Updated April 7
The new car might be a boon for safety as proven by Michael McDowell's spectacular wreck during qualifying at Texas, but it's still getting low marks for raceability.
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| Johnson after the race: 'I was really shocked today in how bad the cars drove in traffic.' (US Presswire) |
"I was really shocked today in how bad the cars drove in traffic," Johnson said. "It was really unfortunate. You would catch people and the guy in front of you would run your pace. I really think we need to look at some changes to help these cars not be so aero dependent, they are safer, they are doing a lot of things the right way, but we really need to look at making some changes so these cars can have a little more down force. So we get into low downforce situations, there is more grip in the car."
For all his griping, though, Johnson did admit this isn't exactly a new issue.
"We've always had an aero problem. I don't care if you go back to the '70s and '80s in racing, it was still there and nobody knew about it," Johnson said. "Now, we do and it's a big tool that we use. I don't know if we can correct some of it.
"This car is so much bigger. It is safer and that's a great thing. But I'd love to see NASCAR talk to some team engineers and think all right, what's a logical step that's not going to cost millions and millions of dollars to get some more front downforce in the cars so you don't get so tight in traffic. It seems that we have plenty of rear grip from time to time with the aero balance and you can adjust the wing there. But the cars really need some front downforce."
Edwards, who just so happens to have three wins already this season, thinks it's nonsense.
"I've heard people say that the races are boring, and people always want something to complain about -- if it's too hard to drive, you don't get enough side-by-side racing," Edwards said.
"The fact is that these are the 43 best drivers in the world. The cars have 900 horsepower and go 200 miles an hour, and the track is slippery and the tires are slippery, and that's a spectacle -- and that's what it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be easy everyone. It's not supposed to be driving down the interstate. I'm tired of hearing people complain, the media make up stories about how terrible it is and stuff –- this is auto racing. There are going to be people that are faster.
"We're going to have days when we can't keep up because the car is too hard to drive. Somebody's going to win. That's racing. It's the same for everyone and it just makes it more exciting to win, and it means more."
Power Rankings after Texas:
| POWER RANKINGS | ||
| Current | Driver | Previous |
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 1 |
| Next to Martinsville, there probably isn't a better track for Johnson and his 48 team to try to rebound than Phoenix, where he has three wins, seven top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of fifth in 12 starts. | ||
| 2 | Mark Martin | 2 |
| Martin was OK in the first half of Sunday's race but really came on in the second half to snag a top five. That allowed him to close the gap on Johnson from 184 to 73 points. And there's even more good news for the 5 team as the series shifts Phoenix: Martin won at the track in April. | ||
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | 3 |
| Troubles at Talladega and Texas left him outside the top 10 in back-to-back races for the first time since May. | ||
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 5 |
| A good, solid effort from the 14 team throughout at Texas, just didn't have enough to challenge the Busch brothers for supremacy. | ||
| 5 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 4 |
| He started 20th and had made gains into the top 10 until he got loose running next to Carl Edwards, taking them both out. | ||
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 6 |
| He was stout early, racing from 25th into the top five, but poor pit stops and contact with the wall had the 11 car reeling in the second half of the race. So his team gambled and won on fuel mileage to pull out second. | ||
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 7 |
| Not only did he have a great car, but great fuel mileage as well. He was always one of the last to pit after every long green-flag run at Texas. | ||
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 10 |
| On the verge of an historical triple victory weekend at Texas, he runs out of fuel just a couple laps from the finish. Tough way to end Dave Rogers' first race as crew chief of the 18 car. | ||
| 9 | Ryan Newman | 9 |
| Struggled with a loose car at Texas, running just 61 laps in the top 15. | ||
| 10 | Matt Kenseth | 12 |
| His 17 team continues to show late-season improvement. He had the best finish (third) of those who pitted for gas instead of gambling. | ||
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 14 |
| A steady run for Bowyer, who finishes in the top 10 at Texas for the third time in his past four visits. | ||
| 12 | Greg Biffle | 13 |
| Notched his second consecutive top 10 and third of the Chase. | ||
| 13 | Kasey Kahne | 8 |
| After starting second, he dropped like a rock. Ran in the teens most of the day until his engine went sour in the waning laps, leading to a 33rd-place finish. | ||
| 14 | Carl Edwards | 11 |
| Four consecutive finishes outside the top 10 including two finishes of 39th. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to avoid Montoya getting up into him Sunday at Texas. | ||
| 15 | Kevin Harvick | 15 |
| Earns his fourth top five of the season at Texas, his first since a second-place run at Atlanta in early September. | ||
