After Thoughts: NASCAR AAA 400

On Sunday i was in attendance for race number two of NASCAR's chase for the cup at the Dover International Speedway. The usually hectic Monster Mile was tame on Sunday, with only three Service Master Clean caution periods during the entire 400 event. Despite the lack of yellow flags there were plenty of interesting tidbits to explore.

The first point of contention is the tires. The Monster Mile's concrete surface took in plenty of rubber thanks to the softer goodyear tires. But Goodyear may want to look at using a harder compound next year. The rubber on the track created buildup on the tires that created a loose condition for many cars. That being said, it was a wonder that only 3 yellows flew during the event, a testament to the quality of drivers in NASCAR's top series.

The second surprise of the race was Ford's strong effort from its teams. AJ Allmendinger lead a personal-best 143 laps before a softening left rear tire dropped him to a 10th place finish, Carl Edwards ran in the top ten all day, and Paul Menard had a strong day before a misque late in the race dropped him out of the top ten. When the dust settled, three fords were in the top ten of the finishing order, showing the strength of Ford's new FR09 engine.

Finally comes the curious case of Jimmie Johnson. The 4 time champ won Sunday's event by 2 seconds over Jeff Burton after claiming the lead from Kyle Busch after the final restart. However, I'm taking a wait and see approach to the 48 team. After his win in Sonoma, Jimmie struggled through the next ten races leading up to the chase. Dover has also been Jimmie country over the last few years, so it'll be interesting to see how he builds on this momentum as we head to Kansas.

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