Quick takeaways from Charlotte: The All-Star tweaks worked

Throughout 2016 we may have way too many quick thoughts for our post-race posts. So consider our Takeaways feature to be the home of our random and sometimes intelligent musings. Sometimes the post may have a theme. Sometimes it may just be a mess of unrelated thoughts. Make sure you tweet us your thoughts after the race or email your post-race rants via the link in the signature line below

• NASCAR changed some aerodynamic rules for last week’s All-Star Race but one of the key changes didn’t carry over to the Coca-Cola 600. After watching both races, it looks like that the All-Star Race change needs to be implemented for the rest of the season.

That tweak was a change in the way that teams can set the toe of the rear wheels. NASCAR forced the teams to make the rear wheels neutral for the All-Star Race, instead of cocked at a slight angle. The neutrality meant a reduction in side force and, subsequently, slower corner speeds.

Those slower corner speeds produced side-by-side racing and more passing opportunities because it meant drivers had more throttle off time during the All-Star Race events. Granted, Martin Truex Jr. whipped everyone else into submission Sunday night during the 600, but the passing throughout the field didn’t seem nearly as easy.

Hell, Truex even radioed to his team at one point that it was incredibly hard to pass. And he was the guy that led 588 of the race’s 600 miles.

NASCAR said they wanted to use the All-Star Race as a data point vs. the 600 and other races. While we’re not fans of acting on small sample sizes, the contrast in the All-Star Race vs. what we saw Sunday night and at Kansas Speedway is pretty clear. Institute the rear toe change permanently ASAP.

• If you’re one of the people that thinks NASCAR was so much better 30 years ago, you can’t complain about the way Truex waxed the field. It was a flashback to Richard Petty’s 1962 win at Huntsville where he led all 200 laps.

• Truex deftly held off Jimmie Johnson in the race’s final restart. But he probably should have had to keep Johnson and Kevin Harvick at bay for one more restart with 10 laps to go.

As the race’s laps wound down, Kyle Busch smashed into the wall so hard off turn 2 that he took his car straight to the garage. Somehow, NASCAR decided his wall smack wasn’t worthy of a caution despite previously calling for a caution earlier this season at Martinsville when a car didn’t even hit the wall, spin or come to a complete stop.

Yes, the race was winding down and yes, it’s even possible that those in the NASCAR control tower were swayed by the feel-good nature of a Truex win. They’re humans too, after all. But watching Busch’s car slam into the wall without a yellow flag and seeing other ticky-tack caution calls throughout the season only reinforces the notion that NASCAR’s baselines for what constitutes a caution are incredibly contextual.

• Please don’t say “single-car team” as a reason why Truex’s win is such a great story. Furniture Row Racing, a team that has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, the best team in the Cup Series, is far from a single-car team. Need more proof? Look at this story from NBC Sports earlier this week:

With team computers showing each car’s setup and pertinent information, crew chiefs know what their teammates are doing at all times. Joe Gibbs Racing has incorporated Furniture Row Racing’s Truex so that the information available to each team is if they truly were teammates.

Even with all that information to both Toyota teams, the group chat provides answers to questions about key issues, setup notes and other matters. The more a crew chief knows, the more informed their decisions can be.

• Tony Stewart ain’t making the Chase at this rate. Stewart may very well sneak his way into the top 30 in points by the time the Chase starts, but he’s not going to win a race before then unless he has an incredibly fluke opportunity. The three-time champion finished 24th and five laps down Saturday night.

Through five races, Stewart’s average finish is 21.2, the worst average finish of his Sprint Cup career. His only top 10 came at Talladega, and that was the race he had to vacate the driver’s seat and give way to Ty Dillon on doctors’ orders because of his healing back.

• According to NASCAR.com’s lap-by-lap summary of the race, Kevin Harvick was dominant despite not being the guy that led all but 12 miles of the race.