Five things we learned from Charlotte

Yes, you can teach an old champion new tricks. 

Jimmie Johnson learned a valuable lesson about restarts in the All-Star Race on Saturday night. Despite winning the third segment, he was vulnerable on the outside line for the 10-lap shootout to decide the winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Johnson was alongside Brad Keselowski, who was a sitting duck on old tires. Kyle Busch lined up behind Keselowski and snookered everyone by diving to the inside to pass both Keselowski and Johnson for the lead and eventually the victory. 

“I didn't have control of that final restart,” Johnson said. “I thought Brad would really be able to hold back that inside lane, and I would be able to at least clear him through the center of (Turns) 1 and 2 on newer tires.

“One further expansion on that restart environment: you either want to be the leader or in the second row. The second‑place guy can't jump, usually is in one of the most vulnerable positions.  But the second row can roll up and have a few miles an hour behind them before they hit the gas, usually make something happen. I was nervous when I saw that, saw that the 2 stayed out.  Then I knew he would take the inside on old tires. I honestly felt like I was going to have it under control, but the 18 somehow got inside of the 2. That was kind of it for us on the win.”

Busch checked out from the field and beat Kyle Larson to the line by 1.274-seconds. Johnson was third. The seven-time champion, who leads all drivers with eight wins at Charlotte, tried to be politically correct when describing the track’s role in the lackluster main event on Saturday.

“There's no doubt that mile‑and‑a‑half racing puts on a certain type of show,” Johnson said. “There's some that argue line us up at Bristol for an All‑Star Race, and we'll have the wildest night of racing you've ever had in your life. I've had so much success here. I love being at home.  I'm really torn on where to go with it. I think Charlotte Motor Speedway works as hard as they possibly can put on a great show.  They're open‑minded to any and every idea.

“But mile‑and‑a‑half’s do put on a certain style of racing. So I don't mind whichever direction it goes. I think I'd be sad to see it go, because I've won so many All‑Star Races here, and I would naturally want to pick one of my best tracks to have it go to. I think the All‑Star Race should move to Dover. It would be a great night.”

Here are five other takeaways from the weekend: 

1. The Open stole the show — Why are the qualifying races for the All-Star Race always overshadow the main event? Yes, ultimately, there’s $1million up for grabs, but the drivers in the Open are simply competing for the privilege of racing in the All-Star event. Most of those drivers — if given the means to support their race habits — would run at any opportunity. Secondly, the parity among the elite teams locked into the All-Star Race, doesn’t exist among the competition attempting to qualify for the big show. There’s a wide range of talent. There’s a wide range of equipment. And there’s a wide range personnel pitting the cars. While the best racers still prevail, the obstacles within the events provide for a better product.
2. What yellows? — When the only yellow flags that fly during the All-Star Race are between stages, it leaves fans feeling flat. Fewer cautions equal fewer restarts — and that’s where the action lies on a 1.5-mile track with a limited number of competitors. The optic of 10 cars was worse. The driver in clear air (surprise) took off after a few laps. While Johnson won’t come out and say it, I will. It’s time to reconsider the venue for the event. Given the parity in the sport right now, the race would be better suited on a one-mile track or shorter. If nothing else, it would tighten the field and NASCAR would have the option to add laps.
3. The All-Star test session — For as long as there’s been an All-Star Race, the top teams and NASCAR have used the event to try out their latest advancements. With no points on the line, teams can risk experimenting on their cars. Johnson acknowledged trying a few new things prior to the Coca-Cola 600. While the Nos. 4, 18, 41, 42 and 48 appeared pretty sporty, other teams simply didn’t show up. It would be difficult to judge the No. 2 Team Penske crew and Brad Keselowski since he didn’t have tires for the final segment. His teammate Joey Logano, who transferred into the final round after a miserable qualifying effort, was never a factor.
4. Speaking of experiments — Goodyear’s new option tires were met with mixed reviews. Some drivers found the softer compounds useful. Other competitors? Not so much. Kyle Larson, who led two stages leading up to the final 10-lap dash for the $1 million prize was fan. “When you saw a few people start to use it early in the race, you kind of have to change up your game plan there,” Larson said. “After that first run when Jimmie couldn't catch me on the option tire, I was hoping that we were going to put them on for the next segment. Yeah, that segment was a lot of fun. We had cars that had taken two option tires, not option tires.The racing was really good. There for that final segment, we all had used up our green tires, added on the normal ones. “I think the option tire was a really good thing. I think in the future, maybe they could bring a tire that has even more grip and more of a speed and lap time difference that we can visually kind of see that there is a difference.”
5. What happened to Truex? — Martin Truex Jr. dominated Kansas last week. Last year in the Coca-Cola 600, he won from the pole after leading 392 of 400 laps. But in Saturday night’s All-Star Race, Truex didn’t even transfer to the final stage. “That first stage put us in a deep hole,” said Truex, who complained of tires chattering and never really had a handle on his car. “The only good news that came out of tonight is that it was a non-points race. I am confident that we’ll be much better next week in the 600.”
   Truex started the event 14th out of 20 cars and finished 19th in the first stage. The jackman on the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team jumped over the wall too soon and Truex incurred a penalty — not that it mattered since he was already at the back of the field. With the deficit, crew chief Cole Pearn elected to use to soft tires. Truex picked up six spots but never gained enough traction to be a factor.