Don't look now, Tony, but you are starting to get that reputation again. Credit: Autostock

Track Smack: Smoke and Junior all the talk

Should NASCAR have done more to penalize Tony Stewart for his blatant hit on Clint Bowyer?

Marty Smith: Absolutely. At the VERY least, make him restart at the tail end of the longest line so he actually had to pass some cars to earn his lap back, and it should have been at least a two-lap penalty.

Ryan Smithson: I seem to recall a race maybe 10 years ago where Kyle Petty hit Ted Musgrave at Charlotte, and I think NASCAR gave Kyle a five-lap penalty. Felix Sabates painted his car black for the next race. So yes, one lap was nothing.

Dave Rodman: The way it turned out, one lap was a pittance, though it seemed appropriate at the time. It's also kinda strange that given Tony's history of road rage, that didn't weigh on this penalty.

Duane Cross: Yes -- the one-lap black flag wasn't harsh enough, especially when he could restart to the inside of the leaders and quickly make up the lap via the Lucky Dog.

Marty Smith: He wasn't given the luxury of the Lucky Dog, boss.

Duane Cross: No, he wasn't -- but he could have benefited from it.

Ryan Smithson: This is yet another reason why the Lucky Dog needs to be killed off.

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Marty Smith: He couldn't get the Lucky Dog, guys.

Duane Cross: That's the rub -- he could have benefited from a stupid rule. If he's the first car one lap down, he gets the Lucky Dog the next time there is yellow -- and voila, he's back in contention if he wasn't the cause of the caution.

Dave Rodman: The way we understood it at the racetrack was that neither Stewart nor Edwards were eligible for the free pass after their penalties -- for the rest of the race.

Duane Cross: Here's the Lucky Dog deal: You bring out the yellow for whatever reason and get a lap down, the next time there is a caution, you get the Lucky Dog pass IF you're the first car a lap down. ... If you're the first car a lap down and you CAUSE the next yellow, you DO NOT get the Lucky Dog.

Marty Smith: OK, so the Lucky Dog is a safety thing. What's a better solution?

Mr. Bowyer awaits a word with Mr. Stewart. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Dave Rodman: The free pass rule had nothing to do with safety, Dawg. It was created after NASCAR nullified racing back to the caution, which was for safety's sake. The free pass was an affectation put in place to spice up the action. Once you got used to it, it's all good.

Duane Cross: Give up on the "safety thing" and let these guys race again.

Ryan Smithson: That was the most obvious hit I've seen in years. It was laughable.

Ryan Smithson: Now how come Clint wasn't able to get to Tony's car after the race? Can't he use the Harvick method (Bristol 2002) and simply leap over everyone?

Duane Cross: Clint did get to Tony's car; we have a picture of him waiting at the front quarterpanel. ... Didn't look too happy, either.

Dave Rodman: Clint's fiery, but the young man has a lot of self-control -- a lot. After what he went through Saturday at Martinsville, when he felt he had a winning car that finished second, to get wrecked through a misunderstanding Sunday would have been too much for a lot of guys to take.

Duane Cross: In this case, Stewart was the first car a lap down, restarted next to Newman -- then passed him to get back on the lead lap. ... The black flag did nothing to deter Smoke's day.

Garage PassDrivers sound off about Tony Stewart's racing style NASCAR TodayTony Stewart admits fault for early wreck at Pocono Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836 UPON FURTHER REVIEW •   Stewart claims responsibility for incident at Pocono

Dave Rodman: Pocono or not, what Tony did to come back was impressive. I dare say he would have made up a two- or three-lap penalty just as easily, though that's a moot point.

Ryan Smithson: I don't know about y'all, but the pro-Stewart e-mails have dried up.

Marty Smith: I've gotten two -- and they're both in Last Lap.

Ryan Smithson: People were more upset at Tony's post-race rant than the actual hit.

Marty Smith: Yeah, people don't like him bringing Earnhardt into it.

Dave Rodman: The issue with Tony over the last two weeks is that he can do no wrong, and he feels compelled to play Nextel Cup educator to everyone else. He had a lot more to lose at New Hampshire than Newman -- and at Pocono thanks to road rage he ruined Bowyers' and Edwards' days.

Duane Cross: I'm still getting pro-Stewart e-mails. A lot of the old-school fans are wondering what's the rub? Let 'em beat and bang. Making the "3" reference, that has been the focus of a lot of e-mails.

Speaking of an Earnhardt, is Dale Jr. in trouble?

Inside the Numbers Point standings 3 thru 13 Pos. Driver Behind+ Behind* 3. J. Burton -318 -221 4. Ky. Busch -357 -39 5. K. Harvick -376 -19 6. M. Martin -382 -6 7. K. Kahne -424 -42 8. D. Hamlin -425 -1 9. J. Gordon -427 -2 10. T. Stewart -462 -35 11. Dale Jr. -477 -15 12. G. Biffle -506 -29 13. Ku. Busch -628 -122 • Behind+: Points behind leader • Behind*: Points behind driver directly ahead in standings

Ryan Smithson: As we have seen before, it is really difficult to stop a collapse right before the Chase starts. He has a lot of heat coming from Jeff Gordon.

Marty Smith: Not yet. He's really good at Bristol and Richmond, and was good at Michigan earlier this year. But having Watkins Glen ahead doesn't help. I still think he'll make the Chase.

Duane Cross: He's got a long row to hoe, but the No. 8 team can do it. ... Good thing it's the off week; his crew may need an extra few days to digest his post-race comments about how bad the car was.

Dave Rodman: My local radio show made the good point: Who's gonna go if he gets in? Don't forget, Junior won a Busch race at WGI and ran down Ron Fellows to do it. He can road race.

Duane Cross: He's also never run particularly well at Indy, the series' next stop.

Ryan Smithson: That is the key, Duane. Indy is going to be the deal that makes or breaks him.

Duane Cross: Could be; he needs to get a top-five, or the pressure is going to be through the roof.

Marty Smith: Fellas, he's 15 points out of 10th. Not 115.

"Hey Junior, this is how I rallied last year." Credit: Autostock

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Cup stats at next six tracks (leading up to the Chase) Site No. W T-5 T-10 Indianapolis 6 0 0 1 Watkins Glen 6 0 2 3 Michigan 14 0 1 3 Bristol 13 1 4 6 Fontana 9 0 1 2 Richmond 14 3 7 9 • Junior's 2006 stats Junior gets spunDale Jr. spins in the straightaway and hits the wall Engine failureDale Earnhardt Jr. sees his day end with engine failure Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Dave Rodman: And don't forget, I was ready to lock Harvick in, until I did the math and realized Junior is only 105 points behind him. That's fifth to 11th, only 105 points.

Ryan Smithson: And Earnhardt will have to keep Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch off him. If he gets in, like you say, who does he knock out?

Dave Rodman: I think Stewart and Gordon will stay and Junior and Biffle could get in. Denny Hamlin, because he's a rookie, is most at risk -- though dang, he's been good just about everywhere. Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin, of all people, need to get back on the stick.

Ryan Smithson: Marty, Junior is either top-five or nothing this year, and that is a bad formula. He hasn't been finishing seventh every week like the 31 car. ... He won't make it.

Marty Smith: He will make it.

Ryan Smithson: He has just got some unfriendly tracks, Marty.

Marty Smith: Matt Kenseth was more than 200 points out this time last year, Holmes.

Ryan Smithson: Kenseth also top-fived it every week. You really think the 8 can do that?

Marty Smith: No, but I think he can at four of the six tracks: RIR, Bristol, Michigan and Fontana. And if he finishes well at Indy, he's golden. "Well" meaning top-15.

Ryan Smithson: Yeah but Marty, did you see his Pocono car? He can't run 20th with a car like that.

Marty Smith: Agreed. As for Hamlin, man, that dude could win the Brickyard in that car he swept Pocono in. Don't think he will, but he could.

Ryan Smithson: See, that is the key. Hamlin has some great tracks coming up.

Marty Smith: How many dadgum keys you got, Smithson?

Ryan Smithson: About five. At first you threw me off by saying dadgum. My fave word.

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Duane Cross: OK, so among the guys ahead of him, who's most likely to drop? Some will point to Hamlin, but he's been consistent. ... Is Kahne in a freefall? Only one top-10 since his win at Michigan. His past five races are finishes of 31, 25, 23, 8, 31. ... Good thing is Indy is next; two top-fives in two starts.

Ryan Smithson: Kahne is fine, Duane, he had freak problems in two of those races.

Duane Cross: I'm not saying Kahne's not; I'm pointing out that if folks are going to look at Hamlin as the most likely to drop, there might be another name to consider.

Marty Smith: Kahne is my pick at Indianapolis.

Ryan Smithson: I don't think I've ever looked forward to a Brickyard more. Things are pretty tight.

Dave Rodman: Brickyard, heck. This year, more than any other, is what the Chase is all about. Richmond is gonna be the bloodbath when we figure out who's in and out. Antics there might be unprecedented.

Duane Cross: Kahne and Hamlin are separated by one point -- and Kahne has been struggling and now is not the time to be scuffling on the track.