Cross' Words: Charlotte

Random ruminations ...

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• Scott Riggs spent the majority of the race in the top 10 -- and then was collected in a wreck involving Juan Montoya on Lap 279. Riggs now has 13 finishes of 30th or worse in 24 starts, including five DNFs (all in his past nine races).

• It's now been 76 races since Ryan Newman last rolled into Victory Lane. Three laps from ending that streak, he spun out.

• Understatement of the Year: Toyota has struggled.

OK, the Toyota drivers haven't drove it like they stole it very often, but Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip and A.J. Allmendinger posted top-15 finishes at Charlotte. So what's the big deal? Charlotte marked the first time Toyota had three cars finish in the top 15.

• Dale Jarrett is retiring next year. As my smart aleck buddy Bill observed Friday night: "I thought he already retired."

• Putting David Reutimann in the No. 44 is a good move; making the No. 00 an R&D ride (c'mon -- two unproven drivers, Josh Wise and Michael McDowell, sharing the seat; what else can you call it?) may prove to be a great decision for Waltrip Racing.

• Casey Mears' 21st-place finish -- the result of a penalty on Lap 140 when his crew went over the pit wall too soon -- ended a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes.

Not that anyone has noticed, but Mears has only three finishes outside the top 15 in the past 11 races -- and none worse than 22nd.

• Making his first start since Richmond, Bill Elliott finished 35th. In 15 races for the Wood Brothers, Elliott's average finish is 27.8. ... Everyone was hoping for better results.

• The final spots in the top 35 in owner points is heating up. Cars in the top 35 at the end of the year are guaranteed a spot in the first six races of 2008:

• A softer left-side tire compound was supposed to have helped contain the yellow fever that has been running rampant at Charlotte in recent races. ... Whoops. Saturday night marked the seventh consecutive race that caution flags numbered in double digits.

From 2000-2004 -- before the track was levigated prior to the May 2005 race -- the average number of cautions was 7.5. Since 2005, the average has doubled (15).

But hey, the all-you-can-eat grandstand was a huge success! You can bet more tracks will try that gimmick.

• From the Sporting News Wire Service: Next year will mark the final time that the United Auto Workers will have the title sponsorships of the Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas.

The UAW has sponsored the Cup race at Las Vegas since 2001. Only Coca-Cola (1985; Charlotte), Food City (1992; Bristol), Save Mart (1992; Sonoma) and Chevrolet (2000; Richmond) have enjoyed longer consecutive-year runs as title sponsors on a Cup race entering 2008.

• To answer the banner -- How much does Bobby Ginn owe you? -- that flew above Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday night: nothing. Thankfully.

• Ray Cooper, 53, passed away Saturday after brief bout with cancer. He worked 12 years as a sports reporter at the News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C., before becoming the first manufacturer media representative for Chevrolet in NASCAR, and joined Dodge Motorsports in 2001 as its manufacturing rep. (Continued)