Post-Race Reactions: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

The rich history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway added another chapter on Sunday. The stars of NASCAR came out to put on a race that will make fans forget about the debacle of a year ago.

The fans in attendance got just that.

One day removed, there are many reactions to the race and how it went.

The most obvious difference from one year ago was the tires. Forget about last year, it's done.

Goodyear has done an exceptional job in making the race a complete turnaround from one year ago.  When Tony Stewart complements Goodyear on the tire they brought, it was a tremendous effort.

One of the things that was most noticeable at the race I cannot avoid talking about was the many empty seats around the track.

This race in my eyes is on the level of the Daytona 500. People do not forget who won the Daytona 500, and the same is said about Indy. To see that many empty seats around the race track is absolutely astounding.

The economy has definitely taken its toll on NASCAR.  Ticket prices are high and the cost to get to the track is even higher. Families cannot afford to go to the track like they could last year.

Hopefully, NASCAR will look into seeing how they can improve this, otherwise they are going to continue to see a drop in both attendance and ratings.

The race itself was not one of the more exciting events of the season. Much of the race was single-file, and the field was strung out over the entire race track. This obviously made for a very boring three-hour event.

Then there was Juan Pablo Montoya. What an exceptional performance from a team that has been in the thick of the Chase all season.

Montoya had the race won the minute he got out front. His lead at one point was nearly six seconds and no driver was in his time zone.

The only time he was passed was when he came in for pit stops, and he quickly regained his lead in a matter of laps as the cycle completed.

Suddenly, it all went up in smoke.

On lap 125, Montoya came in for his pit stop, and his team pulled off a fast sub-14 second pit stop that would put him back up front. One lap later, the call came down from race control that Montoya was speeding on pit road.

Pit road speed was 55 mph and NASCAR gave teams an allowance up to 60 m.p.h. Montoya's speed coming off pit road:  60.11.

That .11 m.p.h. over cost him a chance at the biggest victory in his NASCAR career. Despite his pleas, the call stood. What a shame for the dominant driver.

In the end, a familiar face would be back in Indy's victory lane. Jimmie Johnson got ahead of Mark Martin on the final restart in route to his third win at the Brickyard in four years.

If history is any indication of what to expect later this year, Johnson has put himself in position to take home his fourth title. He currently sits second in points, right behind Tony Stewart.  Should the Chase start right now, he would be tied for second right behind Martin.

This is the time when the entire Lowe's team turns up the heat on the competition. All the drivers need to keep their eyes on the No. 48 leading up to the Chase.

If Johnson gets into a rhythm like he has the last few years, he will be sitting on stage in Las Vegas as champion again.

Indianapolis left many drivers with a lot of questions, a lot of anguish and a few thinking "what could have been." The attention now turns to Pocono, and the race to get into the Chase heats up like the summer temperatures.