A year ago, Mark Martin saw his hopes for a Cup championship all but blink out when he got caught up in a multicar crash just 19 laps into the UAW-Ford 500. He fell from fourth place to ninth in the standings and never got back into the title hunt.

That was no surprise to Martin, who liked racing at Talladega a whole lot more before the late '80s, when NASCAR began using carburetor restrictor plates to inhibit the speeds.

``I always liked Talladega,'' said Martin, who goes into Sunday's race third in the standings, trailing series leader Jeff Burton by 70 points. ``It was easier to get around than Daytona and I just didn't find it nearly as intimidating.

``In the beginning, we didn't have restrictor plates and handling mattered. Heck, I remember people spinning out here _ on their own. It was just a big ol' racetrack that really tested your skills.''

No more, Martin said.

``The only thing I don't like about it now is that the cars are just going too slow and they are too packed up,'' Martin said. ``Back when they didn't get in such big packs and when handling was a big factor, it was just a lot more fun for the race car driver.

``The frustrating part about it (now) is that your cars mean more than you do. No matter how hard you try, you can't help the team make the car very much better. That's not the case at unrestricted race tracks. The car doesn't mean more than you and you can help the team make the car better.''