Ward Burton has spent more time in the woods this year than on the racetrack. Credit: Autostock

Last Lap: Mailbag

A child of Virginia's storied Commonwealth -- namely Pearisburg, a Southwestern map dot town tucked deep in the shadow of the Appalachians, a viable apex in an equilateral triangle with Martinsville and Bristol -- I carry an intrinsic interest in the respective careers of guys who hail from my neighborhood.

Guys like Rudd, Sadler, the Burtons, Jon Wood, Stacy Compton and Ashton Lewis, to name a few. (I even keep a close eye on Hooters Pro Cup driver Jeff Agnew, who, for the record, can flat wheel one.)

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Such interest is a key bullet point in the Commonwealth's Code of Unwritten NASCAR Fan Conduct: Mark Martin may be your favorite driver, but so long as he's not engaged in door-to-door fury with them you still cheer like hell for the Virginia boys.

Other states pour similar undying affection over native sons. New Englanders adore Ricky Craven. Washingtonians: Kasey Kahne; Tennesseans: ol' Sterling Marlin; Wisconsinites: Matt Kenseth. So on and so forth.

That's why I felt awful this morning. Last week in Track Smack, I gave the boss man (Elliott Gordon, a fellow Virginian) significant grief about his incessant lobbying for Ward Burton's employment.

The criticism was aimed at the boss, and had nothing to do with Burton other than his standing as Gordon's driver of choice.

But it didn't read that way, and Burton's fans are incensed. Can't say I blame them, either. Any time a guy in Miami or Syracuse questions my Hokies for an elite national ranking, I get sideways quicker than Tony Stewart's Sprint car at Eldora.

The feedback was not kind. I'm not taking back what I said, by any means, just clarifying. And somehow, buried in all that fury was the solace that race fans still care, passionately, about drivers even during extended absences.

In a predominately out-of-sight, out-of-mind world, that is quite heartening.

On to the mailbag ...

Why doesn't NASCAR use the ABC/IRL commercial approach, where they split screen the racing action with the commercials? It would be nice to not have to come back from a commercial to find they've already gone green, or are in a caution. I really think it's about time.
-- Jared L. Ohlinger

I have pondered that very question myself, Jared, even asked it in the presence of certain NASCAR brass. Though no viable ready-made answer was given me, it is my personal opinion -- once again, just my opinion -- that the answer is money, greenbacks, Benjamins.

The cost required to secure a 30-second advertisement during an Indy Racing League event is substantially smaller than the investment required to secure the same spot in a NASCAR broadcast. (Sources tell me the average difference is some $80,000.)

Therefore, where IRL sponsors might be willing to share their advertising time with in-race action, NASCAR sponsors want assurance of maximum return on the investment.

A network source told me Tuesday morning that TNT tried the split screen in 2001, but sponsors weren't at all happy. The source also explained that IRL races are less costly not because of the split screen, but rather simple math.

According to the network source, NASCAR Cup Series races typically average five times the number of viewers an IRL race gets. Therefore, the cost is about five times more. It's really that simple, the source said.

One wonders, though, are NASCAR sponsors truly getting maximum return? How many of us, during commercial breaks, hop up and head to the well or to the facility? Might we be more apt to stay put and be subliminally advertised-to using the ABC/IRL split-screen method?

Just a thought ...

Shane Hmiel Credit: Autostock

NASCAR has a drug policy for the drivers we all know that as we have seen with Shane Hmiel. But does NASCAR have the same or a similar policy for crewmembers? We never hear of crewmembers being subject to testing. If they do not have the same policy, why? My reason behind asking this is not to offend anyone, but a crewmember can be responsible for just as many people's safety as the driver if you think about it.
-- Doug Davis, Midland, Texas

You're absolutely right, Doug. Crewmembers carry significant responsibility in the overall safety level on pit road. Be it jumping out in front of the car during a pit stop or making the correct changes to the racecar, the split-second decisions required of crewmembers have potentially dangerous outcomes if made improperly.

Therefore, NASCAR's drug policy states that anyone displaying suspect behavior is subject to testing, including crewmembers.

Midland, Texas, huh? Friday Night Lights is a stellar read.

Kurt Busch Credit: Autostock

I just got back from a trip to the beach, and I watched the Pocono race on TV while I was there. I noticed that after Busch won the race, he was doing a burnout but it looked like he was just randomly burning out here and there. ... At first I thought he was really screwing up a good burnout, but then I think I caught onto something. Was it just me, or did Kurt burn his car number on the track? It sure looked like he was trying to make a 97, but I never saw a camera angle good enough to tell for sure. Thanks in advance!
-- Blake Shoemaker, McWhorter School of Pharmacy c/o 2008 President

Oddly enough, you're dead-on, Blake. According to Busch's publicist, Kevin Thomas, the first thing the '04 champ said upon exit of his racecar in Victory Lane was:

"Dude, does that look like a 97?"

Thomas was more than slightly confused by the remark, so a time later he requested clarification from his driver. Busch explained that he was indeed trying to burn a "97" into the front stretch.

"He said he felt like the 9 was solid, but he wasn't so sure about the 7," Thomas said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Credit: Autostock

Just a quick question. I missed the second half of the Pocono race. Dale Jr. was penalized for speeding on pit road at Pocono and was held for a lap. Why was this? If the penalty is supposed to be starting at the tail end of the longest line, why then was he held for a lap? I've looked around and can't find an answer to this. Can you help out here? Did the pace car pass him when he was on pit road, or is NASCAR just out to prove they make the rules up as they go along (again)?
-- Earl

Well, Earl, your answer centers on the simple fact that Junior went zero-to-143 from his pit stall to the end of pit road.

NASCAR frowns upon such NASA-like launches.

Here's how it all went down, according to Earnhardt's superstar PR man Mike Davis: Junior lost one lap after stopping under green, only to see the caution wave while he was on pit road.

Having struggled direly all day, and throughout the entire weekend, for that matter, with an ill-handling racecar, crew chief Steve Hmiel felt that was an appropriate time to try a radical adjustment. Thus, Earnhardt dove back down pit road on the following lap to change the right front spring.

While stationed in his pit stall, the pace car passed him by, so he sped up to beat it, hoping that NASCAR would only penalize him with a pass-through or a stop-and-go penalty.

Had they done so, he would still be just one lap down and in position to fight for the Lucky Dog pass. However, due to the excessive speed, NASCAR beefed up the penalty and held him for a whole lap, putting him two laps down.

To his credit, Earnhardt was as fast as the leaders at the end of the race. Maybe that means they learned something to take to Indy this weekend.

Ah, yes, Indy. Her royal highness, the esteemed yard of bricks. Just one weekend, in my estimation, is her rival each stock car season. Daytona. February.

Some ponder, even, whether the Brickyard 400, just 11 races old, already outshines the Daytona 500.

But that is another conversation for another time ...

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.