Gluckometer: Auto Club 500

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

1. Jamie McMurray              + 4.7                                 Cheers                          Daytona 500 winner, pole-sitter
2. Mark Martin                      + 4.4                                  Cheers                          Popular driver
3. Tony Stewart                    + 4.2                                  Cheers                         Typically gets cheer/boo mix
4. Jeff Gordon                      + 4.2                                   Cheers                         Popular in California
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.           +4.1                                   Cheers                         Most popular driver
6. Jimmie Johnson               +4.1                                   Cheers                         From Southern California
7. Robby Gordon                 +3.3                                    Cheers                         From Southern California
8. Kasey Kahne                   +3.0                                    Cheers                         Popular driver
9. David Gilliland                 +2.9                                    Cheers                         Local driver; hometown track
10. Kyle Busch                       +2.2                                    Boos                             Not disliked as much in CA