Track Smack: The Winston

Who is the driver that is on the hottest seat right now?

Ryan Smithson: Jeremy Mayfield's name has popped up a lot, but I don't think he will be replaced before the season's up. There's still a lot of time left to turn that program around. I do think it's really interesting that Casey Atwood will be running a third car. Should provide some motivation.

Lee Montgomery: The next driver to talk about his owner in public? There are several candidates, but you have to wonder about Mike Skinner. Larry McClure has never been slow to pull the trigger in the past.

Marty Smith: For the majority of the year, at least to date, all we really heard in the rumor mill were Park and Jeremy Mayfield. Then Jeremy won the pole at Talladega, a huge score for himself and that team. He's still rumored on the hot seat, though. Green's firing came out of nowhere, and all the speculation is that both Park and Green are temporary replacements in their respective rides.

Dave Rodman: There are a number of drivers that are underachieving right now, like Ricky Rudd, Kenny Wallace, Ward Burton, Johnny Benson, Jeremy, John Andretti, Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine -- even Bill Elliott. But are they on the hot seat? Tough to say.

Ryan Smithson: The Park-Green trade showed just how few drivers there are out there. Really not many guys available.

Marty Smith: Tell that to Hank Jr. and Atwood, Smithson.

Send Hate Mail Marty Ryan Dave Lee All four of us!

Ryan Smithson: Marty, would you hire two guys who have sat for six months for a Winston Cup ride?

Marty Smith: Struggling teams are apt to try anything, Ryan. I understand your point, but yeah, I could see a team giving either of those kids a shot.

Ryan Smithson: Marty, has Atwood even been campaigning for a ride? I see Hank Jr. on TV, and he always mentions that he is out of work. And that's important.

Marty Smith: I haven't seen Casey in the garage since Daytona. That doesn't mean he hasn't been there. He may have been hanging out while I was stuffing my face.

Send Nice Mail Marty Ryan Dave Lee All four of us!

Lee Montgomery: There are a bunch of guys out there. But would you want them in a Cup car full-time? That's debatable.

Ryan Smithson: DEI hired Ron Fellows for the two road course events, which really tells us a lot. It means that they are pulling out all the stops to get their sponsor in victory lane -- so that maybe they will renew.

Marty Smith: It seems that Shane Hmiel's name keeps popping up to take over the No. 1 later in the year, and with his sponsorship troubles in the Busch Series, who knows? It could happen. His daddy's a big timer over at DEI, and all.

Lee Montgomery: People keep asking me about Sam Hornish for the 1. I'd take Hornish over Hmiel.

	With his goatee gone, Mike Skinner (above) is going for the Terry Labonte look (below).

Ryan Smithson: I like Hmiel. Makes a lot of mistakes, but he's awfully quick. He puts down a good lap on Fridays.

Lee Montgomery: I'd take Smithson over Hmiel.

Marty Smith: Has Hornish ever even sat in a stock car, Lee? See Scott Pruett.

Lee Montgomery: Well, OK, I wouldn't do that, but still. Shane is fast, for sure, but is he ready for Winston Cup? I'd have to vote no.

Ryan Smithson: Scott Pruett didn't do that badly. He really didn't.

Lee Montgomery: Pruett never won an Indy Car title. Hornish is a lot better than Pruett. Maybe you should've said: See Tony Stewart.

Dave Rodman: If you have a major sheet metal budget you could put some of those non-experienced guys in your cars. All the sheet metal you can kink and a low level of expectation.

In terms of diversity I would take Scott Pruett over Sam 11 days out of 10 for a stock car ride. That is not taking anything away from what Sam's accomplished in Indy cars. But his wreck at Daytona in IROC practice spooked him pretty heavily.

Lee Montgomery: But I think Ryan brings up a good point. DEI is trying to keep Pennzoil, and a guy like Hmiel probably won't help them do that.

Ryan Smithson: I don't know, Lee. A guy like Hmiel could thrive. I'd love to see him get a shot. As long as he doesn't run over people. And that's asking a lot.

Lee Montgomery: Exactly.

Ryan Smithson: You got to admit he has a lot of talent, though.

Lee Montgomery: And remember who sponsors Hornish in the IRL? Sponsors have a big say these days. Yes, Hmiel is fast. I said that.

	Seperated at birth? Sam Hornish (above) and Hank Parker Jr. (below)

Marty Smith: Oh yeah, we totally forgot about that correlation, Lee.

Ryan Smithson: And they said Michael Andretti was going to replace Kenny Irwin back in 1999. That never happened.

Dave Rodman: Shane is a long-term project. He has tons of potential but he has no experience whatsoever. If bumping Casey Atwood into Winston Cup too early was the kiss of death for him, heaven help Shane if he goes to Cup now.

Ryan Smithson: Wouldn't Pennzoil want to keep him in the IRL? Especially when he's winning titles?

Lee Montgomery: Amen, Rodman.

Ryan Smithson: You make a good point, Dave. I'll give you that.

Lee Montgomery: Does anyone care about the IRL champion? What gets more ink? And IRL champ or a 10th-place car in Winston Cup?

Ryan Smithson: Depends on whom the media likes.

Dave Rodman: Winston Cup owners are in a tough spot. There are guys in Busch -- or in some guys' cases -- out of Busch; but they don't have an awful lot of experience that would warrant putting them in a Cup car.

Lee Montgomery: Oh, please. The IRL is a fine series and all, but NASCAR generates a ton more attention.

Ryan Smithson: We all know that. But he's an open-wheeler.

	Don't ever cut Tony Stewart off again, Kenseth! Credit: AP

Lee Montgomery: Hornish, like Hmiel, is a long-term project. Would DEI risk short-term struggles for long-term potential? I'd have to vote no, based on sponsorship. What's an open-wheeler got to do with anything? Jeff Gordon was an open-wheeler. So was Tony Stewart. Need I say more?

Ryan Smithson: You guys forget that even Gordon and Stewart cut their teeth in the Busch Series. Y'all have Hornish jumping straight to Winston Cup. Bad, bad, bad idea. Big difference, Lee. You're old enough to remember that.

Marty Smith: Keep on comparing Hornish to Stewart. Once you said that, man, it was all you had to say. Matter of fact, that's when this Smack went straight in the crapper.

Ryan Smithson: Thanks, Marty. Well said.

Lee Montgomery: At least we didn't bring up Yugos again.

Who is going to win The Winston?

Lee Montgomery: I'm going to do this scientifically. Close my eyes and point. Hmmm. Landed on Jamie McMurray.

	Jamie McMurray. He's simply not very tall. Makes it easy to sign autographs for kids though. Credit: Autostock

Ryan Smithson: Lee, if you landed on Jamie McMurray, you'd kill him.

Lee Montgomery: I'll land a left hook to your jaw next time I see you.

Ryan Smithson: Fortunately, I think that's November. So I will be like Daniel Laruso. I'll train. Marty loves Daniel Laruso.

Marty Smith: He's the man. The crane kick is my go-to.

Marty Smith: Anyways, back to The Winston. I'll go with Jimmie Johnson. He had the best car last year. Then the field was inverted and he was mired in traffic and unable to get back to the front.

Ryan Smithson: Whoever is running last at the end of the second segment will probably win.

Dave Rodman: Whoever nails their set-up, works pit strategy to their advantage and then positions themselves correctly for the final segment.

The Last Lap  What causes a sophomore slump? Marty discusses this issue in this week's Last Lap.

Marty Smith: Good Lord, Rodman, what is this? A PR summit?

Lee Montgomery: This may be the most difficult race to predict because it's so crazy. But really, Dale Earnhardt Jr. always seem to do well. Concentrate. Focus power!

Dave Rodman: Most importantly, though, they'll have to get far enough ahead of whoever is second to avoid getting horned around on the last lap. A million bucks may create more sparks than the Terminator.

Ryan Smithson: Something weird always happens. You can bet on that.

Track Smack appears every Wednesday on NASCAR.com at 11 a.m. ET sharp!

The opinions listed here are solely those of the participants.