Viewer's Guide: Darlington

ATLANTA -- We've gotten several e-mails over the past few weeks asking when the much-promoted Mark Martin feature would finally hit the air on NBC.

Wonder no longer. Your wait is over.

The piece is scheduled to air this weekend before the final Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Bill Weber spent some time with Mark in his home state of Arkansas some weeks back and talked with him about his career and his place in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup.

The feature was originally scheduled to run at Kansas, and then rain pushed in back to Martinsville, where the threat of more rain pushed it back again.

Getting extreme: This week in "Wally's World," color commentator Wally Dallenbach will take some athletes from the Mountain Dew Extreme Sports tour along for the ride at Darlington. Ask The Producer: This week's question comes from Shane McGill of parts unknown who wonders why the "Lucky Dog" driver isn't shown in a different color on NBC's rolling ticker.

Sam Flood

NBC/TNT producer Sam Flood said that it would be tough to do that because that driver could change four or five times in a single lap. He suggests that fans look at the standings ticker and just look for the first driver with a "-1" under their name.

Let your voice be heard: Each week, we'll pick one question to ask the producer of the NBC/TNT telecast. Why did they do things this way? Why did they talk to that driver? Any question that eats at you could be answered right here in the Viewer's Guide.

Send your questions to the e-mail box in this piece.

The Rant: This week's Rant comes from Ron and Roberta Guthormsen of Brookings, Ore. who are waiting for NASCAR to come to its senses:

"How many years will it take NASCAR to go back to the real points race for the championship? We can see how the drivers out of the chase can come back for a higher finishing in the points and a trip to New York. We will still be watching our favorite drivers until the end of the season with hope they can get a break next year."

EMAIL Send Mark your take for "The Rant" or your question for "Ask The Producer"

I think you're going to be waiting for quite a while, guys. This is the direction that NASCAR is going in. The bottom line is that these drivers must perform in those first 26 races to get in. At least, NASCAR isn't eliminating cars like teams are eliminated in other sports when they are out of contention.

Get in on the action: In "The Rant," we'll pick e-mails each week to argue about a TV coverage issue, be it a commentator's comment, a driver's comment, a pre-race feature -- basically anything you want to spout off about.

Come with an intelligent, passionate argument and you may see your take on NASCAR.COM.

On to this weekend's schedule:

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval, 25-degree banking in Turns 1-2, 23-degree banking in Turns 3 and 4).

Race distance: 501 miles, 367 laps

Last year Victory Lane Terry Labonte celebrates his 22nd career win Frustration Gordon is upset after being involved in a multi-car crash Heavy damage Six cars are involved in a big crash on lap 5

TV: Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 3 p.m. ET Friday. Happy Hour: SPEED, 11 a.m. ET Saturday. Race: NBC, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.

Last race: With a dominant car, Dale Earnhardt Jr. powered past Jeff Gordon after a late restart and held on to the lead to win the Checker Auto Parts 500. It is his second consecutive win at Phoenix International Raceway.

Last year: Terry Labonte took control of the 367-lap event late in the race with a lightning fast pit stop, and went on to win the 54th running of NASCAR's oldest 500-mile race.

Potential storyline: Entering Darlington, seven drivers are still mathematically alive in the Chase for the Nextel Cup with two races left in the season. The top four drivers are separated by just 48 points.

Point to ponder: Series leader Kurt Busch has competed in seven races at Darlington scoring three top-10 finishes. His 17.9 average finish ranks seventh among the drivers in the Chase. Meanwhile, third-place Jimmie Johnson is the most recent Darlington winner.

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval, 25-degree banking in Turns 1-2, 23-degree banking in Turns 3 and 4).

Race distance: 200 miles, 147 laps

Last year Victory Lane Vickers celebrates his second career Busch Series win Final laps Vickers holds off teammate Kyle Busch for the victory Yellow fever Biffle is involved in one of three cautions at Darlington

TV: Busch Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 1:30 p.m. ET Friday. Race: TNT, 1 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last race: Jamie McMurray beat a bitterly disappointed Kyle Busch at Phoenix -- Busch led 151 laps, but his car faded in the closing laps. Martin Truex retained a large points lead by finishing third.

Last year: Teen-agers Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in the Winn-Dixie 200.

Potential storyline: Truex could lock up the 2004 Busch Series championship Saturday at Darlington. Heading into the weekend's action, Truex Jr. leads second-place Kyle Busch by 161 points, If his lead is between 156 and 185 points after Darlington, simply taking the green flag at Homestead would clinch the title. If it were more than 185, Truex would not even have to show up at Miami to claim the crown.

Point to ponder: In the most recent Busch Series event at Darlington in March, Truex finished fourth. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch finished 17th.

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval, 25-degree banking in Turns 1-2, 23-degree banking in Turns 3 and 4).

Race distance: 200 miles, 147 laps

Last year Victory Lane Hamilton celebrates his third career NCTS victory Final laps Harvick falls out and Hamilton holds off Musgrave at the line Green flag Musgrave and Harvick battle up front in the Craftsman 200

TV: Race: SPEED, 8 p.m. ET Friday.

Last race: Ted Musgrave's championship hopes probably ended on Friday, as his dominant truck was victimized by a flat tire in the Chevy Silverado 150. David Starr ended up with the win by holding off a strong challenge by Jack Sprague.

Last year: Inaugural event

Potential storyline: Even without a Chase for the Championship, the Craftsman Truck Series championship is up for grabs. Series leader Bobby Hamilton and second-place Dennis Setzer are seven points apart heading into the season's final two races.

Point to ponder: Friday's event will be the first night race at the Track Too Tough to Tame. It will be chilly, as well. It's expected to be cloudy Friday, with temperatures dipping down into the 30s and a 30 percent chance of rain.

Mark Spoor is an interactive producer of NASCAR.COM. The Domino's Viewers Guide appears each Thursday during race weeks.