Jimmie Johnson's dominance may have taken some of the sizzle out of the Sprint Cup Chase for the championship, but that doesn't mean NASCAR chairman Brian France thinks Johnson's last major steps toward a third straight points title had to be relegated to cable TV.

France said Tuesday he wasn't pleased with ABC's decision to bump the final laps of last weekend's race in Phoenix to ABC-owned ESPN2 so the network could air an episode of "America's Funniest Home Videos."

"We didn't like it, that was not what we had anticipated but we have talked to them repeatedly in the last couple of days," France said. "There were lots of circumstances that we have to consider."

France, however, says the interests of NASCAR and its television partners are "in line" and that a rare early afternoon storm and a late accident that forced two red-flag stoppages couldn't be helped.