A funny thing happened to the Gluckometer in California: The music played during driver introductions messed it up.
The music was some kind of funky new-age tune, and it featured a steady bass beat. But when the bass dropped out of the song midway through the intros, it completely changed the measurement.
Due to the weird measurement, this week's ratings will be how much each driver moved the needle from the ambient noise level at the time they came onstage.
Sounds confusing, but here goes:
Driver (+dB from ambient) Type of noise Notes/Explanation
- Jamie McMurray + 4.7 Cheers Daytona 500 winner, pole-sitter
- Mark Martin + 4.4 Cheers Popular driver
- Tony Stewart + 4.2 Cheers Typically gets cheer/boo mix
- Jeff Gordon + 4.2 Cheers Popular in California
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. +4.1 Cheers Most popular driver
- Jimmie Johnson +4.1 Cheers From Southern California
- Robby Gordon +3.3 Cheers From Southern California
- Kasey Kahne +3.0 Cheers Popular driver
- David Gilliland +2.9 Cheers Local driver; hometown track
- Kyle Busch +2.2 Boos Not disliked as much in CA
Note: The California crowd gave dramatically less boos than are heard at other tracks. Drivers who are normally booed (Johnson) or receive mixed receptions (Gordon, Stewart) got all cheers 
A funny thing happened to the Gluckometer in California: The music played during driver introductions messed it up.
The music was some kind of funky new-age tune, and it featured a steady bass beat. But when the bass dropped out of the song midway through the intros, it completely changed the measurement.
Due to the weird measurement, this week's ratings will be how much each driver moved the needle from the ambient noise level at the time they came onstage.
Sounds confusing, but here goes:
Driver (+dB from ambient) Type of noise Notes/Explanation
- Jamie McMurray + 4.7 Cheers Daytona 500 winner, pole-sitter
- Mark Martin + 4.4 Cheers Popular driver
- Tony Stewart + 4.2 Cheers Typically gets cheer/boo mix
- Jeff Gordon + 4.2 Cheers Popular in California
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. +4.1 Cheers Most popular driver
- Jimmie Johnson +4.1 Cheers From Southern California
- Robby Gordon +3.3 Cheers From Southern California
- Kasey Kahne +3.0 Cheers Popular driver
- David Gilliland +2.9 Cheers Local driver; hometown track
- Kyle Busch +2.2 Boos Not disliked as much in CA
Note: The California crowd gave dramatically less boos than are heard at other tracks. Drivers who are normally booed (Johnson) or receive mixed receptions (Gordon, Stewart) got all cheers