Notes: Johnson says Chase cause for snoozer, not COT

CONCORD, N.C. -- Don't be so quick, Jimmie Johnson warned, to place all the blame for this past Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway on the Car of Tomorrow. Fans and even drivers complained about the lack of action in the event, the first for the COT on a restrictor-plate venue, which featured long stretches of single-file racing.

But to Johnson, the cause wasn't the COT. It was the Chase for the Nextel Cup, which led many participants to get conservative.

"I just think that the race and the result of the race and it not being as action-packed is that 12 of us have a lot to lose right now," said the race runner-up. "Just those 12 cars and the mindsets they have, and maybe the teammates associated with those 12 cars, broke up that whole pack and all that energy and chaos that we typically have."

That doesn't mean that the Daytona 500 and next year's spring race at Talladega, contested before points become a real concern, will be identical to Sunday. But the Chase could take the steam out of the 2.66-mile track's fall race.

"I think the spring Talladega race will be wild and crazy and everything everyone would hope, because it's still early in the year and you're not counting points closely at that point," Johnson said. "But the fall race, I would say in general the fall race has a good chance of being boring, and it's just because the Chase contenders don't want to get in there and mix it up until the end. You've got too much to lose. I really feel it was the Chase and not the cars at Talladega."

Jarrett announcement looms

After saying last weekend that he would tell the world his future plans Thursday, Dale Jarrett is making the world wait another day. He has scheduled an announcement at the Lowe's Motor Speedway infield media center at 12:45 p.m. ET Friday, and sources confirmed that Jarrett plans to announce that he will retire after running the first six Cup races next season.

Upon retirement, sources say that Jarrett will continue to expand on his new career in television broadcasting and that David Reutimann, his teammate at Michael Waltrip Racing, will move from the No. 00 Toyota to Jarrett's No. 44. When Reutimann switches cars, sources say that David Stremme could be a possibility to step in to drive the No. 00 next season.

Stremme is losing his current full-time ride with Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of this season, with open-wheel driver Dario Franchitti set to replace Stremme in the No. 40 Dodge. (Continued)