Since there were two races on Saturday, we’re doubling your pleasure with two editions of the noise ratings, which are taken by a decibel meter every week during driver introductions to see which drivers get the most noise.
Gluckometer, All-Star: Sprint Showdown And All-Star Rankings
You’ll notice the All-Star edition of the rankings features an unusual entry at No. 5: Brian Vickers and Casey Mears.
Mears was subbing in the All-Star race for Vickers, who is out for the season due to blood clots. At the sight of Vickers walking across the stage, fans gave a rousing ovation for the driver(s) of the No. 83 car. We assume the cheers were meant to welcome Vickers, but since Mears happened to be standing there, we’re including him as well.
Here are the rankings, starting with the top five for the Sprint Showdown:
| Driver | dB | Type of Noise | Comment/Explanation | |||
| 1 | Bill Elliott | 86.6 | Cheers | 16-time Most Popular Driver | ||
| 2 | Carl Edwards | 85.6 | Cheers | Won Sprint Fan Vote | ||
| 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 85.3 | Boos | Never been loved in NASCAR | ||
| 4 | Jeff Burton | 85.2 | Cheers | Fan Vote finalist | ||
| 5 | Michael Waltrip | 85.0 | Cheers | Fans still fond of MW |
Now, onto the Sprint All-Star Race ratings. A note about these numbers: If you notice, they are lower than the Sprint Showdown numbers. This is because I had to take the measurement from further away (on pit road, actually) for the All-Star race, lest the fireworks and loud music mess up the decibel meter from being too close.
| Driver | dB | Type of Noise | Comment/Explanation | |||
| 1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 85.8 | Cheers | Most Popular Driver | ||
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 84.4 | Boos | 'Old Kyle' showed up after race | ||
| 3 | Tony Stewart | 83.9 | Mix | Won All-Star Race last season | ||
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 82.6 | Boos | Fans thrilled when he spun out | ||
| 5 | B.Vickers/C.Mears | 82.4 | Cheers | Vickers heard cheers in nice moment | ||
| 6 | Jeff Gordon | 81.9 | Boos | Reception varies by track | ||
| 7 | Mark Martin | 80.5 | Cheers | Cheers aren't as loud this year | ||
| 8 | Kasey Kahne | 80.3 | Cheers | L.L. Cool K | ||
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 78.3 | Mix | Becoming a polarizing driver | ||
| 10 | Matt Kenseth | 78.2 | Cheers | Crew wore crowns, purple robes |
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