Mark Martin: "We made the Chase and unfortunately we had some trouble -- big trouble -- at Talladega and it may be impossible to dig out of." Credit: Autostock

Cross' Words: Kansas

Three Chase drivers moved up in the point standings at Kansas -- race winner Mark Martin, runner-up Greg Biffle and third-place Carl Edwards.

Of the seven Chase drivers who finished in the top 10, fifth-place finisher Matt Kenseth lost five points to the leader and fell one spot. Jimmie Johnson finished sixth, lost 10 points and one spot. Seventh-place Rusty Wallace lost 14 points and a spot.

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But points leader Tony Stewart was the biggest winner. His fourth-place finish, combined with Ryan Newman's 23rd, created a 75-point gap between first and second, a gain of 71 points.

Martin moved from ninth to seventh in points; Biffle went from fifth to third ... but he's still only seven points from sixth, where Edwards remains.

Herein lies the problem with the scoring system. Martin was wiped out at Talladega one week earlier and his title hopes went the way of the Rubik's Cube. Seven days later, a victory bought him only 25 points.

Consistency is the hallmark of the Cup Series' points system. But a lack of consistency within the system is what should be addressed.

Martin maxed out Sunday at Kansas -- 190 points: 180 for the win and 10 bonus (leading a lap, leading the most laps). On the flip side, Stewart received 165 points -- 160 for fourth place and five bonus points for leading one lap (he stayed on the track while Martin pitted).

Twenty-five points for countless hours of preparation, for three-plus hours of up-on-the-wheel racing ... and still Martin is out of the Chase picture because of one lousy finish -- not of his own making, I might add.

Stewart began the Chase with a five-point lead. He has three top-five finishes and an 18th-place showing and his lead has grown by 66 points. Consistency.

Inside the Chase Point standings after Kansas Pos. Driver Pts. Behind 1. T. Stewart 5,684 -- 2. R. Newman 5,609 -75 3. G. Biffle 5,596 -88 4. R. Wallace 5,594 -90 5. J. Johnson 5,592 -92 6. C. Edwards 5,589 -95 7. M. Martin 5,571 -113 8. M. Kenseth 5,568 -116 9. J. Mayfield 5,527 -157 10. Ku. Busch 5,460 -224 Standings by average finish Pos. Driver W T-5 T-10 Avg. 1. T. Stewart 0 3 3 6.5 2. R. Newman 1 3 3 8.2 3. C. Edwards 0 2 3 9.0 4. R. Wallace 0 1 3 10.0 5. J. Johnson 1 1 3 11.5 6. M. Kenseth 0 3 3 11.5 7. G. Biffle 0 2 2 11.5 8. M. Martin 1 2 3 13.2 9. J. Mayfield 0 0 1 13.2 10. Ku. Busch 0 0 1 20.0 Note: Ties are broken by most wins and most top-five finishes.

Martin, Newman, Jimmie Johnson have won three of the four Chase races. Each also have three top-10 finishes and one they'd rather forget about. In fact, they probably linger on that forgettable finish longer than they revel in victory.

Stewart's 6.5 average finish is tops among the Chase drivers, followed by Newman, Edwards, Wallace and Johnson.

Biffle, now third in points, has the seventh-best average finish (11.5) through four races. Kenseth and Johnson also have 11.5 averages, but Johnson has a win, while Kenseth has three top-five finishes. Biffle has two top-fives. Among the top eight drivers, Biffle also has two finishes outside the top 10.

So where's the consistency?

With all the changes that NASCAR is making, here's hoping the Chase points system is high on the to-do list. It isn't enough to work for 26 weeks just to make the Chase and then have your wheels taken off by a series of unfortunate events that even Lemony Snickets couldn't concoct. Just getting to the dance isn't enough, Tony Manero.

The point -- and points -- should be to reward title hopefuls for their success against other championship drivers -- not just for the ability to consistently beat the track.

Flags

• Red -- After a blown engine relegated him to a 40th-place finish at Kansas, Michael Waltrip has finished 13th or worse in his past 15 races. Waltrip now has eight DNFs, his most since 2000.

• Yellow -- Through four playoff races, only two non-Chasers -- Kevin Harvick (New Hampshire and Talladega) and Casey Mears (Dover and Kansas) -- have more than one top-10 finish.

• Green -- As one of only 13 non-Chase drivers with a top-10 finish in the past four races, Brian Vickers has scored four consecutive top-15 finishes.

Quote, Unquote

"It's not a flag that I look at with anything favorable. That's for sure. I can't tell people what flag to fly. I can tell you the flag we get behind: It's the American flag."
-- Brian France on fans flying Confederate flags at races

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Around the Track

• Tony Stewart has a Cup Series-best 15 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s, while Rusty Wallace leads the Cup Series with 24 top-15 finishes. Carl Edwards has three consecutive top-10 finishes, the longest active streak.

• Eight of the 10 Chase drivers earned lap leader bonus points at Kansas: Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Rusty Wallace, who earned five bonus points for the first time in a Chase race.

• Nine of the 10 Chase drivers have at least one victory this season. Only Rusty Wallace remains winless while five of the drivers have scored multiple victories, led by Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle with five.

• Mitch Lash, jackman for the No. 12 Dodge, was injured during a Lap 95 pit stop at Kansas. He received multiple injuries to the muscle tissue in his right foot, including a severe sprain to his right ankle. Lash will begin physical therapy this week. Britt Goodrich, former jackman for the team, will take over jacking duties until Lash returns.

Up Next

Charlotte

• Mark Martin, who won the all-star race at Charlotte in May, has not scored a top-10 finish in his past five races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, since winning on May 26, 2002.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart had top-10 finishes in both races at Charlotte last year. None of these drivers posted a top-10 there in May.

• Twenty-six of 93 races at Charlotte have been won from a front-row starting position. Pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson's win in May 2004 was the most recent, and the only front-row victory in the past nine races.

Mail Call

Two e-mails that are the topic du jour:

I read Brian France's comments on the Confederate flag, and how he personally reaches out to minorities and women to join this sport. Now far be it far from me not to go along with what this guy said concerning the flag, since I am a Southern white male, but I think Mr. France needs to be put in check on a few issues:

• The Confederate flag is a symbol of pride among Southern people not for the racial overtones that have been claimed, but for pride; our ancestors stood their ground and rallied behind this flag. Many of our ancestors bled and died for a belief under this flag and for the American flag.

Victory LaneMark Martin celebrates his 35th career win at Kansas On the moveGreg Biffle gains two spots in the point standings Holding onStewart on his Kansas finish and Cup standings lead Banquet 400Catch all the highlights of the Chase in Kansas Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

• It is obvious that Mr. France has never heard the saying "The South will rise again" -- not in the militant way, but in the commerce way. He needs to ask himself, 'If it weren't for Southern people, where would NASCAR be at this moment?' Can you say non-existent?

• It is becoming very clear Mr. France likes slapping us in the face, forcing Southern people to like it (i.e. no Labor Day Darlington 500). Mr. France needs to take a lesson from my hound dog" Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

• If minorities or women want to join the sport, great, it would be wonderful to see. But where is this red carpet treatment for anyone else? In the days of Fireball Roberts and Richard Petty I do not believe there were "special places" for them to learn the ways of this sport, so why should there be now?

There are some awesome female drivers out there, there are some awesome people-of-color drivers out there. If they want to be a NASCAR driver, take the lumps and the bruises like everyone else has had to do.

The sport is growing; glad it is and it is great to watch from other sections of the country. But why does Brian France kick sand in our faces like we are nobodies. We -- not he -- built this sport. I get very offended when people stereotype "Southern people." We are not as prejudiced as the media thinks, or he thinks.
-- Bill Deweese

After reading a quote from Mr. France's interview on 60 Minutes, I am extremely upset. Mr. France, when asked about the Confederate flags flown at most races, stated, in essence, that he wishes they would not be flown nor associated with NASCAR.

I understand that NASCAR is trying to expand into more markets, attract more minorities, and in effect, move away from where it came from. Yes, I do live in the South, and I am by no means prejudiced. I would love to see an increase in minority involvement with the sport. I love NASCAR because of how it started, its grassroots beginnings, and the fascinating history.

Therefore, it breaks my heart to see the sport move away from what made it what it is today. I am not asking why this is happening or how it can be stopped. I understand why: money.
-- Josh Marlar

Fact is, Confederate flags aren't as prevalent at tracks as once upon a time. Life goes on; things change. Hey, I put away my Underoos, too. This isn't an issue with which NASCAR -- or its fans -- needs to be concerned. There are bigger fish to fry than Johnny Reb's battle flag. (And there is a difference between the flag of the Confederacy and the battle flag, in case you were wondering.)

Inside the Chase Average finish at Charlotte Rank Driver Races Avg. 1. C. Edwards 1 3.0 2. J. Johnson 8 7.4 3. T. Stewart 13 10.7 4. M. Kenseth 12 14.8 5. R. Wallace 47 16.2 6. M. Martin 41 16.4 7. G. Biffle 5 18.6 8. R. Newman 9 19.1 9. Ku. Busch 10 20.4 10. J. Mayfield 23 21.8

Fantasy Perspective

• Tony Stewart has one victory and nine top-10 finishes in 13 races at Charlotte. He finished 24th there in May, only his second finish outside the top 10 in his past 10 races at the track.

• Jimmie Johnson has won three consecutive races at Charlotte. The most recent driver to score four consecutive victories at a track was Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Talladega (Fall 2001-Spring 2003).

• Among the 10 Chasers, Carl Edwards' 3.0 average finish is tops, while Jeremy Mayfield's 21.8 average finish is worst. However, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson have the most victories (4).

• Ryan Newman has not started worse than fourth in nine races at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He has scored five poles, a second- and three fourth-place starts for a 2.1 starting average at Charlotte.

• Six of the past 17 races at Charlotte have been won from the front row, but six of the past 12 have been won from a starting position of 13th or worse.

• Jimmie Johnson (847) has led more than twice as many laps as Tony Stewart (399), who is second in laps led in the past 10 races at Lowe's. Johnson competed in only eight of those 10 races.