Cross' Words: Pocono

The race for the Chase is at full throttle and the storylines are getting hotter'n fish grease:

• Kyle Busch has found a home -- with Joe Gibbs Racing. As Tony Stewart's teammate. ... Buy stock in Ritalin, says Jim Cramer.

• Send Duane your thoughts

Without question the best place for Shrub to put down roots is at JGR -- yes, even more so than at DEI or RCR. Gibbs' management team has deftly handled Stewart throughout his volatile Cup career and Busch should benefit from that experience.

Watching the news on Monday night that Busch had agreed to join JGR, my 2-year-old daughter grabbed her Mr. Potato Head and patted the TV screen. I'd never given it much thought, but without the moustache there is an eerie resemblance. But I digress ...

How soon before Gibbs' investment pays dividends? Sooner than you might expect. This is shaping up to be Jeff Gordon's year. And 2008 will belong to Smoke. But '09 may prove to be the year ol' Tater Noggin comes into his own.

• Robby Gordon leads at Montreal, gets bumped, bumps back ... and no one's really sure what happened next.

I'd like to know how close the scoring loops are to one another, especially on a road course. If Marcos Ambrose was leading at the loop, it's hard to fathom that Gordon could have made his way around and been in position to get dumped where the yellow flag was waving.

On the flip side, Gordon was his own worst enemy after NASCAR handed down its decision to drop him to the 13th position on the restart. Gordon's competitive fire is his best -- and worst -- attribute.

• Kurt Busch covered the field at Pocono, jumped into the top 12 and could make the Chase very interesting. And just when everyone was thinking Ryan Newman was going to push the issue, it's Busch who slips into the top 12.

With Dale Earnhardt Jr. now on the outside looking in, there is no need for The Nation to get up in arms. Martin Truex Jr. has been up and down the past four races and there's still plenty of time for him to drop from the dandy dozen -- and for Junior to slide in again.

• Tony Stewart wins at Indy and gets docked 25 points and $25K.

My question is this: When are TV networks going to be held accountable for on-air language? During TNT's broadcast at Sonoma, Kyle Petty dropped the F-bomb during his in-car analysis -- and it came during a replay, which woulda, coulda, shoulda been bleeped out.

Now Smoke gets dinged for a b.s. word that he could have avoided ... if he wanted to ... which, obviously, he didn't. But there is something to his contention that the media doesn't have to stick an open mic in a driver's face moments after an on-track incident or in Victory Lane.

Take a page from other sports' playbooks: Give the competitors a cooling-off period.

Say What?

"I think I was put in a position to react the way that I did because I'm a fierce, fierce, fierce competitor -- and I refuse to lose. The bottom line was we crossed the finish line first. I understand why I'm sitting out and I accept the penalty but I still feel I was put in a position by NASCAR to react the way I did."

-- Robby Gordon | Wild finish in Montreal | NASCAR parks Gordon | Gordon moving on

Figuratively Speaking

151 -- Points that Kurt Busch (852) has over Dale Earnhardt Jr. (701) in the past six races.

Up Next

Centurion Boats at The Glen | Watkins Glen | 1 p.m. ET Sunday | ESPN
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• Defending race winner: Kevin Harvick
• Most victories at the track: Jeff Gordon (4)
• Best average finish (minimum five starts): Tony Stewart (6.8 in eight starts)
Active drivers only (Continued)