(dis)believe the dialogue: Weekly news in review

If you are looking for additional debate over the Busch-Spencer issue, stop reading. We covered this topic at length in this week's "Last Lap Column" and we encourage you to read it.

If you are looking for discussion on the news that got overshadowed by the Busch-Spencer issue, then welcome to this week's column!

On to this week's analysis ...

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

OK, so I have the most popular driver in the sport behind the wheel of my car, and it just so happens that he is family. On the hood of that car is the logo of one of the biggest corporate sponsors in the sport, and they want to talk extension.

Is this a dream come true for an owner or what?! So what is the hold up, Teresa?

Show Dale Jr. the money, period. He earned it, and he doesn't even want a piece of the company to prove it.

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Sure, he hasn't won a championship (yet), but his popularity alone has brought more attention (and money) to this sport over the last few years than anyone could have imagined. He should see some return on his investment.

Further, Budweiser WANTS to stay, but they are waiting for the contract with Junior to be ironed out, so why delay? I know, Budweiser is going to stay on just because he is Dale Jr., but why make them wait?

Lastly, don't you have a No. 1 car sitting in the stable with a blank hood for next year? Put this No. 8 business behind you, and quickly, so you can concentrate at making your other team healthy, and Junior can concentrate on what he does best -- drive the wheels off the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy each week.

MARTY: BELIEVE

Junior says he has leverage for the first time in a long time (damn that's scary) and I agree wholeheartedly that he should use every last ounce of it. It's pretty elementary. He's owns planet popularity in the NASCAR galaxy, and is truly backing up the hype with quality racing.

If he wants a piece of the DEI pie, hand it to him on your finest china with a frilly rolled up napkin. If he doesn't, fine, give him a contract worthy of NASCAR's biggest draw -- a $4 million salary, 50 percent of his winnings and a tolerable appearance schedule. All the boy wants legit money and a little freedom. Give him both.

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Elliott: DIS

Look, Steve Park may be driving around the track at 100-plus mph with my corporate logo on the hood, but I am sorry, I am just not excited by this.

I am glad to see Park run well, as I am sure this is a confidence boost to the team, but it is a tainted finish -- it was a fuel mileage race.

	Was Park's top five finish at Michigan a fluke or has he turned the corner? Credit: Autostock

Races need to be won by fast cars with great setups, not by guys who can stretch a gallon one more circuit -- this is where I give Kurt Busch credit on Sunday. He just mashed the pedal and hoped to have enough for the end. Unfortuntely for him, he didn't.

Look at some of the other finishers in the top 10 on Sunday. Johnny Benson and Ken Schrader? That was Benson's first top 10 since June 1, and Schrader's since April 13. Where would have their performances been without stretching the gas?

Both Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon have been on fire for Richard Childress over the last six weeks, and that shows consistency. When I see that out of Park, then I will become a corporate minion, whereing my No. 30 hat around the office.

Marty: BELIEVE

Though many folks feel as if Park's career will soon go the way of the dinosaur, I personally couldn't be happier for the guy. Should he have finished in the top five? Nope. Did he? Yep. Fuel mileage is as much a part of Winston Cup racing these days as aerodynamics and horsepower, for every last team out there. And Park made it work in his favor. Hell, yeah.

The guy was put through the ringer by a freak accident. Be happy for him.

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Marty: BELIEVE

Not everyone is a Winston Cup driver.

	Jack Sprague is all smiles now that he is heading back to the Craftsman Truck Series. Credit: Autostock

Sprague, who had long yearned to drive at NASCAR's elite level, got a great opportunity with HAAS Motorsports. But it was obvious from the time he wrecked Elliott Sadler at Daytona that it would be a crash-course learning experience for the entire team. During his 18-race tenure in the No. 0 car, Sprague finished 10 times outside the top 30 and failed to finish at all in five of them.

That's not to say Sprague can't drive. I'd say he belongs in the Busch Series, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Trucks right now. The Craftsman Truck Series is NASCAR's most competitive, and its health is so strikingly superior to that of a year ago.

And it's all Sprague -- beat, bang and gouge. Sprague will join an accomplished group of former Winston Cup drivers in the series, with Ted Musgrave, Bobby Hamilton and others, and continue to grow the series.

Elliott: BELIEVE

Let me introduce the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series Champion, Jack Sprague!

What else can be said? Sprague is going back to the element he dominated, and he will continue to dominate. When he left the Truck Series in 2001, he had four wins and 15 top-five finishes.

Out of 24 races that season, he finished outside of the top 10 a measly seven times, not to mention the fact that he is second on the all-time win list with 23.

Given the competitive nature of the Truck Series so far this season (there are five guys within 147 points of each other), this will certainly shake things up for next year.