Track Smack: Pocono

What is up with Jeff Gordon's aggressive driving?

Lee Montgomery: I think he's mad that Junior and Jimmie are getting the attention he used to. No, Gordon has always been aggressive, so this is nothing new. He just screwed up a couple times. No big deal. Unless you are Marlin or Ward Burton.

Dave Rodman: Jeff has always been aggressive, but maybe in a very selective manner. Remember Rusty Wallace at Bristol? Twice? If I had to have a win, I would pick Jeff as one of maybe two guys I'd sign up.

Ryan Smithson: This may be total hogwash, all speculation, but it probably stems from not winning 13 times a year anymore. Maybe he has to drive harder. But make no mistake -- messed up against Sterling. He's the wrong man to wreck.

Marty Smith: I think Gordon's realized something over the past couple of years -- you drive to win, not to make friends. He's still one of the cleanest guys out there -- Ward Burton even said it after Gordon punted him in The Winston -- but he's realized that winning is a rarity, and if you've got the car to get it done you best get it done.

Lee Montgomery: I think it's funny, myself. These are two of the nicest guys around, and here they are running over each other. I imagine it won't stop at Dover.

Send Hate Mail Marty Ryan Dave Lee

Ryan Smithson: I am not trying to glorify Sterling Marlin here, but isn't wrecking him like hitting a cop? I am not saying Sterling is a cop either. He runs and doesn't eat a lot of doughnuts.

Lee Montgomery: Maybe, Ryan, but it's not like Jeff did it on person. On purpose. My brain works faster than my fingers.

Ryan Smithson: Lee, it was lap 113 I think. Take your time, you know? Like there's not going to be tons of time?

Marty Smith: It wasn't on purpose in the least, boys. He got a little squirrelly and got up into the 40.

Send Nice Mail Marty Ryan Dave Lee

Dave Rodman: I hope they had a conversation after Dover. Sterling has got a long fuse, but I would say it's short right now.

Ryan Smithson: Sterling won't punt him back, though. He's not like that.

Lee Montgomery: I'd bet they won't talk. Jeff said Sterling doesn't talk to him, so I'd say they won't talk.

Marty Smith: That doesn't make Sterling feel any better, but it wasn't on purpose. That said, Jeff's driving like a bat outta hell. He was punting like Reggie Roby during The Winston.

Ryan Smithson: I have to ask, I guess. Who is Reggie Roby? Some NFL punter?

	Watch out, Newman! I already moved one Dodge today! Credit: AP

Marty Smith: Reggie Roby used to wear a watch to time his hang time after he punted.

Ryan Smithson: Who did he play for?

Lee Montgomery: Miami.

Marty Smith: Dolphins, dude.

Ryan Smithson: Only punter I can name is Darren Bennett. Sorry. And the Titans' punter makes seven figures. I know that.

Marty Smith: Jeff Feagles was punter on the Eagles.

Ryan Smithson: Sterling had a real shot at winning that race.

Lee Montgomery: As far as the Ward incident, it wasn't like it happened in the turns. That was on the backstretch...Punt!

Dave Rodman: I was talking about Sterling, not Ward. Yeah, the way Ward's season has been, he should have been mad.

Ryan Smithson: Sterling hasn't racked up a ton of wins this year either, Dave. He had a shot.

Marty Smith: Good call, Monty. Gordon drove over the 22 on the straightaway. Word is NASCAR informed him it was time to calm down.

Lee Montgomery: Nothing like a little controversy is there?

	Smiles............

Lee Montgomery: Like Newman vs. Stewart. That can only get funnier.

Dave Rodman: Well, the first thing I thought after Jeff hit Sterling -- the FIRST thing -- was "Payback for Richmond."

Ryan Smithson: This will never top Bristol 1997, when he ran over Wallace, or in 1998, when Wallace repaid him.

Marty Smith: Rusty still hasn't gotten payback for Bristol '02. But given the chance, he'd take it in heartbeat

	......to anger

Lee Montgomery: You bet.

Marty Smith: Jeff could have punted Rusty there, though, and didn't.

Lee Montgomery: What driver wouldn't?

Marty Smith: He moved him. Huge difference.

Ryan Smithson: Maybe he'll lease a payback from Sterling and take two of them.

Dave Rodman: Jeff even mentioned that after the race at Dover, but if he thinks he needs to remind Sterling of that, well, if I was him, I would let that dog lie.

Marty Smith: I think we're seeing the new Jeff Gordon emerge. We saw it in DW, then Big E. Maybe Gordon's next.

Fan Email  Tony Stewart is apparently whining (or pouting I should say) about:  1. Getting penalized for an obvious error according to what the TV and photos show.  2. Newman not giving him his lap back.  I seriously doubt if it was the other way around that Stewart would have given Newman his lap back.  As long as I have been watching NASCAR I appreciate the drivers that don't "give" laps back. If you want your lap back you're gonna have to earn it by taking it.  Chrissi

Lee Montgomery: Check out Conversation Thursday, by the way.

Ryan Smithson: Jeff Gordon is becoming D.W., Marty? He's going to start failing to qualify?

Marty Smith: All those boys got booed like crazy. Next thing you know, it's deafening applause. Wonder if that will ever happen for Gordon. The boos are still awfully loud, but I swear there's a lot of cheering going on, too.

Ryan Smithson: Lord help us. I can't imagine. But I guess people my dad's age thought it was painful to watch Darrell do it. Watching Jeff Gordon start 43rd every week.

Marty Smith: He'll be done before that happens, man.

Lee Montgomery: Well before

Ryan Smithson: Way before. Way way way before.

Are you shocked by Dodge's departure from Bill Davis Racing?

Lee Montgomery: Welcome to NASCAR, 2003, where things are settled with lawsuits and contracts and such. Surprised? Sure. Shocked? Nothing really shocks me about NASCAR anymore.

	Fans loot in Europe upon news of Dodge's decision to strip support from Bill Davis Racing. Credit: AP

Ryan Smithson: I've never known a manufacturer leaving like that. Has it ever happened like that? You can't just change midseason like that.

Marty Smith: Extremely so. But if Dodge's allegations are accurate, it was warranted.

Dave Rodman: I am just numb from the irony of a German carmaker disconnecting itself from an Arkansas car owner for consorting with a Japanese carmaker.

Ryan Smithson: If Bill Davis Racing had five wins in 2003, I'll bet they would have given them more slack.

Marty Smith: A caller on a radio show asked me yesterday why they don't just switch to Chevys. That'd cost a ton, and stripping off the bodies and putting on new ones would require 24-hour days and cost an absolute fortune.

Ryan Smithson: No, they are running Dodges the rest of the year.

Marty Smith: They have to.

Ryan Smithson: Like Marty said, you gotta.

Marty Smith: They already have all those cars built.

	Why did you leave, man?! Credit: AP

Lee Montgomery: Yep, and wouldn't it look funny if Ward goes to victory lane somewhere?

Ryan Smithson: It'll look like a James Finch car.

Marty Smith: I'm telling you, I've never heard of such an abrupt departure. I was honestly shocked.

Dave Rodman: Sorry, I am not smart enough to do much speculating about this whole issue, and since none of us know much about this, maybe we should move on to predictions.

Marty Smith: No headlight stickers. No manufacturer stickers. Fair enough, big Squirm.

Man to beat at Pocono?

Lee Montgomery: I need to spend more time thinking about this.

Ryan Smithson: Ryan Newman makes it two in a row. Boy's streakier than Joe DiMaggio. NASCAR nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Flying Ryan has left and gone away.

	Bobby Labonte practices for the inevitable victory lane swipe of Coke at Pocono. Credit: AP

Dave Rodman: How about Jeff Burton? He loves the place, they have been under the radar long enough and Steve Park had a good car there last year until that guardrail turned it into an airplane -- so Paul Andrews knows what he's doing.

Marty Smith: Bobby Labonte. The man's hotter'n than Faith Hill in Key West right now. Five straight top-3s.

Lee Montgomery: OK, screw it. Kurt Busch. Ran well there last year, and it's about time he wins again.

Ryan Smithson: Labonte's owned Pocono since 1999.

Lee Montgomery: Labonte is a good choice, though.

Dave Rodman: As usual, pretty tough to tell. How much would you pay to see a replay of Labonte/Junior this weekend?

Ryan Smithson: Nothing.

Marty Smith: He schooled Dale Jr. there a couple years back. Straight took him to school.

Lee Montgomery: That was awesome. Proved to a lot of folks that, yes, Labonte can flat drive a racecar.

Ryan Smithson: In that race, we lost our video feed with 40 to go. Had to listen to MRN. That was a bad day.

Dave Rodman: You media slacker. Way to relate to our fans, man.

	The pass

Lee Montgomery: Junior said after that race that Bobby wanted it more. When was the last time you heard that from a driver?

Ryan Smithson: Junior, 2001. That was the last time.

Marty Smith: At least he's not the Iraqi Information Minister like myself.

Dave Rodman: When was the last time you could imagine hearing that from an Earnhardt?

Ryan Smithson: Junior, 2001. That was the last time.

Marty Smith: That was just one of the most awesome moves ever. He played Junior like a puppet, man.

Marty Smith: High, low, high, low, high, GONE.

	Sanford and Son truck -- a Track Smack favorite. Credit: AP

Lee Montgomery: Wait, I thought Marty was a Junior Apologist. Me and you, Dawg, just playin'.

Marty Smith: It's all good, Leeski. You're just like the rest of 'em.

Lee Montgomery: Except that I know the truth.

Dave Rodman: Anybody wanna take a buck for a Yates rebound?

Lee Montgomery: Gimme odds, Worm.

Dave Rodman: No worse than one top-10, one top-20.

Lee Montgomery: It's a bet.

Ryan Smithson: Take a buck? They might hit a buck on the backstretch the way their luck's been. It is Pocono.

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The opinions listed here are solely those of the participants.