(dis)believe the dialogue: Weekly news in review

A couple of very intriguing stories came out of the New England 300 weekend, including Jeff Gordon's domination-turned-disappointment and a "rebound" for some of the veteran drivers.

Who is at fault for Gordon's mistake? Have Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and Jeff Burton turned their seasons around? These issues and more are up for debate in this week's edition of (dis)believe.

See if you agree with the "DIS" of what has been reported, or maybe you "BELIEVE" everything you read, because if it is printed, it is true ... right?

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Elliott: BELIEVE

	Brendan Gaughan, future Cup superstar?

I really hope people in the garage area start taking notice of Brendan Gaughan and his abilities, and I don't mean his acting abilities (although I really enjoyed his dentist commercial!).

The Truck Series is doing exactly what it should for this kid -- giving him seat time, which increases his experience, which leads to victories and builds confidence. How could Gaughan not be confident? With nine top 10 finishes this season, including scoring his third victory in 2003 on Saturday, he currently sits second in the point standings.

This kid is likeable, young, and a winner -- all the characteristics an owner should look for when considering options during our very silly season. I hope he does get a shot at moving up in the ranks, not only to showcase his skills, but also so he can pay his bills!

Gaughan's season earnings (12 races): $305,790

Jimmie Johnson's winnings from just the New England 300: $200,225

You do the math.

Marty: BELIEVE

Few individuals in this world carry the genuine zeal for life and innate vigor that Brendan carries. This guy's tach is pegged 24/7/365. He's also an amazing athlete.

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Gaughan picked up racing at a young age, competing against the likes of Jimmie Johnson in off-road trucks before shelving motorsports in favor of basketball for a few years. He was Allen Iverson's roommate and daily nemesis on the Georgetown University hoop squad. Oh yeah, he was all-conference in football at Georgetown, too.

After college, he returned to the cockpit and won the Winston West Series championship before graduating to Trucks, where in less than two seasons he's emerged as a championship contender. He'll be in Winston Cup, sooner rather than later.

These days owners want young, attractive and personable, and will sacrifice experience for it. See: Casey Mears. Mears had one year in a stock car before Chip Ganassi put him in the 41. No ASA. No Trucks. Not even a Late Model. One year in the Busch Series, and Ganassi put him in a Winston Cup car.

Gaughan is a year away from Cup -- two, max.

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Marty: BELIEVE

	This is how close the points race should be. Credit: Autostock

Gordon's disappointment is warranted. He should be upset with himself. He's a Winston Cup veteran and a three-time winner at New Hampshire, so he knows all-too-well the significance of track position on the flat, one-mile oval where passing is extremely tedious.

Gordon had the best car Sunday, led nearly half the race. But that's irrelevant when it's down to the nitty gritty and you're mired in traffic.

Bob Bahre deserves a ton of credit. He finally provided a racing surface that didn't break apart, and gave drivers an outside groove to work with. Jeff still should've known better than to take four tires on the final fuel run in a day when fuel mileage is all the rage and has placed track position at a premium. He had to know everyone would take right sides only.

Elliott: DIS(appointing)

I am sure many of you are asking yourselves how can I DIS a guy that finished 24th, barely on the lead lap. Sure, Jeff Gordon had the dominant car, and sure, he probably should have won the race easily, but he didn't. Gordon was also a total stand-up guy, admitting he made a mistake on the strategy and took the blame. Extremely admirable.

I am DISing Gordon because of these four words that came out of his mouth: "It's not the points."

Jeff, it IS about the points. It is always about the points, especially when you sit SECOND in the points. Did you know that you were within 100 points of Kenseth at one point in the race? I was routing you on lap by lap, because each point DOES count, and I (like most fans) want to see an exciting points race.

Gordon knows that the system rewards drivers for their consistency, not victories, but if he is going to add another Championship trophy to his already impressive collection, he needs to make each point count. That IS the point.

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Marty: BELIEVE

I couldn't be happier for these four gentlemen. It does a heart good to see them all finish near the front of the field. Key word: finish.

Collectively Jarrett, Burton, Rudd and Park have tallied 16 DNF's in the season's first 19 events. Jarrett alone has six. For a bit of perspective, chew on this: Jarrett had five DNF's total in 2002, four in '01, two in 2000 and but one in his 1999 championship season.

	Jeff Burton has moved his way into the top 10 in standings. Credit: Autostock

Jarrett has endured a miserable year, by far his worst at Robert Yates Racing. But he's been through hell. The 88 has undergone personnel shakeups galore, and if there's an accident on the track, Jarrett inevitably finds it. But don't be surprised if he's strong at Pocono this weekend. He was running fifth there last month when all hell broke loose - not to mention something in his car - and he hit the wall in a fiery crash.

Burton and Park have improved quite a bit of late, with Burton advancing six positions in the point standings over the past four races, and Park earning a Bud Pole and his season's-best finish (eighth) over the past three events. I'll see E's call that Burton will win this year, and up the ante by saying he'll win more than once. The second New Hampshire and Phoenix.

As for Rudd, he's an Ironman and a testament to old school grit. He'll make his 700th consecutive start this weekend at Pocono. Seven hundred in a row. Think about that. That's 23 straight seasons without missing a race.

Elliott: BELIEVE

While guys like Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd MAY have found something during the break before the Pepsi 400, resulting in two top-10s for Jarrett and three top 15s for Rudd since, I want to focus on one veteran driver in particular -- Jeff Burton.

Since finishing 35th at Talladega, Burton has piled up eight top 15s, including a current streak of three straight top 10 finishes. Impressive. Following that Aaron's 499 way back in April, Burton sat 21st in the points -- now he sits 10th.

Now look at some of the tracks still to come on the schedule: Pocono, Michigan, Richmond, Dover, and Martinsville -- all top 15 finishes for Burton earlier this season.

What do I think this adds up to? First, I think Burton will give CITGO at least one last victory before their sponsorship ends this season, and second, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart better look in their points mirror. The No. 99 is coming.

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Elliott: BELIEVE

I would like to give out my award for the best quote of the year to Mike Bliss right now: "He's (Bobby Hamilton Jr.) got a 10-foot ego in a four-foot body." I still can't stop laughing.

	Mike Bliss has finished 20th or worse in five of the last six races. Credit: Autostock

Hamilton Jr. has a lot to be proud of, especially of recent. He has 10 top-10 finishes in the past 13 races, including two victories, and he sits fifth in the points. In contrast, Bliss has finished 20th or worse in five of the past six races. Ouch.

What I like here is that personalities are starting to come through, and that builds interest from fans. We love seeing rivalries, and there was a big gap left in the Busch Series when guys like Dale Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle left to drive Winston Cup.

Sure, inevitably the Busch Series would benefit from more companion races with Winston Cup weekends, but fan interest should continue to gravitate towards watching the Busch Series if every week is another soap opera of competitive willpower with personalities you can latch on to. That is what makes racing fun to watch.

Marty: DIS

To my knowledge, this was an isolated incident. It's not like Hamilton has made a habit of seeking Bliss out on the track just to dump him. Matter of fact, Bliss' own team said he and Hamilton had no issues prior to Saturday's run-in.

Bliss' frustration is obvious. He's failed to finish four of the past eight races and plummeted from fourth to 11th in the championship standings. Hamilton, it seems, just happened to be the guy that pushed Bliss over the edge. Wouldn't have mattered who it was, he'd have gone off.

This is nothing new. Bliss has never been one to pull punches. If he's upset with you, he lets the world know it.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writers.