Weekend That Was: Dover (cont'd)

It left everyone scrambling to see how it all affected the Chase for the Nextel Cup, which is totally up for grabs. After just two of the 10 Chase races, the top eight contenders are within 75 points of one another. Despite his obvious displeasure with the Car of Tomorrow and how difficult he and many others believe it is to drive, Jeff Gordon coaxed an 11-place finish out of his No. 24 Chevrolet and grabbed the lead in the Chase. But Tony Stewart lurks just two points behind, Edwards is only three off the pace (but likely will be at least 25 more behind when the penalty for failing post-race inspection is handed down), and Jimmie Johnson is just four behind.

Throw in the highly entertaining Denny Hamlin-Kyle Petty brouhaha after their earlier crash, some decent side-by-side racing throughout the day (yes, I saw it), the fact that guys like Clint Bowyer charged from the very rear of the field to near the front, and Sunday was far from the disaster that some depicted it to be.

In this corner ...

Mark Aumann says the Dover race had more qualities of a Sunday-night prize fight than Round 2 of the Chase.

• Complete story, click here

Old vs. new
Was there ever a more apt example of old school meeting new school than when Petty reached inside Hamlin's car and flipped the No. 11 Chevy driver's visor shut after admonishing him following their mishap on Lap 203 Sunday (watch video)?

Petty was right, by the way. If Hamlin had simply been patient, Petty was trying to let him go by.

What infuriated Petty so much was that, while Hamlin admittedly is racing for the more lucrative Chase loot, Petty was battling to keep his No. 45 Dodge in the top 35 in owner points. For Petty Enterprises at this stage of the game, that's very important.

When it Raines ...
What did anybody ever do to Tony Raines, one of the nicest drivers on the Nextel Cup circuit if, admittedly, not the most talented?

First Robby Gordon wrecks him in the Busch race Saturday at Dover, and then John Andretti wrecks him on Sunday (watch video). All this comes as Raines attempts to finish the season strong, knowing that he becomes a free agent at its end. It already has been announced that J.J. Yeley will be replacing him as driver of the No. 96 Chevy for Hall of Fame Racing, beginning in 2008.

You got a sense that it all boiled to a head for the usually mild-mannered Raines on Saturday, when he fired his helmet at Gordon's car following that incident (watch video). When it Raines these days, obviously it pours.

Quotable, Part I
"Unfortunately, they can't keep idiots like Robby Gordon from driving racecars."
-- Raines, following the Busch Series incident.

Quotable, Part II
"People don't realize. That's who we are. That's one of the things I wish our sport was better at -- where you took a number and kept it. Because Richard Petty is No. 43. He'll always be 43. David Pearson will always be No. 21. I wish it was that way for everybody, where you took a number and kept it forever."
-- Darrell Waltrip, talking about the importance of a car's number and the switch from No. 8 to 88 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Pit Stops
• While we're throwing out bad attempts at puns, did you hear the new nickname public relations standout David Ferroni has given to driver Joe Nemechek? Formerly known as Front Row Joe, now Nemechek is Furniture Row Joe -- in honor of the sponsor of the No. 78 car Nemechek is now driving. Nemechek started 18th and finished 22nd in Sunday's race.

• You've got to hand it to former open-wheel stars Jacques Villeneuve and Buddy Lazier. They knew the best place on the NASCAR circuit to plan their first race -- as each made his Craftsman Truck Series debut on Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Villeneuve placed 21st and Lazier 24th. No word yet on how they did at the city's famed gaming tables.

• Travis Kvapil won the Truck race in Vegas, by the way (watch video). It was his fourth win of the season as he continues to show signs that he might just be ready this time for his jump to Cup. He will drive next season for Robert Yates Racing, which will be entering its first season in a working agreement with Roush Fenway Racing.

• This just in, but Earnhardt is only 2,101 points out of 12th place and the Chase after his impressive third-place finish at Dover. With eight races left in the season, you get the idea some of Junior's hard-core fans still think he has a shot to get there. He doesn't.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.