Cross' Words: Darlington (cont'd)

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

• J.J. Yeley -- Three consecutive top-20s for the first time since Daytona-Fontana-Vegas.

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• Ryan Newman -- Finished fourth at Darlington and leaped five spots to 14th in points.

• Kurt Busch -- Six consecutive top-20 finishes and three top-12s in a row.

• Matt Kenseth -- Ten races (and counting) since he failed to post a top-15 finish. That's almost Gordon-esque.

• Jimmie Johnson -- It's Lowe's Motor Speedway and although Kasey Kahne has won back-to-back races, JJ still owns the track deed.

• Jeff Gordon -- He's never been off to this hot of a start, not even when he won 33 races (and two titles) between 1996-98.

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

• Brian Vickers -- All or nothing, it seems: Two DNFs, 13.0 average finish in three other starts.

• Juan Montoya -- Hasn't finished on the lead lap in a month (Texas).

• Kasey Kahne -- Has yet to finish on the lead lap in back-to-back races this year.

• David Stremme -- Consecutive DNFs ... and a five-spot drop in points after finishing 34th at Darlington.

• Kyle Busch -- Finished 37th in three of the past five races, and fell five spots to 11th in points after Sunday's race.

• Qualifying -- Everyone seems to agree the process is flawed. No one seems to have a solution. Here's one: The 43 fastest cars make the grid.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.