Talladega Rules at Atlanta?

Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark has reportedly said rules used at Talladega two weeks ago would be great for Atlanta's race in November. The sanctioning body has made several aerodynamic changes in the cars for Talladega. Clark reportedly has suggested the same rules but without restrictor plates for the Atlanta event.

WHAT WOULD THE RESULTS BE IF THAT HAPPENED, AND WHAT DO DRIVERS THINK OF THE IDEA? HERE IS WHAT SOME OF THEM HAD TO SAY:

STEVE GRISSOM, #44 HOT WHEELS RACING PONTIAC:

"I think that it might be a good idea. At least, it wouldn’t hurt to find out. If you think back to Talladega, some people thought it was a good idea, some others thought it was bad, and others just didn’t know what to think. This would be the same thing. You would get some guys that are going to be all for it and then you’re going to get others that just aren’t going to like it at all. The one thing that you have to keep in mind is the fact that Atlanta is the last race of the year, and if people would talk about this race like they did about Talladega, then it would be a really good deal. Its been almost three weeks and people are still talking about that race at Talladega.

"If you took the race that we had at New Hampshire and then take the one that we ran at Talladega, I think that Atlanta would fall almost in the middle - or maybe it would just lean a bit more towards the Talladega end of things. It couldn’t make the draft any tighter, that’s for sure - if the draft got any tighter than it was at Talladega, you would have cars sitting on each other’s roofs - but it would play a role in the handling and it would be one of those deals where you would have to play the guessing game with the draft. I don’t know what exactly it would do, nobody does, but I do know that it sure would make for an interesting race."

JEREMY MAYFIELD, #12 MOBIL 1 TAURUS:

"I can see some good reasons to try it and I can see some good reasons not to try it. The rules worked really well at Talladega but that was after a lot of testing at Daytona. Is there time to get the testing done for Atlanta and be ready to go there? I don’t know. Maybe.

"The racing at Talladega was pretty close, and that’s what everybody is looking for. Maybe it got a little too close for some drivers but, from what I saw when I watched a tape of that race later, it had to be great for the fans. Can we take the Talladega rules and turn that into a big-time Atlanta race too? Again, I don’t think anybody knows.

"If NASCAR came out and said, ‘OK, we’re going to do it,’ I’d probably be right with them. If they decide not to do it, well, I’ll probably be right with them on that too."

STERLING MARLIN, #40 COORS LIGHT CHEVROLET:

"At first you look at it and think, ‘OK, if Bobby (Labonte) has the championship locked up, what difference does it make?’ But we have to keep in mind that there are a lot of positions that won’t be decided until after Atlanta, so we need to be careful how we approach that. Generally, you look at it and say, ‘Well, everybody has to change things so it ought to be even,’ but any kind of rules change can affect cars differently.

"There were some good things that happened at Talladega, and it did keep the cars really close. How would what everybody saw at Talladega play at Atlanta? I’d say that’s pretty much up in the air right now."