Drivers skipping Talladega?? UPDATE 2: in part from the Winston Salem Journal – …But the big story of the day was furious driver reaction to NASCAR’s continued inaction on Talladega rules. Bobby Labonte, the Winston Cup champ, said some sponsors have told their drivers if they want to skip the April Talladega 500 they’ll support that decision. See the comments at the :Winston Salem Journal in the middle of the article(3-25-2001) UPDATE: ..Everyone is scared to death over the Talladega race right now. There is even talk, not that anything is likely to materialize, of sponsors telling their teams they will allow them to skip the race, or of some drivers talking about running only a token lap and then parking their cars in protest. They arent telling NASCAR that. Theyre afraid their car wont get through inspection, or that NASCAR will start hitting them with arbitrary requirements that make it impossible for them to be competitive.(Gaston Gazette) AND see a story at the Stock Car Reporter: Talledega?(3-25-2001) UPDATE 2: No one seriously expects any of the stars to pass up the April 22 race(at Talladega). But the fact that sponsors are getting into the safety debate is significant, because NASCAR executives who might dismiss complaints by drivers won’t easily write off worries by the companies whose advertising dollars keep this sport running.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-26-2001)
