Cross' Words: Martinsville (cont'd)

From Bill Lloyd

Sorry, I just couldn't leave it alone: Jeffy is not now or will he ever be the driver Dale Sr. was; even if it had been his son he would have moved him! Gordon just didn't want it bad enough, and I noticed he didn't run up to Johnson and shove him.

Bill, you're comparing apples to oranges. Earnhardt raced -- and won -- the majority of his seven championships in a different time. The sport has evolved; so has Gordon. Remember: Jeff won three Cup titles and Dale two during the eight seasons they raced together. Give the devil his due, as they say.

From Terry Kitterman

Why doesn't NASCAR run the COT for the rest of the season, instead of running it for 16 races? Wouldn't it be confusing to keep going back and fourth from one car to the other? If NASCAR is going to run the car the whole season in 2008, why not run it the rest of the season now?

Simple: too many unanswered questions. And NASCAR has not made the decision to run the new car full time in 2008; it's only being considered and remains on the calendar for full-season implementation in '09. The COT is a work very much in progress; there are a lot of unknowns still to be worked through (protective foam, for example).

Six of one ...
Drivers with momentum heading to Texas:

• Jeff Gordon -- Big-picture racing in the point standings and, maybe more importantly, from a teammate perspective.

• Jimmie Johnson -- Three wins in six races and he's still 60 points behind. ... Next time, really add more points for wins!

• Denny Hamlin -- Ladies and gents, the next great NASCAR driver is doing more than cutting his teeth; he's gnawing on the competition.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Seventh at Bristol, fifth at Martinsville ... and yet there are still those who just can't wait to take shots at his talent.

• Jamie McMurray -- Maybe he's putting it all together. If not, it won't be because crew chief Larry Carter isn't proving his worth.

• Tony Stewart -- Finished seventh at Martinsville, a very nice rebound from the woes at Bristol. All he needs is a little more good luck.

Half a dozen of the other ...
And six drivers who need a jump start:

• Kevin Harvick -- Go back to the big Shell logo from Daytona; it's obvious that the added Pennzoil decal is weighing down your ride.

• Dave Blaney -- Six consecutive finishes of 23rd or worse, average finish of 33.7 through six races. ... No where to go but up, hoss.

• Greg Biffle -- You just never know what to expect anymore from the No. 16. ... He should name his car Sybil.

• Kasey Kahne -- Intermediate tracks haven't been kind to Kahne so far in 2007, but he's the defending race winner at Texas.

• J.J. Yeley -- The streak is over! After backsliding for the past month, he followed up a 36th-place finish with a 23rd at Martinsville.

• Mark Martin -- The two-race hiatus ends at Texas. Will the time off prove to recharge the batteries, or will he be rusty? C'mon -- it's Mark Martin!

Feel the power

Three names you'll see in the Power Rankings' top 10 on April 11:

3. Jeff Burton -- Five top-10 finishes in six races, including four top-fives ... this could be the year he hoists the Cup.

4. Matt Kenseth -- Another race, another top-10 finish. He's an automaton, folks, no other way to explain it.

5. Denny Hamlin -- Here's a question for Denny: Are you gonna take mom to dinner, since you're off this weekend? She's been in that helmet a while, you know ...

And finally ...

We laid to rest Martha Jewel Cunningham on Saturday in Lynchburg, Tenn. As the funeral procession drove up Highway 55 toward Hurricane Cemetery we went past Moore County High School and there was a baseball game in progress; the coaches and players stood at attention with their caps over their hearts until the cars had passed. It was a very touching sight -- one that reminded me of all that is good in (very) small-town America. My grandmother would have been embarrassed; I could only cry. Thank you, from all of her family.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.