Do these guys really look like they're ready to hang up their helmets? Credit: Autostock

Cross' Words: Chicago

The dearth of Cup-worthy drivers has led me to this conclusion: Rusty Wallace should stick around one more year. Ditto Mark Martin.

Both drivers have repeatedly said 2005 is their final full season on the Cup circuit. Martin is eyeing the Truck Series in '06, and Wallace wants to focus on his Busch Series team.

	'LAST CALL' ARCHIVE •   Best seasons •   Near-misses •   Significant races •   The ABCs of Wallace •   Fantasy starting lineup •   Significant changes •   Most influential •   No regrets

Both drivers have been plain-spoken about their dislike of the 36-race schedule, citing travel demands as a huge part of their decisions to retire.

Both drivers have sons behind the wheel and want to spend more time helping their boys hone their racing skills.

Both drivers also still have a lot left in the tank; Wallace is fourth and Martin sixth in the point standings.

It's not enough that drivers are being replaced because of a perceived lack of marketability (See: Marlin, Sterling). Now we have Cup teams making deals to bring over current Cup drivers a year in advance, such as Roush Racing's announcement that it has signed Jamie McMurray to a multi-year deal beginning in 2007.

Talk about Silly Season. This is just silly. Almost ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Wallace and Martin continue to be competitive. It's not like these guys are putting on a show for the fans each week; they are the show, contending for wins, top-five finishes, top-10s.

There is something to be said for going out on top of your game. But fellas, it's not like Richard Petty's legacy suffered down a less-than-competitive stretch. The King had two top-10 finishes in his last 121 races. Of course, he has seven Cup championships on the mantle, so that may have something to do with fans' affinity for Petty.

USG SHEETROCK 400 •   Unofficial Results •   Unofficial Standings Victory LaneDale Jr. celebrates his USG Sheetrock 400 win Final lapsJeff Gordon wrecks and Junior makes a late pass for the lead Video archiveCatch all the highlights from the USG 400 at Chicago Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Remember ol' D.W.? He had just two top-10s in his final 107 starts. Michael Jordan? How many NBA championships did he hoist in Washington? But we still wanna be like Mike.

Regardless, Wallace and Martin still have the talent, the competitiveness to get up on the wheel and make a charge for the front. And they have the marketability, which has become such a large part of today's NASCAR.

I'm not asking for an un-retirement decision today, but give it some thought. The fans -- your fans -- need y'all now more than ever to lend stability to a sport being overrun by Madison Avenue.

C'mon guys, whaddya say? Just one more year ...

Flags

• Red -- Anyone else notice the white elephant standing in the No. 24 garage? Now 502 points behind, Jeff Gordon is in 15th place -- 93 points behind 11th-place Dale Jarrett and only 88 points ahead of 18th-place Joe Nemechek. If there's reason for optimism in the Hendrick stable it's this: Gordon's average finish at the next eight tracks is 11.3. ... Please don't feed the animals.

• Yellow -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has posted top-five finishes in his past two races. His previous back-to-back top-fives came at Richmond (second) and New Hampshire (third) last fall. The last time Junior had three consecutive top-fives was Texas-Martinsville-'Dega in Spring 2004. ... And if you didn't notice, he's now only 91 points outside the 400-point cutoff for the Chase with eight races to go.

• Green -- Matt Kenseth led a race-record 176 laps Sunday at Chicagoland, previously held by Tony Stewart (160 in 2004). Kenseth may not make the Chase -- he's 578 points behind -- but he has put together a very tidy six-race stretch since Dover with an average finish of 10.8. With back-to-back top-10 finishes, Kenseth is on his best run since three consecutive top-10s in August 2004.

Top finishersGreg Biffle has some strong words for Kevin Harvick Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Quote, Unquote

"Kevin Harvick, he's just a punk. I mean, he rode behind the 41 car [Reed Sorenson] trying to keep us from being the 'lucky dog,' to put him in position to make us a lap down. He just has to race like a chicken. He can't race anybody heads-up. He beat us today, but I don't know if he'll win another Cup race."
-- Greg Biffle, venting his frustrations after the Busch Series race on Saturday

Around the Track

• Ups ... -- Greg Biffle was 23rd in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is second. Rusty Wallace ranked 17th in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is fourth. Mark Martin was 15th in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is sixth. ... Jamie McMurray ranked 13th in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is eighth.

• ... and Downs -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is 13th. Jeff Gordon was third in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is 15th. Matt Kenseth ranked fifth in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is 16th. Bobby Labonte ranked sixth in the point standings after 18 races one year ago; this year he is 24th.

Inside the Numbers Best avg. finish among drivers to start all 20 races at Loudon No. Driver Wins Finish 1. M. Martin 0 11.3 2. J. Gordon 3 12.0 3. D. Jarrett 1 12.2 4. R. Wallace 1 13.6 5. B. Labonte 0 13.7 Best average finish at Loudon * No. Driver Races Finish 1. K. Kahne 2 6.0 2. J. Johnson 6 8.0 3. R. Newman 6 9.2 4. M. Martin 20 11.3 5. M. Kenseth 10 11.5 * -- Active drivers only

Up Next

New Hampshire

• Six drivers posted top-10 finishes in both Loudon races in 2004: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray and Michael Waltrip.

• Rusty Wallace won the first Cup race at NHIS (July 11, 1993) and has 11 top-10 finishes at the track, but has been the leader in just five of 20 races (251 of 5429 laps).

• Ryan Newman has won three of the last five poles at New Hampshire, including this race last year. Qualifying for the other two races were rained out (Sept. 2004 and July 2003).

Mail Call

Good to see Tony Stewart's fan base check in ...

Just got done reading Cross' Words regarding the media bias against Tony Stewart. I laugh with you at the point you were making, but in my opinion there is a definite media bias against Tony by certain high-profile members. Just read the latest headline stories by D.W. and Hammond on foxsports.com. They talk about the Chase or the second half of the season and neither one of them mentioned Tony, arguably, the hottest driver right now.
-- Scott

I am sorry, Duane, but have to agree with your detractor. The negative is the focus for most of the articles that I read on nascar.com and in other publications. Just about the only positives that I see accentuated are when the drivers appear on television and try to spin things their way. (Yes, I do believe that they are trying to sway the audience with propaganda.) I would like to see articles that show how teams have improved themselves. There are many teams in NASCAR that are showing remarkable improvement, are competitive and are working everyday. The problem is, because they get no press (ppc racing, Morgan McClure, Wood Bros, Haas CNC, MB2) they have trouble getting and keeping sponsors. The fact is, there are 50 talented drivers out there and the media should show when a driver/team is improving and not when they are struggling. Please, fill your glass half full and keep it there.
-- Gerald L. Fulton

E-MAIL Got something to say to Duane?

I do think there is some bias with regards to race car drivers. Tony makes the headlines when he has "lost his temper" or something to that extent. The media seems to love it when that happens, so they can run him down. BUT, now he is winning races and his fans (yes, he has LOTS OF THEM) want to hear the media reporting on his many racing talents. I think it is time for the media to focus more on his talent and less on the off track smack. If the media really wants someone to talk about, why not talk about Jeff Gordon' race for the chase and how much he is struggling. He is after all, the "golden boy" of NASCAR, or so the media thinks.
-- Amy L. Taff

And here's the proverbial Junior e-mail after Daytona ...

Now that the second half of the season has started with new network coverage, I have to make an observations that I am sure anyone who objectively watched the coverage has to admit. The broadcast team has an almost obsession with Dale Jr. It is way beyond bias. As a percentage, the amount of TV time devoted to covering the 8 car was so high that for most of the race, the leaders were not visible. It wasn't until late in the race when Junior got to the top five did the coverage include the rest of the leaders. In addition, the broadcast team, especially Bennie, had nothing to say about most of the other drivers. I was embarrassed for them. There are 40-plus other teams and corporate sponsors at each race and deserve at least some coverage. I wonder how many of the corporate folks contact NASCAR or NBC to express the same observation? I like Junior and Budweiser but I like to watch the leaders some also. Since this was their first broadcast, maybe they had too much emotion built up to recognize the obvious, but these guys are "professionals" and should act like it.
-- Robert Jones

Fantasy Perspective

• Nine of the 20 races at Loudon have been won from an 11th-place or lower starting position, most recently by Kurt Busch on July 25, 2004.

• A Ford has won 10 of the 20 races at NHIS, including both races in 2004. Chevrolet has seven wins, Pontiac had two and Dodge has one.

• Dale Jarrett has 14 top-10 finishes in 20 races at Loudon, the most of all drivers. Matt Kenseth has five consecutive top-10s at NHIS, the longest current streak.

Fantasy Racing NASCAR.COM's Duane Cross takes part in a weekly fantasy racing segment on 790 The Ball in High Point, N.C. The season-to-date standings: Player Points This Week ... NASCAR.COM's Duane Cross 277 9 for Kenseth, 8 for Johnson, blanked on Gordon, Harvick and McMurray Show host Marc Amazon 274 8 for Johnson, whiffed on Gordon, Harvick, Biffle and Newman Update anchor Bill Kimm 254 8 for Johnson, zippo for Gordon, Edwards, Biffle and Newman 790 The Ball Listeners 242 8 for Johnson, 1 for Martin, nada for Gordon, Biffle and Newman The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.

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