1) How significant was it that 11 drivers tested the COT at Atlanta with their 2008 teams, but that the Hendrick duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson sat out?

Joe Menzer: Don't worry about the 24 and the 48 getting caught up on COT knowledge -- they will. They also are focusing on this year, and rightly so, while the others all are already into 'wait 'til next year' mode.

Dave Rodman: I think it proves how much focus these guys have. They can work with one team last weekend, test with another for two days and then business as usual at Texas. That's pretty impressive.

David Caraviello: I think we can engrave Kyle Busch's name on the 2008 Sprint Cup trophy right now. The cat was fast both days in the car they're going to use in every race next year. Bank on it.

Dave Rodman: David, you stole my thought, which was, if you want to talk about real impressive -- or real scary, if you're the competition; Kyle Busch was top three every session in a Gibbs car.

Joe Menzer: Wow. You guys are jumping the gun a bit, aren't you? I don't think we can just hand Kyle Busch the trophy now -- especially when you haven't seen the likes of the 24 and 48 test the COT yet at all the tracks.

David Caraviello: OK, maybe not.

Dave Rodman: Talk to Mr. C. I just said he was scary fast and he will be eminently competitive.

Joe Menzer: Eminently competitive? Now there's a term you don't often hear to describe a NASCAR competitor!

David Caraviello: But it gives us an idea who's going to be good out of the box, and who's going to struggle.

Dave Rodman: It appears Kyle and Steve Addington hit the ground running like scalded cats or dogs. And I appreciate no one mentioning they'll be racing Toyotas next year -- not Impalas. Not that I think it will make much difference.

Joe Menzer: It was funny though, how all the buzz out of the Atlanta tests was about Junior -- not really Kyle Busch. I guess we should have expected that.

David Caraviello: But a test like this does show us who has a handle on the thing early, and who doesn't. I mean, Tony Stewart was near the bottom a few times, and no one is going to put any credence in that.

AMS Test

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., Monday's tire test at Atlanta was like being the new kid in town on the first day of school.

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Dave Rodman: And on the flip side, it appears Junior likes his Hendrick stuff just fine, thank you very much. He and Tony Jr. were top 10 three of four sessions and 13th in their worst. That's sporty.

Joe Menzer: Look, guys, there were 11 new teams -- or teams that were together for basically the first time -- at the test Monday. And Junior had a severe headache. I don't think we can put too much into the results of one day of testing at one particular track.

Dave Rodman: But for the most part, those that were good, were good for two days. And as far as Jeff and Jimmie taking a pass: I think this is the best and the worst of having a top shelf four-car team. I am betting Junior and Casey Mears put plenty of data in the bank, while the two lead HMS teams got rested.

David Caraviello: No problem with Jeff and Jimmie sitting out. It's like a World Series team telling the guy who's going to pitch Game 3 to stay home. They're keeping their focus on the big picture, which is the Hendrick way.

Dave Rodman: And as Mr. Johnson said on the eve -- or maybe it was in the aftermath of victory No. 8: His guys need, and deserve a break as they head into this three-race stretch. This is really, really going to be maybe the best Chase finale yet -- though Kurt Busch's Homestead 2004 will be hard to top.

Joe Menzer: Clint Bowyer is still lurking just within reach, too, isn't he? That's surprising. But he will need one or both of the guys in front of him to screw up at least once each, while maintaining his consistency. Not likely to happen at this stage, but you never know.

Dave Rodman: Joe. Joe. Joe. When will you believe? During the Atlanta race I thought Clint and company were in some trouble. Then, I am sorry to say, I fell asleep and missed a phenomenal comeback. The only problem is, he only beat Gordon by one position and Johnson won the race. Clint will have to do better -- or those Hendrick boys, worse.

David Caraviello: It was cool to see Junior in the Hendrick car. I know it was a die-cast stunt, but I liked the idea. Junior's a history guy. He gets where he came from. Not everybody does.

Joe Menzer: You are so right about that, DC2. I love guys who respect history. Too many guys in today's world -- NASCAR and elsewhere -- don't.

Dave Rodman: Look for those in many aisles of your local Kmart next year. I hope they would not go to that great effort and expense -- but I don't know enough about that die-cast industry, so what?

David Caraviello: And Joe knows a lot about history, as he's witnessed plenty of it.

Joe Menzer: It reminds me of a story from my NFL days. Roman Gabriel, the former NFL great, spoke at a luncheon and a current Pro Bowl receiver said to him afterward, 'Wow. You played?'

Dave Rodman: No way!

Joe Menzer: The receiver shall remain nameless, but he used to play for the Panthers and now plays for the Chicago Bears. You figure it out.

Dave Rodman: Nameless is better for that dorkus.

David Caraviello: I once heard a story about Ray Fox being denied entry into a will-remain-nameless Nextel Cup facility because nobody knew who he was.

Dave Rodman: Hmmm. I mighta been there. Just goes to show you the mechanical geniuses have never, and probably never will get the credit they deserve.

2) Where does the water in the fuel fiasco from Atlanta rate in Cup racing history -- and could something just as strange happen at Texas?

Joe Menzer: Well, as far as this sport goes, you are the resident historian, Roadman -- but that water in the fuel tank thing at Atlanta seemed about as strange as anything I've seen lately. What about you?

Dave Rodman: Without question, that's one of the weirdest ones I've seen in a long, long time -- maybe ever.

Joe Menzer: I guess it's Watergate II.

David Caraviello: Well, during my graduate studies in petroleum storage at Texas A&M, I learned that unleaded fuel at a certain temperature ... dude, how the heck do I know? We need someone from Sunoco on the panel.

Joe Menzer: You know what? Something just dawned on me. Wasn't there a guy lurking at our live Track Smack location last week at Atlantic Station in Atlanta who looked a little like Gordon Liddy?

John Darby

Dave Rodman: The neat thing is, as Brother Aumann covered to a "T" (read more): There are smart people working on it; and reading Mr. Darby's explanation -- it's a good thing they're a helluva lot smarter than I am about fuel dynamics.

Joe Menzer: Can you imagine, though, if during one of these last Chase races, one of the top Chasers suddenly goes kaput on the last restart because he has water in his fuel?

Dave Rodman: Ain't gonna happen. But yeah, at Atlanta that was too late to have affected the pumps -- or is that effected?

David Caraviello: Strange things like this used to happen all the time at Texas. Remember the seeping racetrack? Thankfully, the place seems to have shaken off the gremlins of its youth.

Dave Rodman: I bet someone will be monitoring that on a daily basis from here on out. In fact, I bet NASCAR has already sent operatives to Texas, Phoenix and Homestead to test the systems already.

Joe Menzer: I know one thing. If something really strange happens and it affects (yes, affects) the outcome of the Chase, the NASCAR cover-up to follow could be greater than the original Watergate!

Dave Rodman: I was impressed with the system checks that Sunoco had in place to monitor water content in its tanks at AMS. But that makes it all the odder how the murky stuff showed up.

David Caraviello: Maybe NASCAR was just trying to go green. You know, water the stuff down to help the planet. Stretch out a scarce natural resource. Then again, maybe not ...

Dave Rodman: I was glad they debunked any theories of sabatoogey, to quote Moe. Or was it Larry? And the fact that it affected such a wide range of competitors: From Blaney fighting for his life in the top 35 to Hamlin and Burton in the Chase, to who knows who else; was somewhat comforting -- though not to them.

Joe Menzer: Yeah, I'm sure they were very comforted by that!

David Caraviello: Somebody probably just knocked over a bottle of Dasani.

Joe Menzer: Maybe so, but it must have been one big bottle!

Dave Rodman: Where did sugar once get put in a number of fuel systems? Was that Riverside or Talladega? Or was there even a tampering scandal at Atlanta one time that Alan Kulwicki was involved in?

Joe Menzer: You're asking us? I thought you were the history buff?

Dave Rodman: Whatever, that is the stuff of legends and I'd like to think it could not happen here. Though at a place like Martinsville, or Bristol -- where the garage and infield are one and the same, who knows?

3) Should NASCAR bring the COT to the Nationwide Series, or let the sport's No. 2 circuit keep its current car?

Joe Menzer: Well, we can debate it if we want -- and of course we will -- but the fact is that it's coming, and probably by 2009. The question is: Is it a mistake?

David Caraviello: To me, if you want the Nationwide Series to maintain some sort of identity, you stay away from the COT. That's the only way to dilute the dominance of some of these Cup operations, who'll have one less reason to double-dip.

Dave Rodman: That's a tough one. Talk about a series at the crossroads, to steal one of those infamous cliches, which for better or worse have a pretty good basis in fact.

David Caraviello: Plus, you add the COT, you heap a whole new level of expense upon those Nationwide-only teams that are going to have to make the transition. It's no big deal for Hendrick or Roush -- but for Brewco?

Dave Rodman: Or whatever that team's going to be called in 2008. At any rate, God bless the Brewers and Gary Baker for supporting the series, along with all those other Busch-only owners, like Jay Robinson and Johnny Davis.

Joe Menzer: The bottom line is that this is a way to keep the biggest names from running away from the second series in droves. It's a business decision.

Dave Rodman: The project, if they chose to do it, would be to somehow take the current cars -- both sets of wheelbases -- grandfather the smaller cars and then try to incorporate whatever safety features you could from the Cup COT into the current cars.

Joe Menzer: If the COT is run in both series, they'll still feel like they're learning something by running in the Nationwide Series on a Saturday at the same venue a Cup event will be run Sunday. Otherwise, other than being pushed by sponsors, they would have no reason to compete on Saturday afternoons.

David Caraviello: And I'm not so sure this is a done deal. When the Nationwide deal was announced, NASCAR officials said they're trying to transition some aspects of the COT into the Nationwide car. It didn't sound like a looming swap.

Joe Menzer: Well, I thought it did.

David Caraviello: You might wind up with some hybrid car, but not the COT as we know it in Cup.

Joe Menzer: We're just supposed to start calling it "the NASCAR chassis." After all, we can't call it the Car of Tomorrow forever now, can we?

Dave Rodman: The problem seems to be, according to the contact who spoke on NASCAR.COM on Sunday, the Nationwide car would use a totally different body style. Thus, there could be no transfer from series to series. If rumors of these Busch only owners struggling, as it is are true -- who could afford to do that?

David Caraviello: Exactly, Dave. A full-scale transition like the one we saw in Cup would ruin some of these guys.

Joe Menzer: The cars they run now aren't exactly the same. But there is still plenty of knowledge transfer. I think this will be similar when it's all said and done.

Dave Rodman: David, that's what I'm talking about -- something that is not a full-blown COT, but one that enables the current Busch cars to enable owners to make a reasonable transition, both in appropriate safety measures and new body shapes.

Joe Menzer: What is this, a love-fest between the two Daves? You guys are starting to make me sick.

Dave Rodman: Great minds think alike.

Joe Menzer: That's what Larry and Moe said.

David Caraviello: Joe, we can't help it if you're unable to grasp the intricacies of petroleum dynamics and the COT.

Joe Menzer: Which are about one and the same, in my book! I defer to the Two Stooges on the intricacies of those subject matters.

Dave Rodman: Bottom line, I think these Cup guys are going to continue to run the Nationwide Series no matter what the vehicle dynamic is -- but as long as it's economically feasible.

Joe Menzer: Yep. Sort of like I'm going to keep handing out Halloween candy like I did last night as long as it's economically feasible. Which means some will be saved for myself. Tough luck, kids!

Dave Rodman: Unless NASCAR has something radical up its sleeve to make whatever transition it is engineering in the Nationwide Series economically feasible.

Joe Menzer: Radical? NASCAR? Is Gordon Liddy involved?

Dave Rodman: Joe, tell the truth: You did whatever it took to keep the neighborhood miscreants from trashing your home.

David Caraviello: No wonder the kids in the neighborhood are so scared of Mr. Menzer. He probably gave out peanut brittle.

Joe Menzer: At least I didn't Albert Belle anybody on Halloween. The former Indians slugger once got in his car and attempted to run down some Trick-or-Treaters who egged his house in Cleveland.

David Caraviello: Joe was one of them.

Joe Menzer: This was after they got upset because he put a box of candy out front -- and didn't understand that the first kids to stop by were going to take it all, leaving him vulnerable to the wrath of those to come behind.

Dave Rodman: That is pretty funny -- considering the dude was a millionaire. Who is the Albert Belle of the Nextel Cup Series?

Joe Menzer: The Albert Belle of Nextel Cup? Maybe Tony Stewart? Or is it maybe The Carl when he's in one of his "moods"?

David Caraviello: All I know is, nobody wants to ring the doorbell of the big yellow truck, because there ain't no treats in there.

The opinions expressed are those solely of the writer.