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July 2, 2003
9:02 AM EDT (1302 GMT)
Which driver will be the most improved in the second half?
Lee Montgomery: My vote is Tony Stewart. Not that he's been bad in the first half, but he hasn't been able to shake some bad luck and such. He probably won't repeat as champion, but he'll win a few races.
Ryan Smithson: Without question, Dale Jarrett. They can't run this way forever. It's a mathematical impossibility. That team is too loaded, and he's got some friendly tracks coming up. His luck has sucked, and it has to turn around. And it will.
Marty Smith: I am going to have to go with Ryan Newman. Sure, he struggled direly in the season's early stages, but he's come on stronger than nine rows of wild onions of late, so he'll keep it up in the second half.
Dave Rodman: You know, it's pretty alarming to look at the bunch of guys that have run like horse's behinds in the first half. I would say Jeff Burton will make a run at the top-10 in the second half.
Lee Montgomery: I was going to say Ryan, too. Newman, not Smithson.
Ryan Smithson: I guess we're not giving much love to Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin, etc. The old guys. Wait, Jarrett isn't any spring chicken. My bad.
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Marty Smith: I don't know about DJ, Smithson. The boys over at the 88 have tons of questions and what seems a futile search for answers. I hope he does better, though. Him being good is good for NASCAR.
Dave Rodman: Him being bad isn't totally bad for the sport though, either. It keeps you coming back to see if they can shake that monkey this week. There's a bunch of guys in that position.
Lee Montgomery: Marlin hasn't been that bad, really. Without a missed shift, Marlin's a winner at Michigan. They've gotten way better in the last month.
Ryan Smithson: Marlin should have won Dover, too.
Lee Montgomery: No doubt. And he's been awesome lately.
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Ryan Smithson: I got an email last week asking why McMurray does not get the same cars Marlin does. What a bleeping joke.
Marty Smith: Oh Lordy, way to bring that up again, Smithson.
Lee Montgomery: I think Ryan does have a good point about Jarrett though. Too much talent over there for them to run as poorly as they have.
Marty Smith: I mean Dover, not McMurray.
Ryan Smithson: Bring what up? Oh, Dover. I am still angry about that.
Lee Montgomery: You're the only one.
Ryan Smithson: Jarrett has not run badly lately. But Sonoma was surprising.
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| Ryan Newman's just a regular guy away from the track. |
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Marty Smith: I had a long discussion with Elliott Sadler last week, boys. He admits that losing Shawn Parker really hurt his team. It mixed up the chemistry terribly.
It just doesn't seem anyone can get comfortable in the crew chief position at the 88. Maybe Shawn's the guy. He's smart as a tack, for sure.
Dave Rodman: That search may be a long and hard one. Longer than the second half of the season. ESad and his bunch are big-time team players to take a bullet for their teammate, giving up a key element of their team trying to make the 88 stronger.
Lee Montgomery: Read between the lines with what Marty just said folks.
Ryan Smithson: That team has every tool in the box. They just haven't shown it. I don't read between the lines well, so please explain it.
Lee Montgomery: Why can't a crew chief get comfortable there?
Marty Smith: It's too odd, the 88's struggles. You boys are right. They're stacked. They have engineers and equipment and pit crews and gobs of dollars. It just doesn't make sense.
Lee Montgomery: Exactly.
Ryan Smithson: Oh. I thought you meant when Marty said "It just doesn't seem anyone can get comfortable in the crew chief position at the 88." With four of them since 2002, I would think that's a no-bleep statement. Of course they can't.
Lee Montgomery: That's obvious. But the deeper question is why? Just chemistry? Jarrett? Yates?
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| Hi, I'm Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford, and I'll be your tour guide today. |
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Marty Smith: No-bleep statement? That's something you know plenty about, Smithson.
Ryan Smithson: Oh man, I don't make many of those.
Lee Montgomery: No he makes bleep statements.
Marty Smith: He makes no sense statements.
Ryan Smithson: Jarrett's problems aren't like J. Burton's. Jarrett didn't show signs of a slump in 2001.
Marty Smith: I hope Burton lands a quality sponsor, and soon. They need to button that deal up. He's too good to be riding around in a white car. The Nextel deal killed his shot with AT&T.
Dave Rodman: It's big-time unfortunate that Nextel's involvement -- which is wireless -- wipes out the participation of a wing of a telecommunications company that, sure, has a wireless arm but would be land-based.
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| A man is arrested for protesting Randy LaJoie's firing. Credit: AP |
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Marty Smith: But a fan brought up a good point to me. If AT&T is on the 17, which they were last year but I'm not sure about this year, should they be able to up their involvement inside Roush?
Ryan Smithson: I am sure they are allowed, but would they want to?
Lee Montgomery: Good question. Wonder if Nextel will let them "grandfather" that in
Marty Smith: All I've heard about is Alltel and Cingular, both of whom are safe but can only stay with their respective teams.
Ryan Smithson: This is not a time to be telling sponsors that they are unwelcome. Now that's a no-bleep statement!
Marty Smith: Best statement you've ever made, son.
Who is the man to beat in the Pepsi 400?
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| I'm back for a third season hair |
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Lee Montgomery: Buckshot Jones.
Ryan Smithson: Buckshot Jones will shock the world with a victory this Saturday night. Babies will be named after him.
Lee Montgomery: Great minds. Scary.
Dave Rodman: It's a good comeback ride for Buckshot. Finch's cars are rockets at Daytona, as Geoffrey and Mike proved the last two years. And Buckshot has worked well with a veteran crew chief before when he was with Larry Pearson. Marc Reno could be good for him.
Marty Smith: I'm going to buck the DEI trend and say the 48. Jimmie Johnson was awesome in the 500 and vying for the lead at Talladega before all hell broke loose. So I go with the 48.
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| I'm back for a third season too hair |
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Dave Rodman: I'm thankful Lee hasn't sent the big guys in dark glasses to get the $2 I owe him. I am not going to go any deeper into hock, but I would give the call to either of the Labonte boys. Terry is due, and Bobby is just plain bad just about everywhere.
Lee Montgomery: It's Daytona. So Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Michael Waltrip. But I'm very interested to see what Jeff Green can do. Can he do any better in the 1 car?
Marty Smith: Will Buckshot pull the trigger when it counts? Sorry, bad, bad joke.
Ryan Smithson: Jeff Green better drop the hammer this weekend. This is a huge race for him.
Marty Smith: Steve Park wasn't awesome in the 1, bro. But Jeff did get the pole for the 500. It'll be interesting, for sure, to see what he can do with that technology.
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| I'm happy to have this much hair at 46 years of age hair |
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Ryan Smithson: Which is another thing. Can Park do well in the 30?
Dave Rodman: I'll say he'll have a top-10 run in that ride.
Lee Montgomery: No reason he shouldn't. Think that'll satisfy the Park fans?
Ryan Smithson: Nope, there isn't. And no, it won't satisfy his fans.
Lee Montgomery: You said that. Not me.
Marty Smith: I wonder if his fans have had a DEI voodoo doll party yet.
Lee Montgomery: Hang the 1 car in effigy.
Ryan Smithson: If they have, we didn't get invited.
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| This will all be gray in 10 years hair |
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Marty Smith: Those people are unbelievable, man. One cross word, and you're Satan in the flesh.
Lee Montgomery: Yeah I got bombed for asking about Park after Sonoma.
Ryan Smithson: That was not a good race for him. Another no-bleep statement. Jimmy Spencer beat him.
Lee Montgomery: Park fans, email Ryan. And please don't CC me.
Ryan Smithson: Hey now. I've defended Park in the past. And I am not bashing him here.
Marty Smith: Speaking of CC, Every Rose Has it's Thorn is on VH1 80's right now.
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| This is too pretty to wear a hat hair |
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Lee Montgomery: I hated 80s music the first time around. But you guys were too young.
Ryan Smithson: I read somewhere that Bret Michaels got a lot of women. Wonder if that's true.
Marty Smith: I love 80s music, dude. 80s stations are the business.
Lee Montgomery: Kind of like Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting a lot of women?
Ryan Smithson: Does he? Reckon he does?
Lee Montgomery: Another no-bleep statement.
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| More hair than Rusty or Kenny hair |
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Marty Smith: He's only aspiring to be like Dave Rodman. When the Worm appears, the women slip in their own drool.
Ryan Smithson: No doubt. They can't handle it. You should hear them scream when he pulls up in his pink truck. It's deafening. You can't even hear. Your shirt gets stained from all the pens. It's annoying. I don't have that problem when I am with Marty. Only silence.
Marty Smith: Don't be knocking' pink trucks. The Panther doesn't take well to criticism.
Lee Montgomery: Maybe I need a pink truck. No thanks.
Ryan Smithson: Two out of four Smackers drive pink trucks!
Ryan Smithson: That is not good, lads.
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| More than Kenny, less than Mike hair |
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Marty Smith: One drives a Mini Cooper. One drives a, well, I don't know what that little upholstered roller skate Lee drives is.
Ryan Smithson: What ya got, Lee? A truck I bet.
Lee Montgomery: 95 Mazda POS. 184K miles.
Marty Smith: It has duct tape holding the hood down. I know that much.
Ryan Smithson: A POS? Is that the optional model?
Lee Montgomery: Needs a left-rear strut, new brakes and new hood. Piece of bleep.
Anyone want to make me an offer?
Ryan Smithson: Davey Allison drove a Mazda to Martinsville once. Don't feel bad, Lee.
Track Smack appears every Wednesday on NASCAR.com at 11 a.m. ET sharp.
The opinions listed here are solely those of the participants.
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