Smack: The good, bad and the driver on an ugly slide

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell to fourth in Sprint Cup points after a blown pit strategy sent him to a 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen. Is NASCAR's most popular driver still a title threat?

Raygan Swan: As I see it, the drivers in contention to win the championship have to have wins. I know Junior won in Michigan and has been extremely consistent this season, but he needs wins.

David Caraviello: I'm beginning to think this is a three-man race between Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson. Junior just doesn't have that spark right now. Since he won at Michigan, he has just one top-10. That consistency he had earlier in the year seems to have gone away.

Joe Menzer: To be brutally honest, I'm not sure. He needs to get a little more aggressive out there in terms of strategy and driving when he's running in the top five or so, and go for wins and not just good points days. I think that team has fallen victim a little bit to playing it safe and worrying too much about making sure they're in the Chase, rather than going all-out aggressively for wins.

David Caraviello: I feel bad for crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who's taking all kind of heat for the pit strategy at The Glen. But if it worked out, he's a hero. The guy's done a good job for much of this season, and doesn't deserve to get hammered.

Joe Menzer: I actually like the fact that Tony Eury Jr. took a chance at The Glen. So in a way, that's encouraging for them. He was trying a strategy that would have put them in position to win. That's what they need to do.

David Caraviello: That's true. If Tony gets ripped for anything, it's that he's too conservative. Junior Nation usually wants him to take chances. Well, in this case, he did.

Raygan Swan: I agree with that, because the chemistry between Eury and his driver is excellent, and yes they take chances. But it does seem that the team needs to be a bit more aggressive.

Joe Menzer: I think they need to. They need to be winning more races. They obviously now have the equipment that can get it done. But too often they're like an NFL team playing prevent defense, trying to protect a good points finish. How does that usually work out?

David Caraviello: Maybe they're biding their time, just making sure they get in, and then hoping to flip the switch. Because history shows us that top-10s aren't good enough to win the Chase once you're in there.

Joe Menzer: Interesting point. But again, I'll go back to my days of covering the NFL. Teams that start seasons fast, clinch the playoffs early and then try to rest up for the playoffs thinking that they can flip a switch, usually get burnt. Badly.

Raygan Swan: I realize Junior and his crew chief are experienced veterans in this sport, but its a new team, a new organization and something has to be said for their successful transition.

Joe Menzer: But this is a bad time to be biding your time. Say that fast five times.

David Caraviello: True, Joe. You don't want to peak too early. And nobody is saying that Junior can't win the title. Nobody is saying they haven't had a good season. It's just that the No. 88 group seems to be standing a little pat right now.

Joe Menzer: And it's the wrong time to be doing it. Listen, all of these teams -- especially the ones in the top five or six in points -- need to think about getting some wins and bonus points for the Chase now.

David Caraviello: I mean, this is a guy who had top-10s in seven of his first nine races. He's now had one top-10 in his last seven starts. You have to go back to Daytona to find the last one.

Joe Menzer: But he has run near the front for many of those races, even if the finishes don't reflect it.

Raygan Swan: It's no time to rest on your laurels, but I think I'm going to be patient with Junior right now. He's had a lot to digest. I don't think he'll be a huge threat in the Chase, but he'll continue to perform and build into next season.

Joe Menzer: He's had a lot to digest? He needs to build for next season? Listen, girl, you are WAY too nice! This is NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. You think Rick Hendrick is going to be happy with Junior building for next year because he's had too much to digest?

David Caraviello: Junior's had enough of "next seasons." As well as this team started, with the people he brought with him, this group was built to perform now. Nobody knows that more than Dale himself.

Raygan Swan: I know, but I just feel for the guy.

Joe Menzer: What does Raygs think this guy had for lunch anyway?

Raygan Swan: Something heavy!

Joe Menzer: I think your new puppy has made you go soft!

Raygan Swan: Clearly, I have a new attitude now that I'm a mother!

Joe Menzer: That puppy has had a lot to digest ... like your lamps, computer cord, hairbrush.

Raygan Swan: Don't forget my shoes.

David Caraviello: Oh, brother. Clearly, it's time to move on to ...

2. With a sweep of the road courses, his two-lap comeback at Chicagoland and wins at Darlington and Talladega and Daytona, is Kyle Busch compiling one of the greatest seasons in modern NASCAR history?

Joe Menzer: Yes, without a doubt. Because you also have to take into account what he has done on a limited basis in the Nationwide and Truck series. But to validate it all, he needs to finish it off with a Cup championship.

Raygan Swan: With six more wins, he will surpass Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty for most wins in a season in the modern era. He can do it and will.

David Caraviello: You know, every time Kyle wins a race, I get e-mails from the delusional out there as to how he's "lucky" or he's "cheating." Well, this cat is putting together the best season since Jeff Gordon won 13 races and the title in 1997.

Kyle Busch

Gibbs vs. Hendrick

Category	At Gibbs	At Hendrick
Starts	22	114
Wins	8	4
Top-5	13	30
Top-10	14	51
Poles	2	2
Laps Led	1,131	1,571
Avg. Start	10.9	18.9
Avg. Finish	10.5	21.45

Raygan Swan: Seriously.

Joe Menzer: No question about it. We all get the same e-mails. Well, if Toyota and JGR and Kyle are cheating, why aren't Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin also winning races by the bushel?

Raygan Swan: And he already made history last weekend at Watkins Glen, becoming the only driver to win three road-course races in one season. Kyle is not cheating, nor is Toyota. He's just thriving on all of the naysayers from the beginning of the season.

David Caraviello: The team chemistry fits him, the cars fit him, the crew chief fits him. All the planets aligned here. They're not the most consistent bunch week in and week out. But man, do they know how to win.

Joe Menzer: Of course Tony and Denny have won at the Nationwide level, and Denny won once at the Cup level (that's for those of you ready to e-mail already). But no one is getting it done like young Kyle.

David Caraviello: It's not just that he's won -- it's how and where. Sweeping road courses, with virtually no road-course experience in his background. The comebacks at Chicago and Daytona. Coming from the back to win at Darlington. Tough stuff.

Raygan Swan: What's funny is that people were thinking Kyle was in a slump after only two weeks of sub-par performances in Indy and Pocono. A slump is what Junior went through. There Joe, I said something negative about Junior!

Joe Menzer: The thing most impressive about Kyle is about how he aggressively goes for wins almost with a reckless yet focused abandon. Like when he chased Jimmie Johnson down at Chicagoland. I dare say that the other guy we talked about earlier might not have pushed the envelope as hard to go for the win, knowing that he already had "a good points day" locked up.

David Caraviello: And to win at The Glen after Gordon takes that broadside swipe at him on Friday ... you know he relishes that.

Joe Menzer: He thrives on it. Obviously.

David Caraviello: People need to learn: Don't tick the kid off. It drives him. You'll pay for it.

Joe Menzer: And the thing is, others will say that, sure, it's easy to be aggressive when you've got the huge points lead and now the No. 1 seed in the Chase locked up. But he's been driving the same way all year, no matter what the series he's driving in.

Raygan Swan: I really do think the Hendrick break hurt Kyle a bit and he came out with a vengeance to prove to the organization it made the wrong decision.

Joe Menzer: I think the forced break with Hendrick forced Kyle to grow up a little faster and look in the mirror a little harder. It has helped develop him into the force he now is. I said that forcefully!

David Caraviello: And the thing is, I don't think Hendrick made the wrong decision. Kyle clearly didn't fit there, wasn't comfortable there, perhaps was incapable of this there. The atmosphere at Gibbs isn't quite as buttoned-down.

Raygan Swan: Yeah it was likely a major wakeup call forcing him to mature. You certainly can't buff out Kyle's rough edges. His confidence and slight arrogance give him that edge.

Joe Menzer: "Slight" arrogance? Um, that's kind. But you are right on with that. It is a huge part of what makes him so good.

David Caraviello: Of course, he has to win the title, or he turns into the New England Patriots. Can't have a year like this and not finish it off.

Joe Menzer: Amen to that, brother.

3. Hall of Fame Racing replaces J.J. Yeley with Brad Coleman. Michael Waltrip Racing replaces Michael McDowell with Mike Skinner for three events. Are these moves justified?

Raygan Swan: I think the moves are absolutely justified. It's a performance-based sport. Sponsors need to be pleased and races need to be made.

David Caraviello: As much as I like J.J. Yeley, his inability to get that No. 96 car into races all but forced Hall of Fame to make a change. Now, maybe they could have gone about it a little better -- he says he got a text message while at the beach, drove back to Charlotte, and got canned -- but they had to make a move.

Brad Coleman figured he'd be in a Sprint Cup car soon. But he didn't think his debut with Hall of Fame Racing would be in the team's No. 96 Toyota.

• Complete story, click here
• Coleman to replace Yeley
• Skinner to replace McDowell

Raygan Swan: We knew Brad Coleman was going Cup racing this year, and to be honest, I think they should've made the switch a bit sooner, when the No. 96 team wasn't in such trouble with the points.

Joe Menzer: Listen, I like J.J. Yeley. But he couldn't get it done for Gibbs in better equipment, either. So I think the change is justified there, even though the Hall of Fame guys seem to be in way over their head and it wasn't all J.J.'s fault.

David Caraviello: That No. 96 team has been in a bad spot in points all year. And if Coleman was holding out hope that a second car was going to materialize one day ... well, let's just say I have some oceanfront property in Kansas for him.

Raygan Swan: I agree Joe, we know what Yeley is capable of, and the young talent whose strength is qualifying hopefully will turn things around for Hall of Fame.

Joe Menzer: Once that team fell out of the top 35, I think we all learned that J.J. Yeley is not the best qualifier under pressure.

Raygan Swan: The country song about oceanfront property is in Arizona, David. George Strait. And ironic that Arizona is Yeley's home state

David Caraviello: Still, can't shake the thought of what he did with the No. 20 car at Daytona when Stewart got sick. Had that thing in position for a top-12 finish before he got wrecked. So who knows what J.J. is really capable of.

Joe Menzer: As for the answer to the other half of this question, it appears this is more of a move designed to get a veteran in there who can maybe get that team in better position as far as the top 35 goes. And to be truthful, it looks as if Michael McDowell got rushed into a Cup seat before he really was ready. I keep thinking back to the horrendous wreck he had earlier in the year at Texas -- during qualifying, when he was on the track alone!

Raygan Swan: Mike Skinner provided a lot of valuable information and guidance to A.J. Allmendinger; he can do the same for McDowell.

David Caraviello: Maybe I'm viewing this differently, but I don't think McDowell's done that bad a job. He had that thing in the top 35 until two weeks ago, and has gotten into every race. It's not like Michael has a long list of DNQs behind him like A.J. did.

Joe Menzer: Well, you ARE viewing it differently. I keep having flashbacks to Texas, I guess!

Raygan Swan: I do agree he was brought in a little soon. He was relying on race simulation games to learn tracks he'd never seen before! But he has made races, unlike A.J. earlier this season.

David Caraviello: Well, Raygan, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. use race simulation, too.

Raygan Swan: Yeah to build on what they already know, David. Not to understand the track for the first time.

Joe Menzer: Did they not have the Texas track on his PlayStation?

Raygan Swan: McDowell has talent, he just needs some assistance and that's what Skinner will bring to the team. It's a chance for McDowell to step back and re-examine things a bit.

David Caraviello: What's the guy supposed to do? MWR isn't Hendrick. They're not going to test three times a week. So McDowell sits on his hands until he shows up at the racetrack and tries to learn it then? I think blaming him for an organizational issue is a touch unfair.

Joe Menzer: Spoken like a true video-game addict ... sticking up for his kinfolk. But I do have a question: Are you two going to fight? If you do, bring the puppy, Raygs, and have him go for Caraviello's ears!

Raygan Swan: This dog is nothing like Allmendinger's well-behaved yellow Lab. He's the devil!

David Caraviello: As for being a fellow video game addict ... something tells me McDowell isn't playing baseball on the Wii.

Joe Menzer: Lately I've been into Smackdown wrestling myself. Had to wrestle a girl to get my first win, though.

David Caraviello: Joe, after this Track Smack session, I can relate.

Raygan Swan: Oh come on!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.