Wallace: Talladega is most pivotal remaining race.

Miller Lite Team Penske driver Rusty Wallace is calling this weekend's EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway the "most pivotal" of the seven races remaining on the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule.

Meanwhile, Doug Ingold, gas man for Wallace's No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Taurus, says the smaller fuel cell rule mandated for this weekend's final restrictor-plate race of the season could produce a rare scenario... a race with no four-tyre pit stops.

"When you stop and take a look at the remaining races, you have to point to this weekend at Talladega as being probably the most pivotal," said Wallace, who closed to within 137 points of the lead in the Winston Cup standings after a third-place finish at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.

"You can look at all the other races left and say that your preparation and durability are the biggest factors involved. At Talladega, you certainly have to consider all of that, but the most important thing you have to add to the equation is missing the big wreck. I mean nobody comes in there looking to wreck, but it seems to just about always happen. If you're in the big wreck, your day is likely done and you'll likely take a killer blow in the points. This late in the season, it could just take you right out of the picture."

For Sunday's race on the mammoth 2.66-mile Talladega track, NASCAR is reducing the size of the fuel cell to 20 by 17 by 9 3/4 inches. The current tank holds 22 gallons; the new dimension will hold about 12.5 gallons.

"I understand what NASCAR's trying to do with this smaller fuel cell rule that we'll be running under," said Wallace, who finished second in the most recent restrictor-plate race, the July 6 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. "They're looking at it producing more pit stops which will maybe break the field up into a bunch of smaller packs running out there instead of just one giant cluster.

"Now that theory may just work, I don't know for sure and it's yet to be seen," added Wallace. "It definitely will put additional pressure on the guys for getting the job done all day in the pits. But even if it does make for smaller packs, you always have to look at what will happen at the beginning of the race.

"When the green flag falls and until the first round of pit stops come... that'll be at least 25 laps or so... and during that time it'll be just like every other (restrictor-) plate race. Until the pit stops start, you'll have the cars all wadded up as usual. Any time you have the cars all running in a big pack like that, the big crash can happen. So really, when you step back and look at it like that, the 12-gallon rule really doesn't come into play until the first pit stops start, does it?"

Doug Ingold, Wallace's veteran gasman, says Sunday's 500-mile, 188-lap race on the Alabama track could be "the most unusual race we've ever run."

"It's gonna' be interesting, to say the least," said Ingold. "Depending on when and why the first pit stops of the race come, we could see them go the full 500 miles without a single four-tyre stop. I mean I think if the first stop comes because of a caution, you're probably gonna' see some of the teams do four tyres, just so they can get a good reading on the tyre wear. But even then you'll have the teams looking at track position and how best to get it.

"But, what if there are no yellow-flag stops in the early part of the race? If you go full fuel runs and base your stops on that, you'll see a situation where you come in the first time for right-side tyres and fuel. Then, the next time you take on lefts and fuel. You'll even see guys say 'to heck with the tyres...just get me in, get the gas in there and get me out of there.' It's definitely gonna' place so much more importance on the work in the pits. I personally won't enjoy being under that big of level of scrutiny, but we'll be ready for them.

"I understand that this Sunday's race could very well be a test run for using the smaller (fuel) cells at some of the other tracks... tracks like Michigan and others where the fuel mileage has been so key and the tyre wear not much of a big deal at all. They're saying it could be a trial run to take this thing elsewhere.

"As far as the smaller fuel cells go, I don't think the dump can situation will be an issue at all," said Ingold. "All the teams have to work on the cans' filler-necks and all and basically every can out there holds around 12 gallons, anyhow. The NASCAR officials all know that. There's not a single stock gas can out there on pit road and everybodyknows that, so that shouldn't be a hot topic this weekend, I don't think.

"But all the stuff that can happen - all that will be going on Sunday- it could produce a race that they'll be talking about for years to come," concluded Ingold. "I just hope we can finish 500 miles at Talladega without anybody getting hurt out on the track - and on pit road."