Did he or didn't he? Credit: Autostock

We wonder ...

As the pressure increases, so do the questions we have

... did Robby Gordon throw debris out the window to cause a caution?

It certainly looked that way, though NASCAR said Sunday night that the evidence (read NBC's videotape) was inconclusive.

	Mark Spoor
	DO YOU WONDER? Tell Mark what has you shaking your head THIS FAN WONDERS ... How come a caution is thrown when a roll bar cover bounces to the bottom of the track, but when Clint Bowyer bounces off the wall (sparks and bits flying everywhere) right in front of the leaders the caution is nowhere to be seen?  •   David Clifford, Parts Unknown

Here's an idea: Check the inside of Gordon's car. If he's missing a roll bar cover, you've got your man.

Kudos to Dave Burns and the NBC crew for hounding Gordon on the subject with the wind-it-back-freeze-it-circle-it-wind-it-back-again-freeze-it-again-circle-it-again replay. Since they interviewed Gordon on the side of his hauler, they even had the bright spotlight in his face. The only thing missing was Jack McCoy begging Gordon to take the plea bargain.

I'll give him this: Gordon didn't appear to budge at all, though he did appear to look a bit like an eight-year-old with a cookie in his hand five minutes before dinner.

... how close did Kasey Kahne come to losing 25 points on Sunday?

Kahne was speaking to one of the pit reporters about his contact with David Stremme when he inexplicably broke from typical robot, sponsor-throwing driver character to real human being. It was refreshing -- and it almost cost him 25 points.

Kahne said he told Stremme it was his fault then Kahne said Stremme stayed on him, to which Kahne said "I told you it was my fault" followed by some inaudible, points-saving sounds.

Well done, Kasey.

... what was Dale Earnhardt Jr. distracted by during his pre-taped, in-race interview?

Junior was waxing poetic about his family's history at Atlanta, but he kept looking to the side, almost like someone was sitting over there looking at him with the the nana-nana-boo-boo face.

You could hear a kind of vacuum sound in the background. Maybe the clean-up crew hadn't finished from cleaning up from that the IROC celebration from the night before.

Speaking of Junior ...

Tony Stewart won his fourth race of the season on Sunday. Credit: Autostock

Bass Pro Shops 500 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Tony Stewart Chevy 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 4. Matt Kenseth Ford 5. Greg Biffle Ford 6. Jeff Gordon Chevy 7. Carl Edwards Ford 8. Denny Hamlin Chevy 9. Joe Nemechek Chevy 10. Robby Gordon Chevy • Complete results, click here • Driver standings, click here Victory LaneTony Stewart celebrates his win and makes his own Victory Lane in Atlanta Top finishersJohnson, Kenseth and Dale Jr. all enjoyed Atlanta racing FrustratedJeff Burton is unhappy after his 13th-place finish Debris on track?Robby Gordon defending himself from debris throwing Final lapsDale Earnhardt Jr. battles Matt Kenseth on the final laps Hard hitKasey Kahne makes a hard hit into David Stremme Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

... was Junior good at duck-duck-goose as a kid?

After Sunday's race, Junior was asked the effects of his decision to stay out when the other leaders pitted late in the race. He said he wanted to pit, but everyone was moving around so much that he got left out there, "sort of like duck-duck-goose."

That's what we need to see in the offseason -- a pay-per-view drivers' game of duck-duck-goose on New Year's Eve. Think about it. Who wouldn't pay to see Tony Stewart whack Jeff Gordon on the head, scream "GOOSE!" and chase him around for a few minutes? How great would that just before midnight after about 11 beers?

Please make this happen. I'm beggin' ya.

... what does Elvira do the other 11 months of the year?

"The Mistress of the Dark" gave the command to start engines for Saturday's Busch race in Memphis. She's like the Dick Clark of the horror world. Did you know she's 57? And she's from Kansas? Must be she spends months not named October in the gym.

For the record, she has 50 acting credits on imdb.com, most notably a failed sitcom called -- wait for it -- The Elvira Show. Apparently, the show revolved around Elvira and her aunt (played by Katherine Helmond -- from Soap, Who's The Boss, etc.) and how they dealt with living in Kansas.

It apparently lasted just one episode. Pity. Someone get TV Land on the phone.

... are there such things as NASCAR pre-race ceremony laws?

If so, here's two we can send to committee: First, no one giving the pre-race invocation can mention a sponsor during the prayer. Secondly, if you're asked to give "the most famous words in motorsports," you're allowed to give say those words and those words only. No sponsor mentions or political speeches of any type are allowed.

And you're certainly not allowed to do a freakin' turkey call.

Violators of these laws will be forced to listen to a montage of national anthem performances by American Idol rejects for a period no shorter than 30 days, but no longer than 60 days.

... did Tony Stewart actually steal a hat from a fan -- and then put it on his head?

Yeeck. After a NASCAR weekend, there's no telling where that hat has been. You're pretty courageous there, Smoke.

... wait a minute, Benny Parsons has a dog named Winston?

That's almost as good as my Uncle's dog named Talladega. Good times.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.