"Well, man, you've got X, right? And we know that Y means 3. So simply divide the two and come up with your answer." Credit: Autostock

Track Smack: Michigan

Guys, is a two-car team enough in Nextel Cup racing?

Marty Smith: No. Absolutely not. Not anymore. The superteams have set the standard, because they have far more tests at their disposal. Roush Racing can test more than 25 times. Yates, 10 total. That's why Yates is looking at adding a third team. Evernham, too.

Elliott Gordon: Maybe the real question should be is a three-car team enough in Nextel Cup racing. I mean, Chip Ganassi Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are both having major problems with three teams. Neither have won in a long time.

Ryan Smithson: No. Not even. That is why Evernham and Yates start Busch programs. It's because they hope they evolve into a third Cup teams. Both of those programs will have a third car soon, and it will help them close the gap with Hendrick and Roush.

B. Duane Cross: A two-car team is enough to make the team owner a pauper, in relative terms. If you're going to compete, you have to have more than two cars. Three teams can make you competitive. Four or more is the wave of the future.

Marty Smith: Great point, E. I was going to say the same thing. Four teams minimum right now -- and four teams willing to share. An open line of communication is vital, here.

Elliott Gordon: The costs associated with adding more and more teams have got to be a burden. Are sponsorship dollars that readily available for Cup programs still?

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Marty Smith: Well, we're in the $20 million range at this point. I think what we'll see is virtually every team will begin to have multiple associations, the way Biffle and Edwards do now.

B. Duane Cross: It is no coincidence that Roush Racing is at the top of the hit list, with all apologies to Hendrick. Roush has this thing knocked right now, and I might even venture to guess that this could be Greg Biffle's title to lose.

Ryan Smithson: DEI and Yates were able to hang last year, but man, this year, they have gotten their doors blown off.

Elliott Gordon: Look at the major three-car programs. Ganassi teams have five top-5s combined, and at JGR, Leffler is out of the top-35 in points and have only four top-5s (three for Stewart!).

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Ryan Smithson: The thing about Hendrick is that they have finally gotten all four cars running well. They've never had that. That will open the gap even further.

Marty Smith: Two words, Smithson: Brian Whitesell. He's a Hokie.

Ryan Smithson: Marty, I know a lot of people accuse us of being Hendrick-lovers. But you got to give a nod at their decision-making.

Marty Smith: Everyone accuses me of it, man. But in this case we're merely stating the obvious.

Marty Smith: Whitesell never got the credit he deserved at the 24/48. Now, he's running the 5/25 shop. The proof is in the pudding.

B. Duane Cross: No doubt that multiple sponsorships are the way that teams will stay afloat in the future. You could see that come clearly into focus the day the Chase format was announced.

Elliott Gordon: I think four is the right number -- five isn't working at Roush. Just ask Matt Kenseth.

Marty Smith: Man, Leffler is bummed about missing Sonoma, boys. But FedEx is guaranteed a spot in the field with Terry Labonte.

B. Duane Cross: Who's going to pay $20 million and miss the Chase? (Hello, Budweiser!)

Marty Smith: I can see why they had to make that decision.

Ryan Smithson: Matt Kenseth will eventually bounce back, Elliott.

Elliott Gordon: Sure, a top-5 is a bounce back, since he hasn't had one since September of last season.

B. Duane Cross: Kenseth bounces back at Michigan, EG. Kenseth has had suck luck this year. But he'll have the horses, handling and fuel mileage to finish up top at MIS.

Elliott Gordon: Fuel mileage races! Fun. (Snore.)

Ryan Smithson: I am trying to remember the last time a two-car team won, boys. I guess it was Sadler, right? No, Dale Jr.

Marty Smith: No, Kasey Kahne. They have the 91, but they're not a three-car team.

Ryan Smithson: Right. Richmond. Before that was Dale Jr. last year.

Elliott Gordon: Well DEI has the 1, too. Maybe MBV/2 with Nemechek at Kansas last year? Ha.

Marty Smith: Boys, Nemechek's on the brink. He's going to win one here soon.

Ryan Smithson: Yeah, but Marty, wouldn't be a shocker. Nemechek is always good for a win a year, which is a lot more than a lot of people can say.

Marty Smith: Man, that would have been killer if he'd won Charlotte.

Ryan Smithson: He once made Marty wait on him for two hours. So the media gave Marty a Nemechek t-shirt.

Marty Smith: I still have it.

B. Duane Cross: "I agree with Joe"?

Marty Smith: It's the UAW-Delphi Chevrolet. He won in that car the night he made me wait for two hours.

Ryan Smithson: 2003 Richmond.

Boys, what does the Unofficial Driver of Track Smack -- Bobby Labonte -- got to do to get some luck?

B. Duane Cross: Drive the FedEx car.

Ryan Smithson: That hit on Sunday was brutal. I really thought he got hurt.

Wake up! Credit: Autostock

Marty Smith: Move to Ireland and eat Lucky Charms and wear Shamrock underpants.

Dude, Leffler's hit was unreal.

Elliott Gordon: What is his record in the non-Green paint schemes?

Ryan Smithson: There are no more FedEx cars. They are all wrecked.

B. Duane Cross: Good point.

Elliott Gordon: Maybe Bobby should sit in the No. 11 for Sonoma and have Terry sit in the 18 instead.

Marty Smith: I just sent Duane a list of Bobby's awful luck. Man, it's brutal.

Ryan Smithson: It took the Gibbs boys an hour just to fix the No. 11 enough to get it loaded. The 45, too.

Marty Smith: He's only finished 77 percent of the total laps this year.

Ryan Smithson: In 2000, he ran all but nine laps. I love that stat. That is my all-time fave stat.

Marty Smith: Whoa. Stat Boy has a favorite stat?

Ryan Smithson: Heck yeah man. My fave baseball stat is Wade Boggs, who swung and missed at pitches only 35 times in 1985. That includes spring training.

Marty Smith: Wade Boggs was the man. Except when he went to the Yankees. That sucked.

Elliott Gordon: Worse. The Devil Rays.

Martin-Pattern Baldness Credit: Autostock

Elliott Gordon: Back to the 18 car. Bobby Labonte won both poles at Michigan back in 2003. Maybe that will be good medicine?

B. Duane Cross: You make your luck in this sport by running up front -- where there's less chance of getting run over or into.

Marty Smith: Tell that to Joe Nemechek, Duane. He was the leader at Charlotte, dude. Boom.

B. Duane Cross: Tell it to any of the drivers who get caught up in that crap. It's gotten to be so competitive that guys aren't willing to concede an inch, so you get Tony Stewart moving folks out of the way and all the other real estate grabbing.

Marty Smith: Excellent call.

B. Duane Cross: That is going on today. Case in point: Sunday's restart at Pocono.

Predictions for Michigan?

B. Duane Cross: Pick a Roush car and you're in high cotton.

Ryan Smithson: Biffle. Shocker, I know.

Wake up! Credit: Autostock

Marty Smith: Hard not to pick Greg Biffle. But I'm not going to do it. Elliott Sadler wins the Batman 400.

B. Duane Cross: And that includes Matt Kenseth, who has the best average finish for Roush at Michigan.

Ryan Smithson: Sadler gets a top-3, Kyle Busch gets another top-five.

Elliott Gordon: Ryan Newman. Borland always finds that extra gallon for fuel mileage races.

B. Duane Cross: Mark Martin is my pick -- with the other four Roush cars in the top 15 (won't be like the fall when all five were top 10).

Ryan Smithson: We got a funny email today about Borland. A fan wanted him tested for drugs because he never gets tires on the final stop.

B. Duane Cross: Of course if Martin wins driving the Batman colors, the NASCAR conspiracy theorists will be howling!

Last Week's Picks Smacker Pick Finish B. Duane A Dodge 10th MartDawg Smoke 29th Spoor Johnson 6th StatBoy Vickers 2nd This Week's Picks Smacker Driver B. Duane Martin MartDawg Sadler Elliott Newman StatBoy Biffle

Marty Smith: Boys, Faith Hill is hotter than fish grease.

Elliott Gordon: Marty, you talk to Vickers this week? He bummed out he didn't "move" Carl at all?

Ryan Smithson: Carl was surprised that Vickers raced him without touching him.

Marty Smith: Naw, I haven't spoken with Brian yet this week. But he's not upset. He's proven a ton of people wrong in the last month. He'll get his win soon.

Elliott Gordon: Before or after Kyle Busch?

Marty Smith: Well, last month, I said Busch was the next first-time winner. I still believe that. But I'm not as sure as I once was.

Ryan Smithson: It's a toss-up now, Marty. But if Busch hadn't had that one bad stop, it would have been a three-car battle last week.

Elliott Gordon: Well this weekend last year, Kyle Busch won the Busch race in Kentucky. Maybe he wins Sunday instead?

Marty Smith: Man, how cool was it to see Mark Martin compliment Busch at Dover? That kid had to be beaming inside.

Marty Smith: Aight man. I gotta go check the mail. Y'all be good.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the participants.