Restrictor plates create a love-hate relationship

Associated Press

TALLADEGA, Ala.

Jimmie Johnson didn’t mind a little tag teaming.

Of course, he won the race.

Matt Kenseth thought it was a terrible idea.

Then again, he was knocked out by a crash.

NASCAR drivers have always had a love-hate relationship with restrictor-plate racing, essentially based on how they finish. It’s the same for the fans, who moan and groan about how boring it is — until there’s another nail-biter of an ending like the one at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

Johnson, with a big push from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., edged out Clint Bowyer by two-thousandths of a second to tie for the closest finish since NASCAR started using electronic timing.

Hard to complain about a four-wide sprint to the line. Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards were also in the mix, and the top eight — each of the contenders was accompanied by a pusher — were a mere 0.145 seconds apart.

Throw in a record-tying 88 lead changes among 26 drivers (more than half the field led at least a lap) and it comes across as the most exciting event in the history of racing.

“Statistically, you look at the race, and it looks pretty awesome,” Johnson said. “From where I was all day long, I thought there was a lot of racing that took place. I thought it was a great race.”

That might be a bit of a stretch.

Before Johnson and the others made that mad dash down the long front straightaway at Talladega, there was a lot of cars just riding around, two by two by two.