Cross' Words: Chicago

Leave it to the wit and wisdom of Bill Engvall to cut through the clutter. NASCAR fans, he says, do not like Jeff Gordon because "he enunciates." Simple as that, folks.

Engvall was in Atlanta on Friday as part of the promotional tour touting his new sitcom on TBS, cleverly titled The Bill Engvall Show. He signed autographs for about a hour before the Pirates-Braves game. Never once did he complain about the heat. Or the crowd. Or personalizing an autograph. Or getting from behind the table to have his photo taken with a fan.

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Sure, that's part of the gig with being a celebrity. Interaction with the fans -- your fans -- comes with the territory. In that sense, Engvall is major league.

He's a race fan, like you and I, and that's where the conversation began.

Engvall and Gordon have interacted, and in the comedian's opinion, the one thing Gordon will not be able to overcome is that he's articulate.

Reading between the lines, it's tough to argue against Engvall's opinion. Gordon is articulate, and he does enunciate.

I think that makes him more likeable. It certainly makes him more marketable, so maybe that's the rub.

Whatever the reasons, fans have not embraced Gordon as warmly as they have other drivers through the years. But you won't hear Gordon complain; he's done quite nicely on the fan-base front and understands that his place in the sport's lore is secure.

Hey, when was the last time a race winner was determined by the size of his fan base? Exactly.

After the conversation with Engvall wrapped I was thinking about his take on Gordon. Working under the premise of "where there's smoke, there's fire," I stopped a handful of fans at the game (they were wearing various driver-related hats and shirts -- none with Jeff Gordon or No. 24) and asked, very scientifically: Do you like Jeff Gordon?

To a man (five of them, and three women) the answer was "no."

When asked if there was a reason why, two were quick with a response along the lines of he's too goody-goody. Another said, quite frankly, he didn't give a damn about anyone not named Earnhardt.

The most intriguing response: Gordon isn't NASCAR; he should be driving open-wheel. When pressed that Jeff has been a stock-car driver since his Busch Series debut in 1990, the guy told me, "He looks like he should drive open-wheel."

Jeff Gordon is in a no-win situation. On the track, he's done nothing more (or less) than anyone else who has won a Cup Series championship. He continues to compete at the highest level, winning four times already this year, and is in position to challenge for his fifth series title. Off the track, he gives of his time and money for charities. He keeps a low profile, stays out of trouble. He's married with a baby girl.

And yet, he cannot win over the majority of the fandom.

So what gives? Give me your unvarnished opinion on why Gordon isn't revered as one of the all-timers. And try to be articulate.

• Engvall had more to say, so check out 10 Questions on Tuesday.

Say What?

"I'm not helping anybody but myself and this team for winning races. I'm not helping Jeff Gordon; I'm not helping Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears."
-- Kyle Busch, who obviously has no intention of helping his Hendrick teammates during the second half of the season

Figuratively Speaking

45 -- Consecutive weeks Jeff Burton has been in the top 10 in points, tops in the Nextel Cup Series. Jeff Gordon is next at 38.

Up Next

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard | Indianapolis | 1 p.m. ET July 29 | ESPN
Race No. 20 of 36 | Get tickets | Book travel

• Defending race winner: Jimmie Johnson
• Most victories at the track: Jeff Gordon (4)
• Best average finish (minimum five starts): Kevin Harvick (7.8 in six starts)
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Mailbag

• This week's topic: Jeff Gordon won 40 races between 1996-99. He's won 30 in the past seven-plus seasons.

NASCAR is adamant that competition today is much better than the "good ol' days," and as such the romanticizing of the Junior Johnsons and Smokey Yunicks of yesteryear is blase. This is something you'll read a lot more about in the coming days.

There hasn't been a race winner lap the field since Geoffrey Bodine beat Terry Labonte on Oct. 2, 1994, at North Wilkesboro. What does that say about competition? Two answers, two words: debris caution, TV ratings.

Has the competition gotten that much better? Has NASCAR's enforcement of the rules made that much of a difference? What effects have rule changes had on the sport? Send me your opinion.

• Last week's topic: NASCAR is a part of the sports mainstream, and with it comes mainstream problems. Yes, NASCAR has a strict policy against substance abuse. Yes, NASCAR is swift with its punishment. But should the proverbial "three strikes and you're out" apply to drivers? Should drivers be given a second chance, much less a third, to break the law? Here's a sampling of the fans' responses:

Jeremey D. Browne, Elkton, Md.
I think drivers should get one chance. A second arrest that is drug/alcohol or traffic-related equals a suspension.

Jeremy Blood, Hartford, Vt.
Every driver should be tested before every race for drugs. I see absolutely no reason not to do so. A driver under the influence of anything is putting people's lives at risk out there on the racetrack. Simply waiting for a problem to arise and then reacting to it is not good enough; step up to the plate and be pro-active -- not reactive. I also firmly believe everyone deserves a second chance. Two chances is all you should get, though. There are too many good drivers out there looking for one of these rides; there's no reason to waste it on a drug addict.

Conrad DiLoreto, Sterling Heights, Mich.
These guys know the rules, yet they go out and break them anyway because they know if they get caught they get another chance. These are men, not little kids making juvenile mistakes. There are a lot of drivers out there that would do anything to get a chance to drive in any of the NASCAR series. If you get caught breaking any of the substance abuse rules, you should be banned from NASCAR for life!

Dick Berger, Kansas City, Kan.
All stick-and-ball sports should have a drug policy as tough as NASCAR: independent labs and clear, concise penalties for infractions. All sports stars are role models whether they want to be or not and, as such, can make their own decisions -- either toe the line or move back to the street. Responsibility for one's own actions is one of our freedoms in this country, and NASCAR should be applauded for allowing its drivers and crews to be responsible for their own actions, on and off the track.

Six of one ...
Drivers with momentum heading to Indianapolis (after a week of R&R):

• Tony Stewart -- Smoke's victory at Chicago extended his streak of consecutive seasons with a victory to nine, second to Jeff Gordon's string of 14. ... All he needed was a pep talk, coach.

• Carl Edwards -- Third-place finish marked back-to-back top-fives for the No. 99 since Fall 2005, when he won at Atlanta and Texas. Captain Colgate has five top-fives in the past nine races.

• Casey Mears' victory at Charlotte launched a streak of eight consecutive races in which he has finished on the lead lap. His previous best: seven lead-lap finishes in a row (Races 15-21 in 2006).

• RCR -- All three of its drivers -- Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer -- posted top-10 finishes for the third time this season (Bristol and Sonoma). Bowyer also returned to the top 10 in points with only seven races remaining until the Chase field is set at Richmond. Burton (fourth) and Harvick (eighth) both moved up one spot in the standings.

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

• Elliott Sadler -- Crashed during the waning moments of practice on Friday and rolled out the backup car. Hey, it proved to be as good as the previous two primary cars; he finished 33rd for the third week in a row.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Don't look now, but Junior is closer to falling out of the Chase than he is to 11th place. Ryan Newman is closing fast, only 30 points behind Earnhardt for 12th, the final spot for the 10-race playoffs.

• Brian Vickers -- He missed the show for the ninth time this year, but here's a tip o' the cap: Despite only 10 starts, he is the second-highest ranked Toyota driver (39th). Five top-20 finishes, two top-10s ... five 29th-or-worse finishes ... the up-n-down is enough to make you throw up.

• MWR -- Mother Nature smiled on Michael Waltrip. And David Reutimann made the race. But Dale Jarrett failed to qualify for the second time in three weeks. Still, the three cars are stuck between Nos. 41 and 48 in owner points. ... This team will be a contender. In 2009. It just takes time ...

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.