I'll praise it too, it was probably the best race I've attended. That long green run, I dunno how it translated to television but so much was going on that there was no need for a restart to kind of reset things and get things going because they'd stayed going from the start. The picture kept evolving (at least until Kevin really took command there for a little while) and kept the intrigue factor up, which to me is what defines a great race. No set factors, just how intriguing it was, and this one was great in that regard. It was also remarkable to watch some of the saves the drivers made. Biffle especially deserves some sort of award for as many times as he was just about completely sideways and saved it.
DRIVERS GIVE HIGH PRAISE TO 2016 RULES PACKAGE POST-ATLANTA
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Every 1.5-mile track likely won't produce the sort of action that took place Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where NASCAR Sprint Cup teams got their first crack at the 2016 lower downforce base rules package.
But if those races at those venues, and there are many, are merely close?
It could be quite an entertaining season.
A shorter spoiler and slight changes to the front splitter and extension panel showed promise a year ago when used for races at Kentucky Speedway andDarlington Raceway. Now, teams and officials are hoping those promises are legit.
That would seem to be the case. Following Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, some folks were downright giddy.
Still, it's just one race.And it's Atlanta, where the surface hasn't seen a fresh coat of asphalt since 1997.
And Goodyear built a tire that had "Eagle" emblazoned on the side but should have read "Goldilocks." Not too hard, not too soft, but just right.
"I loved it," runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "We were sliding around and driving the hell out of the car. I had a blast."
The Hendrick Motorsports driver had himself quite a tussle, battling with fellow competitors Brad Keselowski (Team Penske) and defending series champion Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing) for position during the second half of the race.
"Man, it was so much fun. I post old pictures online all the time of the '80s and '90s and that's when racing was racing. That's when it was good. That's what they saw today," he said.
Keselowski, ninth in the final rundown, said he "loved the way the cars drove.
"I understand that it takes more than my opinion to make the sport go round, but I thought it was awesome," he said.
Busch was no less impressed with the package, but as did the others, made clear that the cars were now much more difficult to handle.
"We were just battling back and forth and slide jobbing one another and high lane-ing it and cutting each other off and everything, so it was pretty fun," Busch said of his battle with the others. "This package lends itself to that.
"Pretty good race I felt like -- a lot harder than some of us may want it to be, but that makes it good for the drivers and the crew chiefs to have to work together to come out here and build a good package for themselves and a comfortable race car."
There were 28 lead changes among eight drivers, although the bulk of those did come as teams cycled though green-flag pit stops. A lack of cautions kept restarts to a minimum; thus, preserving one's tires through the course of a run became paramount.
Still, there were passes for the lead on the track as well. Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing) put on quite a show, exchanging the top spot several times near the halfway point of the race.
Joey Logano, Keselowski's teammate, said the real test would come next week, when the series travels to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Another 1.5-mile track, but less punishing on tires and perhaps less finicky.
But Logano noted of the package at AMS, "I thought a faster car (could) pass the car in front of them, no doubt."
"We started 27th and we drove up into the top-five without a caution, so you could show how fast our car was by how we were all capable of passing out there," he said.
Just how the package does at Las Vegas and other similar tracks will be known soon enough. Until then?
"They just need to keep taking more (downforce) away," JGR driver Carl Edwards said.
"This is real racing. We're driving hard. You can see the guys out here just digging for everything they're worth. I'm worn out. That's a tough race and just a lot of fun."
Drivers give high praise to 2016 rules package post-Atlanta | NASCAR.com
