Cross' Words: Darlington

"We've got to stop this. We keep giving them away week in and week out. Everyone will talk about how Hendrick [teams] won another race. This was our race."

Denny Hamlin took off the gloves after finishing second to Jeff Gordon on Sunday. It was Hamlin's fourth consecutive top-three finish in the Car of Tomorrow -- and his frustration with poor pit stops reached its boiling point.

• Send Duane your thoughts

"If we lose by 20 or 30 points in the championship it's because we lost it on pit road," Hamlin lamented.

Hendrick drivers -- defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (four wins), Jeff Gordon (three) and Kyle Busch -- have won eight of 11 races, and they have swept the COT events. The team has spent a lot of time and money testing the COT and it's paying off. But aside from the financial commitment, Hendrick's front-runners aren't making mistakes.

Hamlin (and Chase contender Tony Stewart, too) know that the Joe Gibbs Racing stable has to answer the challenge of Hendrick's pit prowess.

"Their pit stops range from 12.50 [seconds] to 18.50," Hamlin said of his over-the-wall gang. "They're thinking about not making mistakes and end up making a mistake. ... I'm not going to bash my guys; they've helped me out a lot over the course of this year.

"But when you're in contention for these wins, it's all about not making mistakes."

Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte, made a late-race decision to stay on the track during the Lap 344 caution. Ironically, it was a yellow flag brought out by Hendrick teammate Casey Mears, who had engine trouble. Johnson pitted, while Gordon assumed point and held off the field during the final 18 laps.

It was a roll of the dice by the No. 24 team that paid off; the radiator was spewing steam and Letarte gambled that Gordon could make it to the finish with clean air to cool the engine.

If Hamlin's crew hadn't dropped the ball -- or the lug nut, as it were -- it may have been a different story. Hamlin had the lead on Lap 299, yielded to Johnson on Lap 300 and exited the pits in 15th on Lap 305 after a dropped lug nut. A common issue each week for many teams, but a crucial late-race mistake this week for Hamlin.

"We're not making those kinds of mistakes," Gordon said of the miscues that Hamlin's team is suffering through. "I can understand his frustration. They've been very strong. It's not going to be long before they're going to wind up [winning]."

Random ruminations after Darlington ...

Another good showing for Martin Truex Jr. (11th), his best finish in the COT and fifth top-15 in the past nine races. ... Sterling Marlin finished 13th, his best since an 11th at Charlotte last fall. ... Carl Edwards' fifth-place run was his first top-five of the year; he had 10 last season and 13 in 2005. ... Clint Bowyer led a season-best 16 laps, the most he's run on point in a race since Kansas (43) on Oct. 1, 2006. ... Bobby Labonte came home 19th, but his average finish in the past three COT races is a respectable 14.0. ... Who had 'Dega, Richmond and Darlington in the pool for three consecutive top-10 finishes for Ryan Newman? You're a winner! ... OK, Matt Kenseth -- starts 31st, finishes seventh? Nice work, for the umpteenth week in a row.

Say what?

"I would like to take a week or two to clear my mind a little bit, drink some beers, and have some fun. Get back to normal."
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr., who missed a sponsor plug. Oh the humanity!

Figuratively speaking

563 -- Cup Series-leading laps led by Denny Hamlin in the five COT races. His average finish is 5.0, including three third-place runs and a second.

Up Next

Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte | 5 p.m. ET May 27, FOX
Race No. 12 of 36 | Get tickets | Book travel

• Defending race winner: Kasey Kahne
• Most victories at the track: 5 -- Jimmie Johnson
• Best average finish (minimum five starts): Jimmie Johnson (5.8 in 11 starts)
Active drivers only

While you're in Charlotte check out the "History of the Stock Car" exhibit. It'll also be on display at Daytona during the Pepsi 400 weekend.

The exhibit illustrates the evolution of stock cars, culminating with the Car of Tomorrow, and three cars from that past are featured:
• 1972 Dodge Charger driven by Richard Petty
• 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by Darrell Waltrip
• 1987 Chevrolet driven by Terry Labonte

Other cars planned for the exhibit include the COT and street versions of the four '07 models competing in the Cup Series: Chevrolet Impala SS, Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry.

Mailbag

From Jessica ...
What do you think it would do for the sport to have Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon driving on the same team? Their fan bases are mortal enemies. It would be interesting to see how that would play out if they end up under the same roof, don't you think?

Back in the day Jerry "The King" Lawler and Bill "Superstar" Dundee were mortal enemies, then joined forces to fight the evils within the NWA. Rasslin' survived that merger, and I believe NASCAR would continue even if Junior and Gordon were teammates. ... I'd also purchase home and life insurance against locusts and beasts from the east.

From Chad ...
Is there any talk that this could be a scare tactic to make Teresa Earnhardt give in to the 51 percent ownership deal? I mean Dale Jr. has made this decision awfully early in the season and it would give DEI time to think this ownership deal through and counteroffer in a couple months.

Anything is possible, but I don't think Teresa will get over this Mother's Day "present" anytime soon. Besides, she's had plenty of time to think through this ownership deal; Junior merely pushed forward the inevitable.

From Jeff ...
I really get tired of hearing Mark Martin each week saying, "These guys are the greatest. I have never worked with a better group of guys." Just like the Busch race he drove for Hendrick, I couldn't stand to hear him: "This has to be the greatest day of my life driving this car for these guys." To me, it really shows disrespect for Roush all those years of having great rides and a great company. Sorry, but shut up and drive.

Not touching that one with a 10-foot pole, but you're not the first to make mention of Mark's in-the-now comments. Remember, this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately sport; don't bite the hand that feeds you right now.

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

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

Celebrate May 18

NASCAR Day is an annual, charitable celebration of the spirit of NASCAR fans, and last year raised more than $1.3 million with 98,000 pins sold online at NASCAR.COM and more than 3,000 company locations participating all across the country.

• Complete story
• NASCAR Day Telethon
• Learn more

• 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.