Jeremy Mayfield: "If I win the Brickyard - I'm cleaning the whole roof off, so watch out."

Track Smack: Brickyard

Reaction to the whole Powderade bottles/Jimmie Johnson fine incident?

Jeremy Mayfield: There's really not one. They told us in the drivers meeting not to knock the bottle off, so basically, that sums it up for everyone. That's my opinion. I don't even know what to say about it. It's a topic that I've never thought about.

Lee Montgomery: I have to say, this is getting silly. I wrote the story for that Tuesday, and then I thought that was the silliest story I'd ever written. And that says something.

Dave Rodman: He should have gotten a points deduction. No. 1, money like that is chump change to someone of his stature in the sport. 2) Points would have been an artificial fine but gotten the point across.

Ryan Smithson: It's very amusing and -- frankly -- fun to watch since NASCAR has been pretty quiet since the whole Tommy Baldwin-at-Chicagoland incident a few weeks ago. I was starting to fall asleep. What a funny story. But a fine? Nah.

Marty Smith: My reaction is simple -- it is the most asinine thing I've ever seen. Mike Helton told drivers this: "Don't take it upon yourself to take the product off your car. You can move away from it or move around it to be polite and respectful.

Dave Rodman: NASCAR needs to be exposed for what they are: Money grubbing... Where do you think that conflict even came from? The opportunity to make money.

Ryan Smithson: Rodman, it would not do no good to take points away. That is ridiculous. He's getting them taken away anyway.

TRACK SMACK AUDIO Track Smack Audio Too lazy to read Track Smack? We hear ya. Tune it to the audio portion of Smack, where Jeremy Mayfield schools us on the basics of fire protection in the Nextel Cup Series.

Lee Montgomery: Jeremy, you're a Mountain Dew guy. If Coke was in Victory Lane, would you even think about knocking it aside?

Jeremy Mayfield: No, It's not my job. My job is to get to victory lane and then celebrate with the team. What the PR people do is another story. I'll just pick up my Mountain Dew and take a big drink of it.

Dave Rodman: Obviously -- that's why I couched it that way. Don't get me wrong; the whole scenario is absurd, like Jeremy said. But they've built the damned house, and everyone has no choice but to live in it.

Lee Montgomery: Get some chug points, huh?

Jeremy Mayfield: The thing is now - what if it gets knocked over accidentally? Will NASCAR have a Victory Lane tech for all post race celebrations?

Jeremy Mayfield: PR Templates?

Lee Montgomery: PR templates. I love it. Would Denny (Jeremy's PR man Darnell) fit a PR template?

EMAIL Lee Ryan Dave Marty

Jeremy Mayfield: Denny's spoiler template doesn't fit - that's what I'm worried about.

Lee Montgomery: I bet there's a hefty fine for that.

Dave Rodman: Jeremy, funny you should mention that. If, at Richmond, someone's teammate has a legitimate accident and takes out a Chase for the Nextel Cup contender, how do you think NASCAR will react to that?

Jeremy Mayfield: If it's legit. Then it will be business as usual - that's racing.

Marty Smith: Jimmie didn't move a damn thing. He simply took a prop, placed on his hood by NASCAR, and moved it in front of the bottles. In my opinion, NASCAR's decision to fine Jimmie will result in drivers merely staying in the driver's seat in Victory Lane. That way, the tight camera angle will eliminate sponsor conflicts. It's ludicrous.

Jeremy Mayfield: NASCAR and the tracks are the ones creating the conflicts with all this official status stuff. Money drives controversy in this sport.

Lee Montgomery: It's like they're trying to feed both sides of a fight.

Marty Smith: Agreed, Jeremy. Problem is, who is NASCAR to tell the driver that at that moment, a NASCAR sponsor is more important than the driver's sponsor?

Dave Rodman: It's their sport, unfortunately. And as we all know, they do what they want.

Marty Smith: Jeremy, you're a Mountain Dew guy. How will you deal with the bottles if you win The Brickyard?

Rottweiler Credit: AP

Jeremy Mayfield: The difference in the dogfight is - it's like a fight between a Rottweiler and a Chihuahua.

Marty Smith: Jeremy loves those dogs. I bet your fat dog could whoop some tail, Jeremy. if he could get up in time, anyway.

Jeremy Mayfield: What, are you sleeping? If I win the Brickyard - I'm cleaning the whole roof off, so watch out. I'll get paid enough.

Marty Smith: I just got here. I had to drive downtown to bust NASCAR's can on Totally NASCAR. I'm late. But, at least I'll get to bust their hineys on national TV.

Jeremy Mayfield: I have a big bulldog.

Jeremy Mayfield: Don't get me in the middle of this.

Lee Montgomery: Too late.

Marty Smith: Back to Dave's comment -- Wormus, I agree with you. It's classic bullying. It's NASCAR ball and NASCAR's field, so you play by their rules. Problem is, in this instance, the rule is crap.

Dave Rodman: Yup.

Lee Montgomery: Funny thing is, it's not even a rule!

Dave Rodman: It's a threat, is what it is...

Jeremy Mayfield: Like I said - I'm cleaning the roof off.

Lee Montgomery: I'd love to see that written down in the rulebook. "Do not knock bottles off the roof of your car in Victory Lane."

Marty Smith: I love it! You heard it here first, folks! Jeremy's going to do some power washing.

Ryan Smithson: I wish they had just let it be, though, you know? Why throw gas on the fire by announcing a meaningless fine? Let it go, NASCAR.

Jeremy Mayfield: It's a threat is what it is. And Marty's paying the fine.

Jeremy Mayfield: Is there going to be a fine for us even talking about this stuff?

General thoughts on the Chase bubble teams?

Lee Montgomery: Wasn't it Ryan who said last week that no one outside the top 10 would make it inside the top 10? Would you like to retract that, Ryan?

Marty Smith: Smithson -- Kasey Kahne is 40 points out. Face.

Ryan Smithson: Not yet, Lee. I'll stick to it at this point.

Kasey Kahne

Dave Rodman: At this point, I think it's even better than NASCAR could imagine, in terms of drama, intrigue, conflict and what-the-hell-is-gonna-happen-next?

Jeremy Mayfield: I'm one of them - we're just digging every week to get solid runs in and I plan on being in that 10.

Marty Smith: I meant Jeremy is 40 points out. My fault.

Dave Rodman: Guys, from sixth to 15th is 183 points, I think. That is outrageous.

Marty Smith: Nine of 10 drivers changed points positions last week alone, so the next few races will be pretty intense.

Lee Montgomery: And fun.

Ryan Smithson: If the Bristol race was held in the daytime in the fall, it might draw a 7 rating with all the ramifications that are going on this year.

Dave Rodman: That's it, Marty -- I almost don't even want to be around to see the pain. To have your season trashed at race 26 just isn't worth any amount of show business.

Jeremy Mayfield: All the guys of ahead of us I bet have a ton of pressure on their shoulders knowing the 9 and 19 cars are coming - and quick.

Lee Montgomery: At least we'll have plenty to write about. So go ahead, Jeremy, and knock Harvick out of the way sometime soon.

Marty Smith: Man, it's going to be tight for guys like Jeremy, Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte.

Ryan Smithson: McMurray's going to be kicking himself for those six DNFs.

Jeremy Mayfield: Stats show by race 26, if you weren't in the top 10, there's a good chance you wouldn't be anyways.

Marty Smith: Last year, Tony Stewart and Terry Labonte both made the top-10 after race 26, Jeremy.

Jeremy Mayfield: Okay. Two.

Marty Smith: Great comeback, Jeremy.

Jeremy Mayfield: The others will still be racing for the win every week.

Ryan Smithson: I still really like this new points system though. It's a lot more interesting. No one can argue that.

Jeremy Mayfield: I totally agree with you on that.

Marty Smith: Will it really change the competition that much? Seems like guys in the top-10 will still be trying to win, but will settle for consistent finishes. One or two DNFs, and you're done!

Dave Rodman: Not a points system -- a championship format, please.

Jeremy Mayfield: Last year at this time, no one even knew who was in 11th or 12th. Hell, I've become famous the last few weeks.

Ryan Smithson: I am not worried about Johnson losing all those points, I mean, he's been the most consistent anyway -- if he keeps it up, he won't have a problem.

Marty Smith: That's a great point, Jeremy. The sponsors for the sixth through 15th-place teams have to be loving the coverage.

Jeremy Mayfield: I wouldn't count your Mountain Dew bottles before their cracked open.

Ryan Smithson: Well, Marty, the good thing is, it's not like the 48 and 24 are two points apart right now, so that has shifted even more coverage to the guys on the bubble.

Lee Montgomery: How many sponsor references are we allowing these days?

Marty Smith: And that's a 180-degree turn from what folks were saying at the outset of the year. Everyone was complaining that sponsors would get screwed. Hell, it's the 48, 24 and 8 that will be left out of the coverage for the next six weeks.

Ryan Smithson: Marty, the sponsors for the mid guys will be worse, like the 97 and the 20.

Lee Montgomery: It's almost made winning the race an afterthought.

Dave Rodman: Not if they keep running at the front. Or having big barbecues.

Jeremy Mayfield: That thing got a HEMI in it?

Marty Smith: HEMI POWER!

Marty Smith: No one knows that's what I say on that commercial. They ask me.

Jeremy Mayfield: What commercial?

Predictions for Indy?

Jeremy Mayfield: Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne, Bill Elliott that order.

Lee Montgomery: Ray would love that.

Jeff Gordon

Lee Montgomery: I wonder if Stewart would.

Ryan Smithson: Ray could retire if that happened.

Marty Smith: It's Jeff Gordon's week. He'll sit on the pole and win the race.

Ryan Smithson: I guess we need to thank Jeremy for those quotes at Chicagoland.

Jeremy Mayfield: Marty -- I know where you live.

Marty Smith: I know where you live, too, son. And I have toilet paper in the Pink Panther.

Lee Montgomery: I'm going take Jimmie Johnson again.

Ryan Smithson: Kahne gets first win. Gets cut a huge check. Buys home and seven cars.

Jeremy Mayfield: I have shells in the shotgun.

Ryan Smithson: A Kentuckian with a 12-gauge. Not a good combo.

Jeremy Mayfield: No, a sawed-off 10-gauge automatic.

Marty Smith: Ain't no gun gonna hurt the Panther.

Marty truck, aka The Pink Panther

Lee Montgomery: Hey, can't make fun of my upholstered skateboard anymore. I sold it!

Dave Rodman: I will go out on a limb --- though this is a tough one. I liked Jeremy's order, but I know what a win would mean for Bill, and since he's done it recently; I'll say the 91 leads the Evernham charge.

Marty Smith: Jeremy, next time you swing by, will you ride that lawnmower you ride in the Mountain. Dew commercial? My grass needs mowing.

Jeremy Mayfield: I blew it up when I added the NOS system.

Jeremy Mayfield: Seriously though, I feel good about the Evernham cars leading up to Indy. We ran good at Pocono and have the same car, so I expect good things. Our test was awesome and all three teams have good notes. I think we'll surprise you.

Jeremy Mayfield: Go see your local Dodge Dealer.

Lee Montgomery: Too many plugs! That's a fine!

Track Smack appears every Wednesday on NASCAR.COM at 11:09 a.m. ET.

The opinions are solely those of the participants. We promise.