NASCAR's experiment with rain tires was magnifique (cont'd)

"For the first time, for these guys to have a race in the rain, we actually got a race in, so it was a good thing," said third-place Marcos Ambrose, who was more angry at himself for a pit-road speeding violation that probably cost him the victory. "It felt really slow and the car was slipping around. And getting up to speed there, when we first put the [rain tires] on, I thought, 'I'm in real trouble here' because I had just no grip. Obviously, I had 'no grip' better than everyone else because we did pretty well.

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To NASCAR's credit, for not having run races in the rain very often, they did a pretty good job.

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MARCOS AMBROSE

"It was treacherous, it was tricky. But all the drivers kept on the racetrack, for the most part, and we got the race in, which is important. To NASCAR's credit, for not having run races in the rain very often, they did a pretty good job."

Patrick Carpentier, who finished second, echoed those sentiments.

"I was surprised," Carpentier said. "I thought we'd have more spins than that, people off-track. These guys are very good. They stayed on track and sometimes some of the guys would go away and then come back to you.

"It was tough conditions. At the end, I was mad that they stopped it, but they had to stop it. I was sideways in fourth gear on the back straightaway and aquaplaning pretty much everywhere. It was fun. At least we got the race in for the fans. And the rain tires? Everybody had questions about it. Well, they worked, so it was good."

For others, the experience was fun, until conditions deteriorated.

"I kind of was looking forward to this because I've never raced in the rain, but I don't think I will be from now on," Greg Biffle said. "It was a lot of fun. It got a little hairy there when it started raining so hard. The car would hydroplane bad down the frontstretch and I mean a 140 or 150 mph hydroplane is not very safe. It made it hard to see there at the end."

Joey Logano had a top-five finish wiped out when he slammed hard into the back bumper of another car when someone ahead checked up.

"I hit a lapped car with no brake lights," Joey Logano said. "I have no idea who it was. I couldn't see five feet in front of me down the straightaway, under caution. Somebody stopped. I locked up all four and boom! I just stopped at the wall and that was it. It's just not right."

And fan favorite Villeneuve, who charged into the lead on Lap 40 when Ambrose pitted, wound up rolling slowly onto pit road with a heavily damaged front end -- again from lack of visibility.

"There when it started raining hard again I had some oil on the window and just couldn't get rid of it," he said. "The only thing I could use to drive was the edge of the track.

"With some speed it was clearing the water a little bit but as soon as we got behind the safety car, the pace car there, the water and oil stayed on the windshield and I couldn't see a thing. When everybody stopped I just ran into the back of them."

But Edwards pretty much summed it up for the majority of the fans and teams: "It was a great race, a lot of fun and see y'all next week."

What a glorious feeling. NASCAR's smiling again.

Also:
• NASCAR Says ... Rain tire success a good sign

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.