New Form Of Plate Racing Makes Teamwork A Must

The close finish at Talladega has produced multiple highlights on TV, the Internet, and newspapers. There is much talk over the way the finish went down, how Jimmie Johnson took the lead from being so far back a few laps earlier, and even if the pass was legal.

Taking yet another look at the finish of the race is even more interesting. Notice that all the cars in the photo finish have their teammate with them - pushing them from behind.

Jimmie Johnson of course had Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon had Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer had Kevin Harvick, and making their way into the picture, but just a little too late, was Carl Edwards getting pushed by Greg Biffle.

All those pairings were teammates - and all of them finished in the top eight.

With the new two car drafting affect taking over how drivers race at the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, teammates are necessary in order to win the race.

Take a look at Jimmie Johnson, the winner of the Aaron's 499. He had Dale Earnhardt Jr. push him across the line in the closing feet of the race, however, they were not just hooked up at the end. The two drivers were paired together at the start of the race, by turn one, and kept working together on the same radio with the same spotter for the entire race. They had the plan since before they hit the racetrack, and therefore committed to one another the entire race, never leaving the other behind for any reason - even if the two drivers did not line up anywhere near each other on the restarts.

This commitment to have one of them win the race led the teams to a great finish for Earnhardt and a win for Johnson.

With the competition as close as ever at restrictor plate races, the best way to gain an edge is by working with someone who has the same equipment as you and the same desire to get a team car to victory lane. If nothing else changes as far as the restrictor plate rule package is concerned, when the Daytona July race comes around, you can expect everyone paired up with a teammate of theirs.