You ever watch the TV show `The Weakest Link?' You either take out the guy you think is going to win or you go head-to-head and try to be able to beat him. That's the way you've got to approach those races.

``There are cars being dominant over the drivers being dominant. You can follow Junior or Waltrip or Steve Park up through the field and once you get there you're not going to be able to pass. If you get an opportunity to pass them in traffic and you can shake them out of line, then you know you're eliminating one of the best chances as far as the winner.

``There are two ways of approaching it. A lot of guys will just be satisfied with going up and finishing in the top five and let the DEI cars finish 1-2. If I see it, I'll work with them when I can, but if there's a chance to shake out the best competitor out there, I'm going to do that.''

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- Tim Haddock