Wise words from the past echo in this year's Chase (cont'd)

"The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people they think it's their fault."
--Henry Kissinger (1923-)

Maybe I'm giving Matt Kenseth the Kissinger celebrity treatment, but I thought the driver of the 17 was very interesting in Kansas. With his car in tatters following a big pileup on Lap 157, his precise instructions to his crew provided a window in on this fierce competitor's expertise and demanding expectations. If you are bored by Matt Kenseth, then it is your fault.

"Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?"
--Bumper Sticker

Following a top 10 at Dover it appeared that Jeff Burton had righted the ship, then at Kansas he literally tried to right the ship as a rain delay was coming to a close ... except you can't do that. NASCAR busted him and sent him to the end of the line. Unfortunately that was just the beginning of the trouble. Primed for a rush back to the front, Burton's fuel pump quit and perhaps, so did his realistic chances for a championship.

I've intentionally left four drivers off of the list for a reason. The drivers are Kurt and Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. The reason they are off the list is because I'm offering a challenge to the readers. Following this weekend's race, give me an appropriate famous quote and match it to a driver. The best quote/explanation of each will be published next week. Send your thoughts to me at beau@turner.com

THE REAL CHAMPION

Originally, the purpose of this space in the column was for quick access to the old way of keeping score. Additionally, when I unveiled my plan I said that Jeff Gordon would have run away with a fairly decided "real championship" rather than a contrived system that resets the points in the interest of maintaining ... er, um -- interest. At that point Tony Stewart fans from Fargo to The Falkland Islands besieged my inbox stating that Tony was going to come back and win my "real championship." Their thought was that I would have a little taste of comeuppance.

So, for those of you who said I would eat my words when I put this together, let me just say that I'll be on a word free diet for the foreseeable future. The reason -- Jeff Gordon is now more than 400 points clear of everyone. That is a greater gap than positions 1-12 in the Chase. In the words of Vince Carter at the slam dunk championship, "IT'S OVER!" Jeff Gordon has earned this distinction.

As much as I am critical of the Chase, I must admit that it is exciting. Following the Kansas race last year, Jimmie Johnson was in eighth place a full 165 points behind the leader. We all know what happened from there so if you are a fan of anyone from eighth place Truex Jr. on up -- history gives you reason for hope.

Enjoy the race.

The opinions expressed are those solely of the writer