Jimmy Johnson won the Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With his 76th career win, Johnson ties Dale Earnhardt Sr., for seventh on the all-time career wins list.
Now that Johnson has the win that will enter him into the Chase grid, he and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, have the opportunity to try different setups and tactics for the rest of the regular season as they prepare for the Chase. The No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet team has done this many times before, helping them win five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championships.
All the hype leading up to the start of the race was about how difficult it would be to keep your car on the track because of the new down-force package and the rough track surface. The last time the track was repaved was in 1997 and tire wear was definitely affected. Three laps were about all the drivers could get before the tires would start to lose grip, causing the cars to slide around as if on a dirt track. The race went caution-free for the first 209 laps -- the longest green flag run to start a race in Atlanta history.
The first caution was for debris (it looked like a water bottle) and then the race went caution-free for another 211 laps when a one-car spin put the field under yellow. The race re-started under the new overtime rule and Johnson passed the overtime line when a four-car crash on the backstretch caused the race to end under caution.
The new overtime rule will feature an “overtime line.” The location of the overtime line will vary by track. After taking the green on the overtime restart, if the leader then passes the overtime line on the first lap under green before a caution comes out, it will be considered a valid green-white-checkered attempt. However, if a caution comes out before the leader passes the overtime line on the first lap under green, it will not be considered a valid attempt, and a subsequent attempt will be made.
If necessary, multiple subsequent attempts will be made until a valid attempt occurs. Once a valid attempt is achieved (clean restart), it will become the only attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.
Only 39 teams showed up for the Atlanta race, the smallest number of teams since 35 attempted to qualify for the 1993 Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is not a surprise as NASCAR came up with the Team Owner Agreement, which locks 36 teams into a race, leaving only four spots left to fill the 40-car field. Teams not guaranteed a spot in the field have to qualify on time and it could prove to be expensive if they don’t make the race. Don’t be surprised if only 37 cars show up at a race and it could happen next week if teams don’t want the extra expense of traveling out west.
The race next week will be in Las Vegas.