From the NASCAR Pits

NASCAR officials, not particularly fond of the prospect of another soaring, flipping car at the finish line at Talladega, have changed the restrictor plates for this fourth and final restrictor-plate race of the season. They have also raised the height of the catch fences … for obvious reasons.
The racing will change. It always does. No one knows how it will change, but the driver who figures out how it’s changed might be the guy who wins the Amp Energy 500.
This is subtle. You’ll have to watch closely. With a little less power, drafting help may be more important. Since the generic cars came into use, it’s been easier for drivers to “go it alone.” The last two races here have seen one car (or two working together) seemingly faster than a group of them in the final lap at this most frightening of NASCAR venues. A year ago, Regan Smith swooped into the lead at the end (though NASCAR didn’t allow it to stand) and, in the spring, “the swoop” came from winner Brad Keselowski and ill-fated Carl Edwards.
The aerodynamic sands are always shifting here. Every time cars change, whether by seemingly minor changes in horsepower or changes in car configuration, the racing changes, too.
No one’s likely to know how it changes until the actual laps wind down and drivers start trying desperately to find an edge.
Someone will probably find it. It may play back into the hands of a driver — say, Dale Earnhardt Jr. — who has lost what once was an edge at Talladega. There may be a “Eureka moment” for someone who hasn’t excelled at Talladega in the past.

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