Filling seats to see Kyle vs. Carl ... and everyone else (cont'd)

3. Last time the Sprint Cup tour visited Bristol, Richard Childress Racing seemed the class of the series with a 1-2-3 finish. The team has won just once since. Can RCR recapture the magic on the Tennessee short track?

Raygan Swan: Harvick seems to be hitting a stride with consistent top-10s in the last three races, so at least he will make a good showing.

David Caraviello: I'll tell you, after last Bristol, everybody thought those guys were the heat. But it just seems like something's been missing there. They have the drivers and the equipment, they just don't win enough races.

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You know, it's admirable that Jeff Burton prides himself on always racing clean ... but that's not really how you win championships. Sometimes you have to get a little mean and dirty out there.

”

JOE MENZER

Joe Menzer: I would have to say that I'd be surprised to see it happen. Harvick definitely could be a factor, and Jeff Burton obviously won there the last time, but Bowyer is in danger of not making the Chase and probably will be in conservative points-racing mode.

David Caraviello: Even that trademark RCR consistency has slipped a bit. Burton has fallen into the middle of the Chase pack, and Bowyer and Harvick are closer to the bottom. That's not like RCR.

Joe Menzer: Then again, Bowyer had better not play it too conservative -- or he could drop even further back.

Raygan Swan: Yeah, Clint Bowyer has cooled a bit. They need to get more aggressive.

David Caraviello: You can get away with not winning races when you're in the top five every week. But not when you're in the top five every third or fourth week.

Joe Menzer: And while I'm talking about Bowyer's precarious position, I guess I should point out that Harvick is pretty much in the same boat.

Raygan Swan: Yeah, since Daytona's July race, the two teammates were swapping 11th and 12th for a while until Harvick's Pocono finish. Since Pocono, Harvick has rebounded and left Bowyer to fend for himself.

David Caraviello: Of course, the RCR guys had some nice runs at Michigan, and they have three guys who can definitely win at Bristol. And Bowyer was the spring winner at Richmond, where the series visits in two weeks.

Joe Menzer: You know, it's admirable that Jeff Burton prides himself on always racing clean -- wasn't it at Bristol last year when he could have knocked young Kyle out of the way for the win and didn't? -- but that's not really how you win championships. Sometimes you have to get a little mean and dirty out there.

David Caraviello: I know we're talking about RCR here, but man, does anyone need a better Bristol run than Jeff Gordon? The guy has dropped to ninth. Things are starting to get a little perilous there.

Joe Menzer: Can you believe we're coming up on the latter part of August, and neither Jeff Gordon nor Tony Stewart have a win? That's incredible. What you have to ask yourself is: Is this an anomaly or a changing of the guard in the making?

Raygan Swan: I think Tony with his second-place finishes is closer than Gordon, but it is amazing the number of soon-to-be Chase drivers who haven't won a race yet.

David Caraviello: I'm beginning to wonder if Gordon will win at all this year, Joe. He should make the Chase, given how historically well he runs at Bristol, California and Richmond. But the goings-on of late are very un-Gordon-like.

Raygan Swan: And there doesn't seem to be a clear-cut explanation.

David Caraviello: Well, Jeff is a guy who needs to be comfortable in the car, and for whatever reason they've struggled in that area. But Joe, I think a changing of the guard may be exactly what we're seeing. The beginning of it, anyway.

Joe Menzer: Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are the class of this current crop, at least for now. And starting next year you'll have Joey Logano and some other young guns getting better, like David Ragan.

Raygan Swan: Maybe Carl can lend Gordon a Koi pond for his car, then maybe he'll be comfy.

David Caraviello: Yes, Westies for everyone.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.