Entering Watkins Glen, Elliott Sadler is 12th in the standings, 460 points out of first place. Credit: Autostock

Cross' Words: Indy

Elliott Sadler would make Ray Stevens proud. In fact, we should begin calling Sadler "The Streak," boogity, boogity.

Sadler is prone to streaks of top-10 runs -- and he's also just as susceptible to streaks of finishes in the 30s.

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Whatever the case, he's consistent. Comparing his stats through 21 races in 2005 to last year, Sadler's numbers are eerily similar.

However, he has hit the skids at the wrong time. Sadler finished 32nd at Indy, the third time in the past four races he's finished in the 30s (37th at Chicago, 39th at Loudon). He didn't have a streak like that until the final fives races of the Chase last year.

Sadler, who started from the pole and led 39 laps, was as high as second after a 13.3-second pit stop on Lap 93. But he began falling back in the pack on Lap 150 with a tire problem.

"I don't know what to say," Sadler said Sunday at Indy. "I thought I had a tire going down. I don't know if it was or not. I guess not. I don't know.

"It's just not our year. It's not meant to be. The guys gave me a great car and it's just not meant to be."

Entering Watkins Glen, Sadler is 12th in the standings, 460 points out of first and 24 behind 10th-place Carl Edwards.

	Inside the Numbers Elliott Sadler through 21 races   2004 2005 Wins 1 0 Top-5s 5 1 Top-10s 9 9 Races led 5 7 25th-or-worse 3 5 Off lead lap 6 6

Can Sadler turn it around before the Chase field is set at Richmond? His average finish at the next five tracks doesn't bode well:

• Watkins Glen -- 24.8
• Michigan -- 22.8
• Bristol -- 22.0
• California -- 22.5
• Richmond -- 25.2

Don't look, Ethel! Ah, it's too late.

Flags

• Red -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the face of DEI. Michael Waltrip is out the door. ... So why isn't Tony Eury Jr. calling the shots on the No. 8 team again? Sunday's last-place finish at Indy torpedoed Junior's already wobbly chances to make the Chase. It's time to begin building for '06 -- with Tony Jr. in tow.

• Yellow -- Jimmie Johnson finished 38th at the Brickyard and dropped from first to second in the standings, 75 points behind leader Tony Stewart. ... And now comes the Watkins Glen road course. He finished 40th at The Glen a year ago -- his worst finish and only DNF there -- and has a 20.0 average finish.

• Green -- Matt Kenseth is the quiet assassin. In the past nine races, he has seven finishes of 11th or better -- including three top-fives -- and zero DNFs. With any luck earlier in the season (three DNFs and five finishes off the lead lap in the first 12 races), the No. 17 team would be in the Chase picture.

Quote, Unquote

"Thought we had a really good shot at a top-10. You know, had a big-eared knucklehead that wanted to use an excuse that the car got away from him. You know, he's a champion -- a Nextel Cup champion. [He] got into us. Of course he apologized, of course. And it took us out of the race."
-- Scott Riggs on his Lap 123 bump with Kurt Busch

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Around the Track

• Tony Stewart has seven consecutive top-10s, including four victories, with an average finish of 2.57 since Michigan on June 19.

• Indy runner-up Kasey Kahne posted his second top-five finish in two races at the Brickyard, and now has six top-10s this year.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 43rd for just the third time in his 204-race Cup career (New Hampshire, July 1999; Rockingham, February 2001).

Up Next

Watkins Glen International

• Mark Martin has 16 top-15 finishes in 17 races at Watkins Glen. He finished 28th in his first race (1988).

• Rusty Wallace has two wins in 19 races at Watkins Glen, but has finished 17th or worse in his last five races.

• Jimmie Johnson has one top-10 finish in three starts and Greg Biffle has finished 30th or worse in both of his starts at Watkins Glen.

Mail Call

Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick are the four women to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Who do you think will be the first woman to race in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard?
-- Chris Fiegler, Latham, N.Y.

My money is on Erin Crocker. She's already on the NASCAR fast-track, and being a development driver for Evernham gives her a unique insight to Indy. Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield finished in the top five Sunday and about 20 percent of the top 15 were using Evernham engines. The team obviously has the Brickyard knocked, so she'll benefit from that expertise.

E-MAIL •   Send Duane your thoughts ...

NASCAR Nation is the worst racing program on TV. Bring back Totally NASCAR. If I want to see girly shows, I would watch Playboy.
-- Perry Price

I can't argue with Perry's take. I also know the show's format change is just that -- a change. Sometimes change is for the better, but there's no denying that fans are riled up over the new feature-heavy format. Give it time; those gals (and guys) are still finding their way on a very slippery slope.

Why doesn't NASCAR put together a 15-20 race schedule for retired Cup drivers, like the PGA Seniors Tour? With seniors becoming the predominant portion of the population -- and the number of tracks crying because they don't have or have lost Cup races -- it seems like there is a market. Besides, the ticket price on Cup races isn't exactly cheap. Then take the champion from the Legends and place him in the Cup Chase. These guys would make great ambassadors for the sport and expand the fan base.
-- John Albion

OK, John, you had me until putting the retired drivers in the Chase field. Then again, these drivers are retired for whatever reason. I don't believe they would be open to racing 20 times a year across the country. But if they would ... yeah, it would be a boon!

Fantasy Perspective

• Three of the last five races at Watkins Glen have been won from a starting position outside the top 10, and there have been four different winners in the past five races at Watkins Glen.

• Mark Martin has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. has two top-five finishes in a row -- the longest current streaks at the 2.45-mile serpentine track.

• Rick Hendrick is the all-time winning owner at Watkins Glen International, posting six victories: Jeff Gordon (four), Ricky Rudd (one) and Tim Richmond (one).