Track Smack: Intrigue of quick inclines, declines

1. Carl Edwards has won two in a row, and Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth have also been strong. Is Roush Fenway Racing really the best team in NASCAR right now?

Joe Menzer: You can't argue against that. Facts are facts. It's still VERY early in the season and that doesn't mean they'll be the best all season long. But right now, the answer to the question is a resounding yes.

David Caraviello: Absolutely. And enough with this "we're only three races in" stuff. These first few events set the tone for the rest of the year. A slow start forces people and teams to dig out for the rest of the season.

Raygan Swan: I would say so, because Jack Roush knew he had to start this season strong to prove they were caught up.

David Caraviello: Just seems amazing, though, that this is the same team that started last year so poorly, and was so woefully behind on the new car. Interesting how fast things can change in this sport.

Joe Menzer: Well, Jack certainly can and does whine from time to time -- like almost every time we talk to him. But I guess he really was being truthful when he said last year's COT testing rules caught him off guard. Or rather, his misinterpretation of how those rules would be enforced by NASCAR.

Raygan Swan: I agree, and his apology to Ford was sincere.

Joe Menzer: Whoops. Did I just say a bad word? I guess I figured if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still calling it the COT, I could -- just this once.

David Caraviello: The thing is, Joe, he was the only major car owner sticking to the letter of the law. You've got to give him some credit for that. He didn't want to do outside testing because he thought NASCAR forbade it. And now NASCAR has tacitly endorsed it by giving teams tires for outside testing.

Joe Menzer: What was amazing about that whole thing was that, as long as Jack Roush has been in this game, he didn't just attack it as aggressively as the rest and wait to see if he got slapped on the wrist for it. Of course, the slaps never came and Hendrick, most of all, got a jump on everyone else in the new car.

David Caraviello: Maybe a guy who had been burned so many times just didn't want to risk getting burned again. But you're right, it did seem rather un-Roush-like for them to stand so pat like that.

Joe Menzer: Did you just say I'm right. Well, thank you very much.

David Caraviello: Take it when you can get it, my man.

Joe Menzer: And any way you can, too.

David Caraviello: And let's be fair, this isn't exactly the five-cars-in-the-Chase Roush team from 2005. They still have some work to do with McMurray and David Ragan. But those top three cars are stout, even if the results haven't always reflected it.

Raygan Swan: I was impressed with Ragan last weekend in Las Vegas. He has talent when he can keep it on the track.

Joe Menzer: Ragan was strong in Vegas, and was running OK in Daytona if I remember -- when he suddenly took himself and Kenseth out.

Raygan Swan: Yipes, that was rough.

David Caraviello: Yeah, the guy's involved in far too many incidents. That's always been the case with him. As for McMurray, Darrell Waltrip was basically advocating on TV last week that he should run more Nationwide races to get his confidence back up.

Joe Menzer: What I found most interesting post-race in Vegas was Biffle's comment that they owe it all -- well, at least most of their sudden improvement -- to Robbie Reiser being in his new role as general manager. Robbie might not like it as much as being a crew chief, but you can't argue with the results.

Raygan Swan: Well I think Robbie appreciates his position because now he can spend more time with his family.

David Caraviello: Yeah, he's kind of the unseen guy in all this, making it all happen. Kind of like Dave Rodman at NASCAR.COM.

Raygan Swan: Oh David, Rodman will so be your new BFF forever now!

Joe Menzer: Suck-up!

David Caraviello: Dave and I are tight already. We go quail hunting every weekend.

Joe Menzer: About the only hunting you do with him on weekends is for food at the tracks. And for that, I have to admit that Rodman is the best guide you could have.

2. Jimmie Johnson is outside the top 12. Matt Kenseth is outside the top 12. Jeff Gordon is waaaaay outside the top 12. Is it too early for these guys to be worried about missing the Chase?

Raygan Swan: No, it's never too early because momentum is such a huge factor in your season.

Joe Menzer: Yes. It's too early. At the same time, it was interesting how Dale Jr. talked about not wanting to get in that position again this year -- where he felt like he was playing catch-up all year last season.

David Caraviello: It's not panic time, but there's always cause for concern. I remember last year at Las Vegas, Dale Jr. was something like 30th in points and he said hey, it's early, things will come around. They never did. He spent the whole year digging out. That can happen.

Raygan Swan: A handful of other drivers, like Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Biffle, are making comebacks and want to be in those coveted spots. But I think, like Johnson, to win a championship you have to be consistently strong all season.

Joe Menzer: I tell you, it's interesting how Kahne is off to such a great start. And Elliott Sadler, who is ninth in points. It seems the farther away Ray Evernham steps back, the better that group is performing. And that, to me, is a little strange.

"I would like to announce that I am off the market."

David Caraviello: Agreed. Equally as intriguing is the way Johnson ran last week. I don't think Chad Knaus and Co. have ever quite missed it like that. Knaus was urging him over the radio to try not to fall two laps down. That was Jimmie Johnson?

Joe Menzer: Johnson got off to a rough start at the Daytona 500 last year, but rebounded quickly. And that was because of a wreck, not because of just completely missing on the setup -- like they did last Sunday. Also very strange. Strange times indeed.

Raygan Swan: Not this early.

David Caraviello: Yeah, and Gordon and Kenseth have had better cars than their results would indicate. But if Johnson has another run like the one he had last week -- that's when red flags go up.

Raygan Swan: Maybe Chad is too busy planning his wedding. KIDDING.

Joe Menzer: Chad is getting married?

Raygan Swan: Yep, he is engaged to longtime girlfriend Bruna. He proposed during the offseason.

David Caraviello: I hope the results improve, or that honeymoon is going to be no fun.

Joe Menzer: We can always count on you, Raygs, for keeping us up to speed on that kind of stuff.

Raygan Swan: No kidding.

David Caraviello: But to see Gordon 22nd in points, for whatever reason, is staggering. He's falling into quite a hole, and not entirely of his own making. Although he did take the blame for the crash with Kenseth on Sunday.

Joe Menzer: Bottom line on this topic is that those guys you mentioned are too good, and it's too early, for any of them to panic. Plus as you said, DC, Gordon and Kenseth have had good cars that deserved better finishes.

3. Atlanta looms this weekend, and with it come the usual concerns about empty seats. Why doesn't that track draw better?

David Caraviello: Strange, indeed. Top television market, home to so many car sponsors, home state to many drivers, great city -- you'd think they have all the angles covered.

Raygan Swan: Too early in the season, no fan zone, newness of the season is settling in. I have no idea, but tickets these days are not cheap.

Joe Menzer: It's a mystery to me. Except for one thing. Atlanta is a bad sports town. Always has been. What professional sport have they ever consistently drawn well for -- with the possible exception of the pre-dog days of Michael Vick.

Raygan Swan: Oh Michael Vick! Good one, Joe.

Oh so close

One thing that's never a concern when Atlanta pops up on the schedule is finishes. Good ones. Mark Aumann says that's becoming a trademark.

• Complete story, click here

David Caraviello: And don't forget the Braves of the early 1990s.

Joe Menzer: Listen, you Braves fan, they weren't even selling out playoff games just a few years ago, and they were still very good. That's indicative of a bad sports town. That would NEVER happen in Cincinnati with the Reds!

David Caraviello: I agree, as a sports town it has its issues. But aren't NASCAR fans supposed to be the most passionate of fans? And aren't tickets expensive at every racetrack, even those sold out?

Joe Menzer: Despite some of the greatest close finishes in NASCAR history, fans that have a choice of coming to one or two racetracks a year in the Southeast appear to have more appealing choices. Like Bristol or Lowe's Motor Speedway, maybe Darlington if you're in the mood to get real nostalgic.

Raygan Swan: The city of Atlanta can be daunting for fans used to navigating tracks in wide-open spaces.

David Caraviello: Raygan, the track is in a wide-open space. It's in Hampton.

Raygan Swan: True but what about the fans that have to go through or around the city?

David Caraviello: You people think every race fan sits on a wooden porch out in the sticks? Please.

Raygan Swan: Well that's getting "back to the basics" for sure David! Maybe they need the all-you-can-eat grandstands like at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

David Caraviello: Maybe they need to remember that Reds NLDS in the early 2000s where nobody showed up.

Joe Menzer: I'm going to have to go back and look at the tape of the Reds in the NLDS in the early 2000s. I have no recollection of that.

David Caraviello: I am certain there was a Reds NLDS in the not-so-distant past that was an attendance disaster. I believe it led to the mayor's ouster. And referring to the Braves, I said EARLY 1990s, Joe -- '91, '92, when you couldn't find a ticket.

Joe Menzer: You Braves fans are SO defensive. Wait until we get good again (meaning the Reds).

David Caraviello: Yeah, Menzer. See you in 2015.

Raygan Swan: This is painful.

Joe Menzer: Sorry, Raygs, you grew up where there was only AAA baseball. That had to be painful, too.

Raygan Swan: The Indianapolis Indians rock! I think.

David Caraviello: Enough baseball. Back to racing. Atlanta, like a lot of tracks, seems to have too many seats. It's gotten a reputation for bad weather. Maybe people get scared off.

Joe Menzer: Ahem, what about the weather? Looks like it's going to be bad again this weekend.

Raygan Swan: Cold, cold, cold!

David Caraviello: I'm sure Ed Clark and the folks at AMS are loving you guys right now. Just pile on, people.

Joe Menzer: I think the weather is on Bruton Smith's mind. That's why he is proposing to switch dates with California -- giving up a date in the Chase for Labor Day weekend. I would like to see NASCAR go for that, and see what happens. That could end up being a decent draw for Atlanta, and start a whole new Southern tradition.

David Caraviello: Atlanta is one of those tracks that's always been saddled with unfortunate weekends from a weather perspective. But you also don't want to be there when it's 100 degrees and the humidity is 102 percent.

Joe Menzer: The weather in Atlanta on Labor Day surely is going to be better than the weather in California. Last year you could have fried an egg on Ryan Newman's forehead ... or maybe a dozen of 'em.

David Caraviello: And unfortunately, you tried to do just that. Those Taser scars healed up yet, Joe?

Joe Menzer: Well, I was hungry. And Rodman was nowhere to be found, so I had no one to lead me to the food.

David Caraviello: Enough of all this weather talk. I think we know the real reason for Atlanta's issues: Buckhead is gone!

Joe Menzer: Yeah, what's up with that? Went to find it last fall and thought I had gone mad.

David Caraviello: It's been completely leveled. They're going to build condos and high-end shopping. What Sherman didn't do, development did.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the participants.