Days of Thunder? NASCAR Restrictor Plate Looks More and More Like Movie

"Rubbing is Racing'." 

That is what Harry Hogge told his driver Cole Trickle in the movie Days of Thunder when the rookie Trickle was complaining about the aggressiveness of his NASCAR competitors.  Well, after watching last night's Coke Zero 400, and the carnage that ensued on the last lap, I can safely say that they're "rubbing" alright.

The controversial conclusion of last night's race saw the sport's bad boy Kyle Busch mere feet away from repeating as the race's winner when he was taken out by Tony Stewart (presumably by accident) that began a snow ball effect that would destroy not only Busch's car, but a host of others.

This type of finish will undoubtedly spark debate between NASCAR fans.  On the one hand, the last laps of the race provided a ton of excitement that saw some great passing, and ultimately, the pulse pounding conclusion and destruction of almost 10 cars.

On the other hand, last night's race provided yet another example how restrictor plate racing is spiraling towards a path that made the over the top antics seen in Days of Thunder seem tame.  And I believe that is a growing problem.

Let me first tell you I'm not the world's biggest NASCAR fan.  I, like many others, began to watch following the untimely passing of Dale Earnhardt.  I've watched with some consistency rooting for my favorite drivers Mark Martin, Kurt and Kyle Busch and the recently retired Rusty Wallace. 

However, I can't tell you much about chassis adjustments or how a tire pressure adjustment changes the tightness or looseness of a car.

I just like watching good racing.  And when people watch a restrictor plate race, fans are almost guaranteed of it.  And to that point, people surely were not disappointed last night.

However, the race last night illustrated a growing trend at the end of a restrictor plate race.  Gone are the days of side by side racing, trying to simply outrace your competitor.  It appears it's becoming a game of blocking, and being blocked which has it's own excitement, but it's also becoming very dangerous.

Flash back to this year's first Talladega race.  Carl Edwards was trying to stay ahead of Brad Keselowski coming to the final turn when he inched up the race track trying to block the rookie.  Keselowski struck Edward's left rear tire and what ensued was one of the more terrifying wrecks in recent memory. 

Edwards's car started to spin towards the wall and was slightly airborne when it struck Ryan Newman's car at full speed.  His car then spiraled in the air, not into the wall, but the protective fencing which thankfully did its job and saved the lives of spectators.  Still, seven were injured.

The No. 99 car of Edwards was destroyed but somehow he was left relatively unharmed.  People hoped this would be a rare occurrence. But after last night's race, one has to be concerned it could be becoming a pattern.

Just like the Taladega race, Busch tried to block Stewart.  Like that race, Stewart struck Busch's left rear.  And like that race, Busch's car got destroyed in a scary looking crash.  Only in this one, it involved a host of other drivers.

Busch's No. 18 car became a pinball as it hit a wall, then was struck in the back by Kasey Khane at full speed.  With the car virtually destroyed, Busch's car was near a complete stop when his teammate Joey Logano, blinded by the smoke on the track plowed into the driver side of Busch's car.

Those who are in charge of safety in NASCAR should give themselves a pat in the back as Busch walked out of his car, not looking the worse for wear.  Khane, Logano, nor anyone else was injured. 

But does NASCAR really want to wait until someone is? 

When Days Of Thunder came out, it was largely dismissed as a Hollywood fluff, a Tom Cruise movie that was Top Gun in a race car.   And frankly, it was.  You saw people throwing each other into walls, intentional wrecks being done just to mess up a rival and more. 

But if you watch the one crash in that movie at Daytona in which Cole Trickle and Rowdy Burns both sustain serious head injuries, it looked eerily familiar to last night's conclusion.

Look, wrecks happen in NASCAR, especially in restrictor plate races.  But don't people remember some thrilling conclusions like the 2007 Dayton 500 where Mark Martin and Kevin Harvick dueled side by side.  It was exciting, but it was clean and both men showed respect.

But the problem is, it's like the saying goes.  "It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt."  How long will NASCAR allow this to go on?  Sure, maybe they'll get a ratings boost with a wreck like that, but are you going to allow that type of aggression to happen on a super speedway until another driver gets killed?  Or worse yet, fans?

It's one thing to use that type of aggressive mentality at a speedway like Dover, where speeds top out at 150 miles per hour, or Bristol, which is just a half-mile long short track.  It's entirely different when you're at Daytona and Talladega. 

NASCAR better realize this for the safety of their drivers, spectators and sport itself.  Before it's too late.