| 1 |
1 |
 |
Ryan Newman |
He really stayed ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a long time despite having tires that were a lot older. His fellow competitors are still trying to come up with ways to blame this on superior fuel mileage. |
| 2 |
2 |
 |
Jeff Gordon |
With the win, he tied Michael Waltrip for fourth on the 2003 wins list. |
| 3 |
5 |
 |
Tony Stewart |
His new DVD is for sale in the NASCAR.com store. They were trying to sell it for $42.99 as a package deal with Adam Sandler’s Anger Management, but the two sides couldn’t agree. |
| 4 |
2 |
 |
Kevin Harvick |
He was playing mind games with Kenseth all weekend in a battle to get the upper hand in the title hunt. Not to be outdone, Steve Park is probably taunting Kenny Wallace that he can take 30th from him before the season’s over. |
| 5 |
4 |
 |
Jimmie Johnson |
He’ll surpass the $5 million mark in 2003 earnings this weekend at Atlanta. That is, unless he fails to qualify, and current plans don’t call for him driving the No. 14 Dodge this weekend. |
| 6 |
6 |
 |
Jamie McMurray |
He said his car drove better after he wrecked it. If that happened to everybody, then Christian Fittipaldi would be leading the Winston Cup standings. |
| 7 |
7 |
 |
Bill Elliott |
So now the hot rumor is that he’ll be driving a Ford next year in his final season on tour. Some sort of trade is involved. Great. Now we get to see what Todd Bodine can do in a Dodge. |
| 8 |
9 |
 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
He’s going to be on VH1. That’s when you know you’re getting old. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now too old for MTV. |
| 9 |
13 |
 |
Matt Kenseth |
Grady Little is his new crew chief. That why Kenseth never contended at Martinsville. No matter how worn out the tires got, Little just left them on. |
| 10 |
10 |
 |
Rusty Wallace |
Kurt Busch drove over Rusty Wallace’s hood. No word on whether it was an attempt to make Wallace feel the pain of engine failure. |
| 11 |
13 |
 |
Terry Labonte |
So now he’s battling Bill Elliott for 10th in the Winston Cup standings. The winner gets the Winston bonus money automatically consolidated into an IRA. |
| 12 |
8 |
 |
Jeremy Mayfield |
We didn’t see him much at Martinsville. Maybe was busy filming AOL commercials. |
| 13 |
14 |
 |
Mark Martin |
Did you see where Matt Kenseth gear is already printed up? There’s Mark Martin championship gear made also. You know, just in case Martin gets hot or something. |
| 14 |
11 |
 |
Bobby Labonte |
He led the series in top-five finishes for most of the first half. Now his goal is to avoid leading the series in engine failures. |
| 15 |
15 |
 |
Greg Biffle |
We haven’t heard a lot about where he’s driving next year. Maybe he’ll sign an extension soon – maybe Roush will print up Greg Biffle Signs Contract Extension t-shirts. |
| 16 |
17 |
 |
Dale Jarrett |
They actually used the term “Lucky Dog” when referring to Jarrett on TV. As we’ve seen this year, he’s anything but. |
| 17 |
16 |
 |
Ricky Rudd |
Now, there’s rumors that the Wood Brothers might move their shops closer to Charlotte. So that is why they signed Rent-a-Center as an associate sponsor! Pretty smart! |
| 18 |
21 |
 |
Jeff Burton |
At least 40 premier athletes will have to testify before a grand jury about the usage of steroids. Burton isn’t expected to be subpoenaed. |
| 19 |
20 |
 |
Ward Burton |
Martinsville was his final race with Bill Davis Racing after nine years of employment. Don’t forget to roll over your 401k. |
| 20 |
NR |
 |
Joe Nemechek |
So he’s getting into the No. 01 Army car this week. He’ll be the sixth different driver they’ve used this year. And the first Nadeau replacement who’s actually won before. |
| 21 |
23 |
 |
Michael Waltrip |
The man just continues to free-fall. If he keeps this up, he’ll be the one asking Buckshot Jones for advice. |
| 22 |
24 |
 |
Robby Gordon |
So we learned on NBC that he’s into lake sports, which would explain his season, which has taken on a lot of water in the last nine weeks. |
| 23 |
NR |
 |
Dave Blaney |
He’s been ranked 28th in the standings for eight straight weeks. He’d be lower if Jimmy Spencer hadn’t punched Kurt Busch in the mouth, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice. |
| 24 |
25 |
 |
John Andretti |
Currently chasing former boss Kyle Petty for 37th in the standings. Despite having driven in five fewer races. |
| 25 |
NR |
 |
Jimmy Spencer |
The Martinsville event was sponsored by Subway. Jimmy, try the sweet-onion teriyaki. Six-inch. On wheat. Hold the mayo. |
