By Jared Turner NASCAR should be applauded for tweaking the pre-qualifying inspection procedures following the debacle at Atlanta Motor Speedway where 13 drivers – including Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart -- were unable to even get on track to complete a qualifying run. After being widely criticized for not giving drivers enough time to get through inspection, NASCAR announced prior to the Las Vegas weekend that an 15 extra minutes would be allowed for teams to prepare their cars for inspection and for officials to complete the inspection process before qualifying in Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana. The change…

By Jared Turner How is it possible for any track – especially Daytona International Speedway, “The World Center of Racing” – to lack soft wall technology in 21st century NASCAR? The answer is: It shouldn’t be possible. But, as Kyle Busch found out in the worst kind of way, that’s the stark reality of the situation. If there had been a SAFER barrier installed at the part of the track where Busch hit the wall late in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, he would not have suffered two fractures and been forced to miss the next day’s Daytona 500. Blame it on the…