Cross' Words: Pocono (cont'd)

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

• Ryan Newman -- Three consecutive poles, back-to-back second-place finishes. The winless streak is at 59 (Sept. 18, 2005, at New Hampshire), but you get the sense that a return to Victory Lane is right around the corner.

• Martin Truex Jr. -- A win at Dover followed by a third-place "finish" at Pocono. He was confident the No. 1 Chevy could have contended for the victory if Mother Nature hadn't rained on the parade.

• Casey Mears -- Three consecutive top-15 finishes for the first time since Daytona-California-Vegas to begin 2006. He's moved from 35th to 23rd in points in the past four races.

• Mark Martin -- A pit road misstep cost him a lot of positions, but he battled back for a seventh-place finish. And he's still 12th in points. ... Forget immigration reform. I want to hear the candidates address part-time job benefits!

• Clint Bowyer -- Chalked up his seventh top-10 finish in 14 starts. Last year, No. 7 didn't come until Fontana, the 25th race.

• Scott Riggs -- Don't look now but he's knocking on the top 35 in owners' points, which would guarantee the No. 10 a starting position. Hard to believe he's finished in the lead lap only three times in 13 races.

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

• Toyota -- Long Pond in the rearview? Good; all four cars finished 35th or worse: Brian Vickers (35th), David Reutimann (38th), A.J. Allmendinger (39th) and Dave Blaney (43rd). And three failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip, Jeremy Mayfield and Dale Jarrett.

OK, so that's seven. Who says you don't get anything for free?

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.