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g TALLADEGA PROBLEM


    Drivers 'Space Out




 | NEW YORK (M-They                                    time stars Richard Petty,
 || might not be totally aware                         Cale Yarborough and
 | of it, but big league stock                         NASCAR champion David
 || car drivers might have                             Pearson complained that the
 || launched the space era of                          track was too bumpy, and
   auto racing.                                        tires wore out prematurely.
                                                       It was said that Talladega
 | Words like pogo phenom­                             was unsafe.
 fl enon, frequency, amplitude      | R
 |i G forces and cyclic vibra-          sl               Finally, just before the big
 g tions, normally a daily part                        500-mile Grand National con­
 || of astronauts’ jargon, have                        test last Sunday, the newly
 | now been introduced to auto             ■i          formed Professional Drivers
 g racing.                                 dSI         Association said they would
  | Racing's unwitting contact             ■ME         boycott the race, which they
                                                       did.
  | with NASA came about at                              But the real danger to the
 |f the new ultra fast track in
  |f Talladega, Ala. This steeply                      drivers was just revealed
 |i banked, 21/2-mile oval found                       after a series of conversa­
                                                       tions with Bill White, aero­
  f| late model stock cars reach-                      space engineer with Chrys­
  g ing lap speeds of almost 200                       ler Corp. Defense and Space
  g miles an hour.
                                                       Division in Huntsville, Ala.
  g At Talladega there was a                             According to White, he
   marked but subtle difference                        began to have misgivings
 g which resulted in strange                           about the new track some
 || after-effects on drivers test­  LEE ROY YARBROUGH
  fl ing the new surface. Big-      Ill-Effects?          See DRIVERS, Page 4-Il


      FURMAN                                                   ©Jje Allanti Journal

                                                           SPORTS





                                                          1-D                    Thursday, Sept. 18, 1969
                   Sports Editor
                                                     VKTYthJ t                                    ~

                                                     SPACE WORDS i



                                                                                   Continued From Page 1-D I
                                                    ___________ — ----------- three weeks ago. when Dodge I
                                                              1      '        driver Bobby Isaac compiled |
                                                                               of physical discomfort afto a .
                                                                               series of tests with Chryslers
                                                                               new racing stock car, the Dodge
                                                                               Charger Daytona.            !
                                                                                 Isaac said he found it difficult
                                                                                to see over the bumpy areas
                                                                                when running at speeds, of 195)
                                                                                m.p.h. plus. As the dnver was
                                                                                not in the car for extended pe-,
                                                                                riods of time, nothing further
                                                                                was discussed. .
                                                                                  But when practice and quaii-
                                                                                i tying began at Talladega last
                                                                                S, new.
                                                                                 symptoms were reported. An
                                                                                 other Dodge driver, Charlie
                                                                                 Glotzbach, after pulling jute the
                                                                                                    ill IV W-avz
                                                                                 ~*~'7-----' exclainied,
                                                                                                          *
                                                                                 nit area, exclaimed, Hell, l
                                                                                 don’t know where I’m going. . I
                                                                                          » pressed further,
                                                                               ! nain’t see.” Pressed further,
                                                                               ‘ ’ Glotzbach admitted that for a
                                                                                 £~riei;^fe frgg
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