Cross' Words: Martinsville

Is there a happy median for the Car of Tomorrow? NASCAR continues to put on the corporate happy face, but drivers have openly chided the IROC-esque model of today. The answer to the question is yes, there will be a point where NASCAR and the drivers settle -- for better or worse -- on the COT. Maybe the question should be: Which side will give the most?

NASCAR wants a safer, more cost-effective model. For the most part, drivers want anything but the current COT. After two short-track races it's clear that both sides have their work cut out for them. As Jeff Gordon said, "We're wasting our time trying to even comment on the Car of Tomorrow at Martinsville and Bristol."

• Send Duane your thoughts

He has a point; the true judge of the COT will be at intermediate tracks and superspeedways, where high-speed pack racing and drafting are keys to success.

In the wake of Martinsville's 500-lap test drive, NASCAR has a couple of issues -- braking and safety foam, to name only two -- which it has to address. Add 'em to the list; the COT is nothing more than a working prototype. The rub with fans is NASCAR's perceived nonchalant attitude toward addressing the drivers' concerns. If the drivers are complaining, why isn't NASCAR doing X, Y and Z to rectify the problems?

NASCAR is not going to throw out the baby with the bath water -- and the COT is in its infancy. The drivers have raced 1,000 laps on short tracks and many miles remain before the 16-race test is complete.

Nextel Cup director John Darby addressed the safety foam issue: "We had three last week, and one obviously this week. If it's as big of a problem as I think it is, we've got to find out why and stop it, obviously. But there were a whole lot more cars that didn't [have it] than did, and that's a good thing."

On the other hand, Robbie Reiser was the voice of experience: "NASCAR said we didn't have one," he said when asked if the damage to Harvick's car on Sunday was similar to what Kenseth's car suffered at Bristol. "We put it in wrong. I'm not getting involved. I'll end up paying the price for it."

Read between the lines and you have the answer to the questions.

Random ruminations after Martinsville:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. was impressive on Sunday. He posted the fastest lap 97 times (19 percent), led the most laps (137), never fell out of the top 15 and had a race-best 133.1 driver rating.

• Kurt Busch made up five spots -- 17th to 12th -- in the final 50 laps on Sunday to continue his roller-coaster year -- awful, top-15, awful, top-15, awful, top-15 ...

Weekend That Was

Jeff Gordon played nice at Martinsville and didn't punt teammate Jimmie Johnson out of the way. But nice guys finish second, Joe Menzer says.

• Complete story

• Ricky Rudd's 13th-place finish was his first top-15 of the season. It also was a true reflection of his day at Martinsville: average running position throughout the 500 laps was 12.388.

• Kevin Harvick had a what-could've-been day: He finished 55 laps behind the leaders, but was among the top 15 in Fastest Drivers Early In a Run and Fastest Drivers Late In a Run.

Say what?

"The only way I could get by him was to wreck him. He blocked me really bad. I'm mad, but I'm not really mad at him. It's going to be some interesting racing going forward. I race people the way they race me."
-- Jeff Gordon on his waning-laps give-and-take with Hendrick teammate and race-winner Jimmie Johnson

Figuratively Speaking

1998 -- Last time that Hendrick Motorsports won four consecutive races (Jeff Gordon at Pocono, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Michigan). In the past 36 races, Chevy has 25 victories with streaks of four (current), four, five, seven and three.

Up Next

Samsung 500 | Texas | 1:30 p.m. ET April 15, FOX

Race No. 7 of 36 | Get your tickets | Book your travel

• Defending race winner: Kasey Kahne
• Most victories at the track: 12 drivers with one victory
• Best average finish (minimum five starts): Jimmie Johnson (6.3 in seven starts)
Active drivers only

Mailbag

From Phil Krieg, fuel pump cable-hating Hamlin fan

Maybe there is a rule I don't know about, but isn't there an obvious solution to the fuel pump issues that the 20 and 11 had at Bristol and then the 29 had at Martinsville? Why can't they get rid of the cable-driven pump, which is obviously going to do nothing but cost top teams valuable top finishes, and replace it with an electric pump? Is there a rule against electric pumps or are there a lot of people in the NASCAR world that can't see the obvious solution?

With tongue planted firmly in cheek: They're "stock cars," which means old-school fuel systems. Maybe it'll be an option when NASCAR implements composite engines (and it will happen; identical engines for everyone).

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.