"Brian, in the big leagues, we don't hold our own umbrellas." Credit: AP

Track Smack: Bristol

Two of the next three races are on short tracks. Carl Edwards is ninth in points, but he struggles at the short tracks. Will he earn a spot in the Chase?

Marty Smith: Edwards has had some terrible luck on short tracks, so I'd venture to say no, he won't make the show. But he'll be awesome, a threat to win, even, at Fontana, so if he can be average at Bristol and Richmond, he'll be in the hunt. Still, I say the answer is no.

Ryan Smithson: Yes, if he gets through Bristol in good shape. Carl will have no problem at Fontana or Richmond. But Bristol is a big if. Carl will be fine two of the next three weeks, and with the cushion he gave himself at Michigan, he will be OK.

Duane Cross: I don't see it happening. One top-10 in six starts on the short tracks is enough for me to believe that drivers with more experience -- namely Jeff Gordon -- will make a move and bump Edwards from the Chase.

Mark Spoor: I think he will. You have to remember that he's still somewhat of a rookie. Of course, he's not technically a rookie, but it's not like he's Rusty Wallace, either. He's a sharp guy with a sharp team. I think they'll figure it out.

Ryan Smithson: Edwards is not going to suck at the short tracks forever. He'll make it.

Yep. Bobby Labonte is boring. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Duane Cross: Bristol will be Edwards' Waterloo. He'll run well at Cali, granted, but the bullring has eaten many a driver's lunch through the years. Carl will be a ham sandwich in a room full of rabid dogs Saturday night.

Marty Smith: The thing about Bristol for all these guys: Edwards, McMurray, Sadler, Gordon, Jarrett, Harvick, etc., is that things happen in the blink of an eye at Bristol. Man, this is the worst place those guys could be going with so much riding on it. Well, aside from Martinsville, maybe.

Ryan Smithson: The good thing about Bristol is that you can be really hurt and still finish 10th. I remember McMurray absolutely bouncing around one year and he wound up 11th.

Mark Spoor: Good point. I think a lot of it may be decided Friday in qualifying. If you start in the back, there's obviously more of a chance for trouble.

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Ryan Smithson: Duane, you seem to forget Carl doesn't have to have a top-10 on Saturday night.

Marty Smith: He needs to finish in the 20s.

Mark Spoor: That's true. He does have a bit of a cushion to 11th -- 107 points, to be exact.

Ryan Smithson: The 20s is so doable, Marty. Edwards will be OK.

Marty Smith: If he finishes in the 30s or 40s, bad news. Smithson, remember: Edwards wrecked two cars there in the spring. This isn't a place where he can cruise.

Ryan Smithson: Edwards won a Truck race from last place in less than half the time the Cup boys have.

Duane Cross: No, he doesn't need a top-10, but if Gordon wins -- or DJ runs well -- those guys can make it damn tough on Edwards when we get to Richmond -- if Edwards' track record holds up Saturday night. If he struggles and those guys soar, it's o-v-e-r.

Mark Spoor: We're still waiting for Gordon to soar and they're still on the ground.

Marty Smith: Man, the 24 team's fall is intriguing. They went from the penthouse to the outhouse quickly. Many say they're still going to make the Chase, though. If they do, it could be a big finish for JG.

Check the standings -- the top 10 is littered with guys who haven't even won a race. Should there be a provision in the Chase field that if you win a race, you're in, as many fans have suggested?

Ryan Smithson: No. This year is weird, boys. Guys like Rusty Wallace haven't won because guys like Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle have dominated. This isn't like last year at all. Biffle and Stewart have 10 wins! That easily makes it twice as hard to win this year.

"Dale Jr., I will tell you, I won't be missing the 7 a.m. wakeup calls for those commercial shoots." Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Mark Spoor: No. It's not the all-star race. Despite the changes to the system, it's all about consistency. If you run up front every week, you deserve to be there. Jeff Gordon has three wins, but he's still fighting to get in.

Marty Smith: Well, I've heard the argument several times that a driver's first win of the season and first win in the Chase should be given a 500-point bonus, thereby suggesting winners would be in the Chase and vying for the championship, disallowing coasting.

Ryan Smithson: I'd love that rule, Marty. 500 is huge.

Duane Cross: No -- Cup doesn't need any gimmicks when it comes to setting the Chase field. Though I would get another set of points for the Chase field, but that's about all I would change.

Marty Smith: They certainly need a separate point system, Duane. It's not fair what happened to Mayfield and Stewart last year at New Hampshire. A guy that has no bearing on the title decided their fates.

Mark Spoor: Yeah, but that's all part of it, Marty. You have to avoid trouble. That's part of the game.

Ryan Smithson: The more I think about it, the more I wish the drivers could take two, three races off their record. I mean, come on, a hot dog wrapper blowing up a motor?!

Marty Smith: Maybe do a deal like the Raybestos Rookie standings. Take the best eight finishes out of the 10 races, or whatever.

Mark Spoor: Ryan Smithson = The East German judge. ... I disagree, guys. You want the best man to win the title. If you wreck, that's your problem.

"Come on guys. No more questions about 2006." Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Ryan Smithson: Spoor, Robby took them out last year. You don't remember Loudon?

Marty Smith: True it is, boys, that last year's Chase was scintillating. The last lap of the year! Insane ...

Duane Cross: And this year is shaping up just as nicely, Marty -- the top 10 guys all have tracks at which they could excel. Man, this could be one helluva stretch.

Mark Spoor: If your worst finish is 13th and another guys' worst finish is 42nd, that's not fair. Bottom line.

Marty Smith: But think about the dynamics, Spoor. Johnson wins four races in the Chase, but succumbs to a guy who won once.

Ryan Smithson: Kurt Busch showed last year that you can have 1-2 bad races in the Chase.

Duane Cross: And that's why there needs to be more of a points emphasis on winning. You win and get only 10 more points than the second-place driver? That's crazy; then again, that's the points system.

Ryan Smithson: I don't think anyone would disagree we need at least 200 points for a win, Duane.

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Duane Cross: But the Chase points need to be different, too -- that's the thing. Those guys need a separate points system. Lets the other 33 guys race under the 180-point deal and try to improve their earnings. The playoff guys are the ones hurt by the regular-season points system being used in the Chase.

Marty Smith: Busch also showed that having a horseshoe up your hiney doesn't hurt. (How the heck did he not hit the pit wall? I mean, seriously.)

Mark Spoor: Yeah, but he wrecked. What's next? Do they do that in other sports? Did the Yankees get to wipe off the 22-2 hit they took against Cleveland last year? It's a factor in all sports. Remember Jeffrey Maier?

Ryan Smithson: I hope the Yankees are sold to the Maloof Brothers and moved to Reno. Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for Ryan Newman to win the Bud Pole.

Marty Smith: I know this much, Spoor. If the Yankees are playing the Indians, that's one team against one team. It's nine against nine. It's not one against 42.

Mark Spoor: Right, but it's the same principle. You need to beat who's in front of you. You know all these guys are on the track. You have to avoid them.

Marty Smith: I say they're fundamentally different.

Ryan Smithson: Boys, how much guts did the 19 team have to try to make that fuel run on Sunday? I mean, geez.

Marty Smith: Well, Slugger Labbe said they made it 52 laps in a test. Why not?

Ryan Smithson: Still risky with a Chase spot on the line. Must have been a heck of a carburetor.

Speaking of risky -- who's your pick for Bristol?

And the winner will be ... Predictions for Bristol Smacker Driver Ryan R. Newman Marty K. Harvick Mark T. Stewart B. Duane R. Wallace Last week's picks Smacker Driver Finish Dave G. Biffle 6th Mark R. Newman 12th B. Duane J. Gordon 14th Elliott D. Jarrett 34th

Ryan Smithson: Oh, gosh -- what a difficult pick. I am going to say Ryan Newman.

Marty Smith: I'll say Kevin Harvick sweeps the year there.

Mark Spoor: Tony, Tony, Tony will do it again.

Duane Cross: I thought it was Tony, Toni, Tone? ... Rusty Wallace wins No. 10. A fitting end to his career at Bristol -- bookend Cup career wins: first, last (maybe). Now, before all the Wallace fans start e-mailing their rants, I do believe he can win at Richmond and Martinsville. But the symmetry of Bristol is too good.

Ryan Smithson: Rusty will have to be torn away from all his appearances this weekend to actually practice the car.

Mark Spoor: Dark horse = McMurray.

Marty Smith: Spoor has a point. Smoke can race without reservation. He's already in the Chase. He can pin those ears back ...

Mark Spoor: Exactly -- and we know how tough Smoke is when he can do that.

Marty Smith: Whoa, Duane! I thought you were older than that. Tony, Toni, Tone -- That was like 9th grade for me or something.

Mark Spoor: Who'd of guessed you'd know that!

Duane Cross: I was a young pup ... once.

Mark Spoor: When Bristol sat 30,000.

Duane Cross: Ha -- yeah, I remember when they broke ground for Bristol International Speedway. Moses wasn't happy about the whole "imminent domain" thing.

Mark Spoor: You covered the races on the beach at Daytona, right?

Marty Smith: Can any of y'all name Toni Tony Tone's hit? Without Googling!

Ryan Smithson: Poison? This girl is poi-son ...

Mark Spoor: Nah -- Bel, Biv Devoe

Ryan Smithson: I was close.

Marty Smith: No, Feels Good.

Mark Spoor: Nice!

Duane Cross: Correct answer is -- Little Walter, folks! Tony, Toni, Tone was the best thing to come out of Oakland since Hammer!

Ryan Smithson: Y'all go ask Rusty this weekend who Bel Biv Devoe is.

Duane Cross: Will do -- and then I'll duck.

Mark Spoor: He'll think it's a fajita.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.