Cross' Words: Phoenix (cont'd)

Mailbag

From Tim ...
Wondered what your thoughts would be on limiting the use of the Top 35 rule. My problem is that if you are in the top 35 in [owner] points, you have the possibility to never qualify well and always make the race simply because you are "backing into races" and getting points for simply finishing. I personally believe there would be more racing for the top 35 if more guys were closer to the cut off line. There are several guys below the top 35 that could be in striking distance if they could only start a race. And that begs the question: Is it OK to suck at qualifying just because you are in the top 35?

What if we give the top 35 only six chances to fall back on the rule, like we give the past champions only six chances to use that provisional? This would still give a racer a good number of second chances and not let his team suck overall.

It would be a bookkeeping nightmare for NASCAR Scoring, but your suggestion does have some validity. Certainly sponsors wouldn't take issue with a more level qualifying procedure.

From Darlene ...
Did you by any chance see Mr. Montoya flip the finger to the camera on Thursday night during practice for the Busch race? SPEED had one camera showing Mr. Montoya sitting in his car when he looked directly at the camera and flipped the finger. It didn't appear to be an accident as it was obvious that he knew the camera was there, and he looked right in the camera and did the deed. I wonder if he'll be called into the NASCAR hauler to explain what happened?

I couldn't believe that Juan didn't hit the camera; he's rubbed everything else at the track the wrong way the past couple months. ... And there has been no official word from the Big Yellow Phone Booth. Yet.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their thoughts on the Virginia Tech tragedy. I received more than 1,000 e-mails on the subject and read many amazing heart-wrenching stories from people who have ties to Blacksburg.

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

• Tony Stewart -- Yep, he again led a bunch of laps but doesn't have much to show for it. It's a marathon, Smoke; keep your eye on the big prize.

• Kevin Harvick -- He finished 10th at Phoenix, his third top-10 of the season and fourth in 10 starts at PIR.

• Bobby Labonte -- An eighth-place run in the COT, his first top-10 in the pat 12 races, was a nice bounce-back after his 43rd-place showing at Martinsville.

• Haas teammates Jeff Green and Johnny Sauter -- Might the COT do as NASCAR had hoped: level the playing field? Both finished in the top 10 at Phoenix (Green sixth; Sauter ninth), and Green is among the top 20 points producers in the past six races.

• Tony Raines -- Three consecutive top-20 runs ... and the backstory to the DLP commercial from fan Richard Sayre via the DLP Call Center:

The elephant and the girl were chosen to represent the magic of the mirrors and to introduce consumers, in a friendly and approachable way, to the amazement and wonder of these tiny mirrors inside DLP chips that power leading brands of HDTVs available in stores right now. The elephant is a gentle representative and symbolic of prosperity and hope. (Continued)