Edwards shows demeanor of champion in, out of car (cont'd)

The Real Champion
I must admit the prospect, however contrived it might be, of having six drivers within 18 points of each other immediately following Dover's race is quite appealing from a storyline perspective.

Still, if you look at the standings overall -- based on the old system where a dominating driver isn't penalized by cutting him off at the knees with the reset of points at the Chase -- the drive for five would be signed, sealed and all but delivered for Jeff Gordon.

Chat Room Chatter
The garage veiled tete-a-tete between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Petty turbo-charged the Jack Daniel's Post Race Show chat room moments after the race (watch video). NASCAR.COM would have needed a new server if Denny were able to get to Kyle when he hopped out of his car. Since most of the comments centered on a potential steel cage match between Petty and Hamlin I'll limit this to a one-and-done segment.

Kyle Petty showed an uncharacteristic lack of class! He should not use his status amongst the drivers to accost Denny like that. Any other driver would not have been allowed to approach the car!!!
-- Alan from Alberta

Surprised at Kyle Petty -- one of the classiest drivers who has suffered great loss in his life. I guess stress can get to the best of them.
-- Allie from Scottsdale Ariz.

For starters I think we should judge Kyle Petty on his life's body of work and not this one incident. He grew up the son of the King. He lost his son Adam. Still, by all accounts, he manages to be a normal, well-adjusted and very likeable guy. Additionally, for my money, he was the breakout star in the TNT announce booth lending wonderful insights to the broadcasts.

Regarding the incident -- simply put, Kyle was wrong to slap Denny on several levels. I have no problem with drivers talking or even yelling at each other. Things get heated at 150 mph and livelihoods are at stake. It is imperative that the Chase drivers respect the other teams going for the top 35 and vice versa. I understood Kyle's point.

However, to slap a man strapped in a HANS device wearing a helmet is akin to punching a man in a coma who is outfitted in body armor. A) What are you accomplishing? And B) who can feel a slap while wearing a helmet?

More important than the practical matter of "what the hell was Kyle thinking" is the fact that NASCAR really doesn't need this type of behavior out of one of its well-established veteran leaders on the track.

Kyle deserves a pass on this one because he's earned it. He a good spokesman for the sport and for my money this should be considered an anomaly.

We are 20 percent of the way through the Chase and things are actually tighter now than they were when the Chase began. It's nearly impossible for things to stay this close for much longer so expect a lead pack to begin to emerge in Jayhawk (and Wildcat) country this week.

Enjoy the race.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.