Martinsville, Va. • Jimmie Johnson said it's "crazy" to suggest his reputation has been tarnished by crew chief Chad Knaus' instructions to mess up the rear bumper if he won at Talladega last week.

Knaus was recorded telling the five-time defending champion that if he won, he needed to "crack the back of the car," apparently to build an explanation in case the car did not pass post-race inspection. The website SBnation.com says it obtained the recording from a fan.

Knaus said earlier in the week he made the request to protect Johnson in case 500 miles of driving on the superspeedway had knocked the body of the car out of alignment, possibly making it susceptible to failing inspection.

"At the end of the day, while Chad was trying to protect himself post-race, he made a foolish statement. That's really it," Johnson said Friday at Martinsville Speedway.

Johnson, who is 50 points behind leader Carl Edwards, finished 26th at Talladega.

Driver Kevin Harvick said, "It's one of those things where you do what you have to do to try to win the championship and you suffer the consequences later."