Hours before the race, Brett Bodine gave a pace-car ride around reconfigured Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

At speeds reaching 130 mph, the former NASCAR driver pointed out the trouble spots: bumps in the track surface, uneven lines in the asphalt, tricky transitions in and out of the banked turns and a curved pit lane unlike anything else on the circuit.

When the tour was over, Bodine’s passengers were convinced Sunday’s race was going to be a wreck fest.

“Nah, it will be fine,” he predicted. “The talent level in this group is too good to let that happen.”

Bodine was right.

There were only nine cautions during the Nextel Cup race, a testament to the skill and adaptability of NASCAR’s top drivers. But it may have created a mirage masking the event’s many problems.

“With the exception of a couple of guys, all the drivers did a great job of give-and-take,” said two-time series champion Tony Stewart, a critic of the track changes and the tire Goodyear forced the teams to use.

“I could see situations in front of me and behind me where everybody was giving each other room and trying to be courteous to each another. I think the drivers made the best out of a bad situation here.”

After the Busch Series race Saturday, which was plagued by a record 12 cautions, top drivers issued stern warnings. Matt Kenseth called the tires treacherous and Greg Biffle said he felt as if were driving on black ice. Kasey Kahne said every lap was a battle not to wreck, while Stewart criticized LVMS owner Bruton Smith, general manager Chris Powell and Goodyear for creating a frightening experience for everyone.

But it wasn’t.

“I predicted much more gloom and doom than this,” Mark Martin said. “I want to give a shout out to all the drivers they were extremely cautious. Very smart driving, as smart as I’ve ever seen these guys drive under all the pressure that they’re under. They all did a great job, and it wasn’t nearly as much of a disaster as I thought it was going to be.”

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