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
Race No. 22 of 36 | Get tickets | Book travel

• 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

Mailbag

You don't tug on Superman's cape,
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim.

Jim Croce forgot one: Don't defy NASCAR's in-race directives. Just ask Robby Gordon. But the sanctioning body's decision to "park" Gordon for the Cup race based on his actions during the Busch race was excessive.

• This week's topic: Should drivers be "parked" in the Cup Series for their actions in the Busch or Truck series?

OK, so obviously I'm back at work. Vacation was nice and the team placed fifth among 22 teams in the AABC 13U World Series. Couple things from the road trip: Slugger Field in Louisville is beautiful. Chicago's official color is construction barrel orange. Notre Dame's campus is immaculate. Battle Creek, Mich., rolls up the sidewalks at sundown -- though we did see a dude with a 'fro that would make Oscar Gamble's immortal 'do look close-cropped. It was spectacular, in a Vidal Sassoon kinda way.

• Before hitting the road for the World Series, I asked fans to give their unvarnished opinion on why Jeff Gordon isn't revered as one of the all-timers.

More than 3,000 e-mails later it came down to a few basic complaints: Gordon didn't pay his dues, he wins too much (which meant that Dale Earnhardt did not) and he whines. ... Folks, you still have to give the man kudos; he's a great driver and he will be remembered as an icon.

Suzanne Stoneman, Canton, Ohio
Jeff Gordon isn't revered as one of the all-timers because he and fellow automaton Jimmie Johnson come across as boring corporate shills. When was the last time either of them flashed an emotion other than blandness on camera? They are the vanilla ice cream of NASCAR. ... Who's my favorite driver? Tony Stewart. He isn't perfect, by a long shot, but the fire inside him burns white hot.

Brian K. Tetrault, Arlington Co., Va.
The reason folks don't like Jeff Gordon is almost the same reason they didn't like Dale Earnhardt. Remember everybody loves a winner, just don't win too much. It's that simple. ... I loved to hate Dale, but I am also smart enough to know that the sport misses him each and every Sunday that they race.

Kevin Grimm, Fallbrook, Calif.
It's his attitude. When he does well, he thanks God, country, apple pie and the occasional NASCAR fan base. When he does badly it's everyone's fault but his own, pointing fingers in every direction except his own and crying about how he was robbed or cheated. Get him in front of the camera and he will cry his eyes out for pity and sympathy from all those who will stomach his diatribes. Don't get me wrong, Kyle Busch and the ever-so-lovable Tony Stewart are pieces of work in their own right and at the bottom of the food chain, but Gordon is supposed to be an upper class, top notch champion. I expect more from the likes of a professional who has won as many Cups as he has. He should take some advice from his teammate Jimmie Johnson and cop up to his wrongs of the day and praising those who did well.

Six of one ...
Drivers with momentum heading to Watkins Glen:

• Jeff Gordon -- With one more top-10 finish this year he'll have 20 for the 11th season in his career, matching Dale Earnhardt. (Richard Petty had 18 seasons with at least 20 top-10s.)

• Kyle Busch -- Eight consecutive top-15 finishes and a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing ... things are falling into place for your 2009 Cup champion.

• Tony Stewart -- Two wins and a sixth-place finish in the past three races -- and now comes Watkins Glen, where he has three wins and six top-10s in eight starts.

• Kurt Busch -- He's been making a move up the standings during the past six races (852 points, fourth-most since Sonoma) and will be tough to nudge out of the top 12.

• Jeff Burton -- Has averaged a top-12 finish during the past 10 races. If there is a dark horse for the title, The Mayor has to be the pick.

• Kevin Harvick -- Just an observation, but maybe Reese's should be the No. 29's primary sponsor during the Chase: two starts, two seventh-place finishes.

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

• David Gilliland -- Two previous road-course starts have resulted in finishes of 32nd and 25th. Sunday will be his first race at Watkins Glen.

• Bill Elliott -- Ten races, zero top-10 finishes. In 19 starts the Wood Brothers have not had a top-10. Might J.J. Yeley move to the No. 21? Not gonna happen ...

• Reed Sorenson -- Building on success? Hardly. Each of his top-10 finishes have been followed by stinkers: ninth at Atlanta, 43rd at Bristol; fourth at Charlotte, 27th at Dover; fifth at Indy, 28th at Pocono.

• Bobby Labonte -- He's still clinging to a top-20 spot in points, but Pocono was his fifth finish of 30th or worse this season; four have come in the past seven races.

• Regan Smith -- Sunday will be his first start since Loudon and he hasn't posted a top-20 in five races this year.

• Jamie McMurray -- His victory at Daytona seems like a loooong time ago; finishes of 38th, 33rd and 40th in the past three weeks. Gotta believe his Chase chances have gone the way of the Edsel.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.