The No. 7 crew assesses the damage after Robby Gordon was punted by Michael Waltrip at Loudon. Credit: Autostock

Cross' Words: Loudon

Random thoughts from Loudon ...

• Kudos to Robby Gordon! Call it my affinity for the little guy, but you have to commend a single-car owner/driver who continues to stand his ground -- even when the sport's sands are shifting under his feet.

Inside the Chase Point standings after Loudon Pos. Driver Pts. Behind 1. T. Stewart 5,230 -- 2. G. Biffle 5,210 -20 3. R. Newman 5,190 -40 tie R. Wallace 5,190 -40 5. M. Kenseth 5,180 -50 6. J. Johnson 5,177 -53 7. M. Martin 5,176 -54 8. J. Mayfield 5,135 -95 9. C. Edwards 5,121 -109 10. Ku. Busch 5,088 -142 • Unofficial Results, click here • Unofficial Standings, click here Final lapsNewman and Stewart battle for the checkered flag Second placeTony Stewart on his runner-up finish at Loudon Sylvania 300Complete race video highlights from New Hampshire Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

I don't condone throwing a helmet at another driver's car (how could you miss the window at point-blank range, dude?), but Robby did not mince words after the Lap 191 incident with Michael Waltrip.

"We were clearly a better car at that point than Michael, and he was going backward," Gordon said. "I wasn't the only guy to pass him -- just the one he decided to wreck."

Gordon also apologized for dropping the S-bomb (yeah, you're gonna pay for that one) during his TNT interview, but who didn't smile for finally -- finally! -- hearing a driver spout more than his sponsor, his sponsor and his sponsor after a wreck?

• While Kasey Kahne was more apologetic than Gordon, you also can expect Kahne to be fined for his on-track antics involving Kyle Busch after crashing on Lap 165.

Said Kahne: "I just drove up in front of him and stopped. He run into me, it didn't really hurt his car, but it was the wrong thing to do. You feel like you get crashed, you want retaliation, but that is not the way it works in NASCAR. Definitely the wrong thing to do."

If Gordon gets spanked for his on-track retaliation, equally so should Kahne. OK, so Gordon threw his helmet -- but that's not the first time that's happened. And we know the penalty for using the S-word: 25 points and $10,000.

It's the retaliation that will get a driver parked, and after the Dale Jarrett-Ryan Newman incidents at Bristol, NASCAR may be itching to make a point.

• E-mailer Brent Hecker asked, "What ever happened to the days when drivers could be drivers and even up on the track? Dale Jarrett showed the world that 'racing incidents' are still 'racing incidents' at Bristol. Good for him, he had to sit two laps and tore up another guy's race car, but he got tore up just as well. And that's the NASCAR that most of the long time fans love (See: Allison vs. Yarborough, Daytona 500, 1979) -- not this politically correct B.S. that goes on now.

"At the time of me writing this, 9:30 on Monday morning, Sept. 19, no fines have been levied, but I ask, Should they be? I don't think so. As Larry McReynolds once said about Dale Earnhardt, you have a puppy that pees on the floor and you smack him, he stops. Now, you let that puppy pee on the floor for a year and you smack him, he wonders what he did wrong. Well, NASCAR, the puppy is a full grown dog that is peeing where ever it wants to."

Give us your opinion in the week's Last Lap forum.

Flags

• Red -- To the powers that be at New Hampshire International Speedway: Please, for the love of dirt, add some banking to you racetrack. Other tracks have done it, so it's not like we're asking y'all to reinvent the wheel. NHIS is sold out (woohoo!), it's the first race of the Chase ... make it worthwhile for the drivers.

• Yellow -- After finishing third at NHIS, Matt Kenseth now has top-10 finishes in six of his past seven races, including five in a row. In fact, in the past 25 starts Roush Racing drivers are averaging a 9.4 finish. ... It's just another example of how the testing rules are skewed -- for now.

• Green -- Tony Stewart has 13 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s, both the most of all drivers. But he also has 13 consecutive top-10s -- including five victories -- and has led a series-best 1,419 laps. He's also earned 110 bonus points, tied with Greg Biffle for the most this year.

Quote, Unquote

"Is this all you've got? My wife drives the kids to school in the Excursion faster than this!"
-- Jamie Rose, to Wally Dallenbach during the prerace ride along for "Wally's World"

Who the heck is Jamie Rose? Click here to find out.

	Ryan Newman won at New Hampshire for the first time since Sept. 15, 2002 -- his first Cup victory. Credit: Autostock
	Sylvania 300 Title contenders at Loudon Pos. Driver Pts. Bonus 1. R. Newman 185 5 2. T. Stewart 180 10 3. M. Kenseth 165 0 4. G. Biffle 165 5 6. R. Wallace 150 0 7. M. Martin 151 5 8. J. Johnson 142 0 16. J. Mayfield 115 0 19. C. Edwards 106 0 35. Ku. Busch 58 0

Around the Track

• Jamie McMurray, who finished 12th at Loudon, climbed from 13th to 11th in the point standings.

• Mark Martin (seventh at NHIS) and Kevin Harvick (10th) have three consecutive top-15 finishes.

• Greg Biffle has five consecutive finishes of sixth or better for an average of 3.6 since Michigan.

Up Next

Dover

• Tony Stewart has 13 top-15 finishes in 13 races at Dover; 11 were top 10s.

• Ryan Newman has six top-10s in seven races at Dover, including three wins.

• Mark Martin finished first, second and third in the past three races at Dover.

Mail Call

I just read the article about Kurt Busch going into the pit area of Scott Riggs and "discussing" Riggs' car set up. It points out that Jim Hunter acknowledged there is a rule about entering the pit of a competitor, but since Busch did it while he was "in reasonable control of himself" it's OK and he won't be punished. Just because he broke a rule in a nice way means he doesn't get punished? That's B.S. This is yet another example of NASCAR's inability to follow through with the rules they set. It's no wonder the teams are breaking the rules on a regular basis. Until NASCAR steps up and truly takes a stand, they often benefit from the things they do in spite of the fines and point reduction.
-- Kristi Rush

I think Kristi has a valid point; a rule's a rule -- whether you're in reasonable control of yourself or not. Image what would have happened if Rodney Childers, Riggs crew chief, had not been as accommodating of another driver climbing the No. 10 pit box. It could have gotten ugly in a hurry -- and no one would have been close enough to separate those two. Stick to the rules, guys.

E-MAIL •   Send Duane your thoughts ...

If NASCAR is going to fine Robby Gordon for what he said on TV, then you need to fine TNT for allowing it to be said. I thought there's supposed to be a 7-second delay. I realize that TNT is cable and has more leniency than the regular TV networks but they should realize that if these gestures are shown or the words said the driver will be penalized. The TV networks have a responsibility, too, and it shouldn't be to stir up the situation or cause controversy.
-- Cathy Jacobsen

We're curious about the 7-second delay, too, and NASCAR.COM's Mark Spoor is on the story. He plans to put that question to NBC's Sam Flood in this week's Viewer's Guide. Check back Thursday for the response.

I am going to have to disagree with you regarding awarding Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth the same amount of points in the Chase standings. I believe that Kenseth has earned those extra five points, even though he did lose out to Carl in the victory column 2-1. But on the whole, Matt and Carl were virtually equal as far as average finish in the first 26 races, 16.42 to 16.12. Overall, through the first 26 races Matt finished ahead of Carl in 17 of the 26 races. And since Carl's second win of the season, Matt has topped Carl in 10 of those last 12 races.
-- Jeff Dubes

OK, so penalize a guy who was hot earlier in the year and cooled, and reward the late bloomer? Much like the above question regarding rules, NASCAR's point system rewards wins, top-five finishes and top-10s when distinguishing between drivers with the same point totals. Hence, Edwards should have been eighth in points entering Loudon and Kenseth ninth based on Edwards 2-1 advantage in victories. This isn't Bill Maher's version of "New Rules."

Inside the Numbers Top finishers at Dover since '99 (minimum five starts) Pos. Driver Races Avg. 1. T. Stewart 13 5.1 2. R. Newman 7 6.7 3. D. Jarrett 13 12.6 4. R. Wallace 13 13.2 5. J. Johnson 7 13.4

Fantasy Perspective

• Eight of the last nine races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position, and only six of the 71 races at Dover have been won from outside the top 15.

• Ryan Newman has started from a top-five starting position in six of his seven races at Dover.

• Jeff Gordon has finished 36th and 39th in two of his past three races at Dover.

• Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler have been running at the finish in all 13 of their races at Dover.

• Three of the last five years have produced sweeps at Dover: Tony Stewart (2000), Jimmie Johnson (2002) and Ryan Newman (2003). ... Greg Biffle won the June race at Dover.