"I don't know how they taught you at GMI, Matt, but at Purdue, we did it this way ..." Credit: Autostock

Track Smack: Charlotte

Levigation is the word of the week (again) at Charlotte. What's the biggest factor facing the drivers on Saturday night?

Elliott Gordon: Adjusting to the track surface is going to be key. I mean guys with great car control like Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle put it in the wall there during testing just weeks ago.

Dave Rodman: Do us all a favor, and don't propagate that malarkey. Day into night at Charlotte. Not getting two laps down before you are 100 laps into it. Same old same old worries.

Marty Smith: The new surface once again wreaked havoc during testing. Smoke piled it up big and Biffle thanked God for the HANS Device, said he wouldn't be here without it. To Humpy Wheeler's credit, it seems that dragging tires on surface has helped considerably. Having rubber already down on the surface is vital.

Duane Cross: The fear factor. Everyone knows about the test-session crashes a few weeks ago, and I'm sure that's the in back of these drivers' minds -- until everyone gets some laps down during practice. After that, it's just what Dave said -- day into night, staying on the lead lap.

Elliott Gordon: Hopefully it doesn't rain and some of that rubber from the Busch race will help those guys out.

Marty Smith: Well, hopefully they've dragged it before qualifying Wednesday night, E.

Dave Rodman: That's a good call, E -- mo' rubber is always a good thing.

Marty Smith: Rodman, did you miss my comment about dragging tires, son?

Marty Smith: E hopped on my bandwagon.

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Dave Rodman: Yeah, he did -- I was kinda seconding the string.

Elliott Gordon: Can I be the co-pilot of the bandwagon? I don't like Rodman's driving.

Duane Cross: Dave Rodman -- the rental car insurer's best friend!

Dave Rodman: You don't want anyone but me behind the wheel if you got 40 minutes or less to make a plane.

Marty Smith: I hope Turner supplies Rodman with full coverage at every stop on the circuit.

Elliott Gordon: What about 40 minutes or less to make the green flag?

Marty Smith: Weekly occurrence, E.

Duane Cross: Dave, I bet your Allstate guy sends you a Christmas present each year!

Dave Rodman: Dawg, they renew my coverage at every interchange.

Marty Smith: Yeah, they were gonna call the Brickyard 400 the Dave Rodman 400. He pretty much paid the tab for the naming rights. (Allstate? Get it?)

Dave Rodman: As long as they don't drag me around the track to make it more raceable, we're good.

Elliott Gordon: What are the chances Newman is going to levigate himself to another Bud Pole with this surface?

Marty Smith: How does one levigate himself to a pole? Velcro?

Duane Cross: He seemed to like it during his Busch testing; I wouldn't put anything past the No. 12 when it comes to qualifying.

Dave Rodman: You'd like to think it wouldn't make a difference, but what's he on -- an 0-3 streak?

Doesn't he make the cutest little bankrobber? Credit: Autostock

Duane Cross: So, given the perceived uncertainties for this weekend, does anyone see a crashfest?

Marty Smith: Absolutely. 22 cautions in the spring, BD.

Dave Rodman: If the drivers create one, it will be so.

Elliott Gordon: We will know Friday night, after the Busch boys get rolling ...

Duane Cross: So maybe Charlotte takes 'Dega off the hook as the Chase wild card ...

Marty Smith: Don't forget Martinsville.

Dave Rodman: Man, just look at last year -- we all remember Kurt's seeing-eye act through that melee in Turn 1 -- and then the boys getting him back into contention.

Elliott Gordon: Should we over-under the 22 cautions? I say under.

Marty Smith: I'll take under, too, E.

Duane Cross: Ditto -- I'll go under; mid-teens.

Dave Rodman: Under it is.

Is Roush's dominance at last week's "cookie-cutter" track a foreshadowing of the upcoming races?

Marty Smith: Smoke is enjoying Kurt's good fortune from last year. It's pretty obvious Busch went to the luck well one too many times in '04. Yes. Roush Racing will continue to put five awesome cars on the track the rest of the year.

Elliott Gordon: Yes, but I still don't think they will overtake Stewart. He is a closer. He has won at seven of these 10 tracks. I just don't think they will catch him, five cars or not.

Dave Rodman: Well, here's the thing: Yes it does. But then again, at least this year, Jack has got five of the 10, so those are good odds. But as Mark Martin so painfully pointed out, people have to have trouble for him to catch up -- and I don't see it happening to Smoke.

Duane Cross: Roush dominated at Kansas, but picking up a few points here and there isn't going to catch Stewart. Give the Roush guys credit, but Stewart ain't been bad either; he's getting lost in the shuffle -- but continues to pad that lead.

Elliott Gordon: Smoke is going to doggie-paddle his way to 10th every week and win the championship by 150 points. One thing is scary -- Carl Edwards could end the year top-five in points with these cookie-cutter events.

Marty Smith: Stewart hasn't had bad luck, yet, boys. And like I said, he's had nothing but amazing luck thus far. Overheating at Dega, finished second, etc.

Dave Rodman: I loved what Zippy said in his Conversation on Tuesday -- Tony has adjusted his temperament to the point that what would have been a bad day gone horrible can now be a bad day gone good. That equals 15 top 10s out of 16 races, no matter how you slice it.

Marty Smith: The 20 is impressive. One of the JGR team executives told me at the outset of the year that Stewart would win it all. I'll be danged if he doesn't look smart right now.

Duane Cross: If Smoke keeps this up -- not that 15 in 16 isn't already remarkable -- his season-ending streak may go down as the all-timer. He's Mariano Rivera: Mr. Sandman when it comes to closing the deal.

Elliott Gordon: And Rusty will be the only Chaser without a win! How does that feel, Cross?

Duane Cross: I'm saying it now: Wallace wins at Martinsville!

Dave Rodman: I'll second that. Rusty will win Martinsville, and maybe Phoenix, too.

Elliott Gordon: Gordo wins Martinsville, come on.

Duane Cross: Gordo at M'ville? C'mon, with the laps whittlin' down, Rusty punts Gordo one final time to get the hardware and finally wash away the taste of Bristol.

Dave Rodman: Sweet!

And the winner of this week's "same barber as Bobby Labonte" is ...

Marty Smith: I say Earnhardt wins Phoenix. I just have a feeling about that; Tony Eury Jr. had Michael Waltrip awful fast there in the spring. Then again, ol' Brian Vickers was good there, too, and he's way overdue.

Dave Rodman: Yeah man. And E, they aren't going to paddle anywhere. Read our site, brother -- Zippy says they are in agony over finishing second. I bet they win twice more before we're done.

Elliott Gordon: I am just saying that he could paddle around and win it easy -- doesn't mean he isn't going for more hardware along the way.

... Casey Mears. Credit: Autostock

Marty Smith: Unless NASCAR comes in and finds something illegal.

Duane Cross: OK, so we have Rusty, Junior and Smoke winning twice during the final six races. ... That doesn't leave a lot of room for the other guys to make up ground. Let's go ahead and give it to Stewart and head to NYC right now!

Elliott Gordon: Before the snow!

Dave Rodman: You know what guys, I was in their truck the other day and Red Farmer's name came up. Fellow Alabaman "Dr. Who" said he didn't think Red had ever been caught with anything illegal -- and that's in about six decades.

Dave Rodman: I don't want to throw any of those other owners under the bus, but Joe Gibbs owns Tony's team -- say no more.

Elliott Gordon: Tony is going to get into the end zone before Clinton Portis.

Dave Rodman: Hear, hear.

Predictions for Charlotte ...

Elliott Gordon: TWO WORDS: Marty Smith ... I mean, JIMMIE JOHNSON. New surface, tires, levigation, who cares. Jimmie wins.

Dave Rodman: If nobody tries to bump draft him -- Greg Biffle. Of course, Mark Martin could get him a little two-fer.

Marty Smith: Matt Kenseth. It's time.

Duane Cross: A minimum of five Chasers in the top 10 -- and Jimmie Johnson feels the pain of winning, but not gaining ground as Stewart wheels it home second.

Elliott Gordon: Jimmie hasn't finished worse than seventh at Lowe's since 2001!

Marty Smith: He was a laser beam in the Busch car during testing, too. He was faster in the Busch car than anyone was in the Cup car.

Dave Rodman: You know what, I don't feel like any one of us is too far off. We oughta all choose a dark-horse pick. Remember Jamie McMurray in what seems to be another danged generation ago?

Duane Cross: I think Kenseth could be there at the end, too, Dawg. He's been top 10 when he finishes at Charlotte. I just don't see a lot of change among who was good last week and this week. ... Martinsville is the next "Who knows" on the schedule.

Elliott Gordon: Bobby Labonte shakes off the bad luck and gets to Victory Lane this time.

Marty Smith: Where, E? Martinsville? You already picked Johnson?

Elliott Gordon: Lowe's darkhorse!

Duane Cross: Vickers would be my dark horse for Saturday night.

Marty Smith: Ditto, Cross. Kyle Busch, too. You got BV, I'll go Kyle Busch. He has Oprah on his side.

Elliott Gordon: And not a bad teammate in the 48 car.

Dave Rodman: I'd love to see Mike Bliss follow-up his Busch win from last year with a Cupper. Poetic justice: Mike Bliss spins BV coming off Turn 4 to take the win as water barrels fly.

Marty Smith: If Mike Bliss dumped BV, Rodman, he'd get bum-rushed...

Dave Rodman: No doubt -- but he owes him one. Though the Nextel Open is hardly a points race.

Marty Smith: That was a non-points race; good recovery, Worm.

Dave Rodman: I learned that hauling butt to the airport.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writers.