Kahne is making inroads, but history a harbinger? (cont'd)

Thumbs up

Truex Jr.

• Martin Truex Jr. -- Some contend men passing a kidney stone is the equivalent to a woman giving birth. Lemme tell you from experience: Men aren't given the option of an epidural to pass kidney stones; women choose natural child birth. Anyone who can pass a rock through his urinary tract and then post a top-10 finish in a Cup Series race ... he's much a man.

• Kurt Busch -- A dominating performance, amplified by the tortures of Atlanta's 1.5-mile gauntlet of G-forces. Busch led six times for 234 laps, 70 more than he led the entire 2008 season.

• Tony Stewart -- Three eighth-place finishes in four races have Smoke in sixth place in the point standings. And for good measure, he has surpassed his 2008 total for eighth-place finishes!

Impressed by ...

• A.J. Allmendinger -- Four races into the season and he's firmly in the top 35 in owner points. Here's hoping the King and his court can get additional funding to keep the No. 44 on the track for the full season. This team is a safer bet than several of the fringe organizations.

Thumbs down

• Michael Waltrip Racing -- The team's two-car operation, Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann, lost a combined 11 spots in points (though Reutimann remains in the top 12), and the organization's satellite car, driven by Marcos Ambrose, lost eight spots. ... Good time for an off week.

• For as well as Bobby Labonte has run at Atlanta, Sunday was not a memorable day. Engine woes and a spin on Lap 103 ended the six-time AMS winner's day with a 40th-place finish and a 10-spot drop in points to 23rd.

• Travis Kvapil's engine went south and he finished only 37 laps. He now has two 42nd-place finished and a DNQ in four races.

Disappointed by ...

Mechanical failures, that have hampered Joe Nemechek's past three starts: fuel pump at Fontana; transmission at Las Vegas; wheel bearing at Atlanta. After coming so close to qualifying for the Daytona 500, Nemechek has to wonder what's next -- locusts?

Fantasy Racing

NASCAR.COM's Race for the Smithson Trophy:

Up Next

• Cup Series tickets
• Nationwide Series tickets
• Book your travel

• Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
• Qualifying: 3:30 p.m. ET March 20 on SPEED
• Race: 1:30 p.m. ET March 22 on FOX

Race fans haven't seen the last race of Cale Yarborough or David Pearson or even legendary Junior Johnson. Those champion drivers and more are scheduled to be a part of the first Saturday Night Special at Bristol on March 21.

Paired with celebrity partners, the legendary racers will run 35 laps of a 50-lap event to benefit charity.

Other drivers expected to compete are Harry Gant, David Green, Jack Ingram, Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, L.D. Ottinger, Phil Parsons, Jimmy Spencer and Rusty Wallace.

The Saturday Night Special will take place after the Nationwide Series race and the 100-lap UARA late model event.

And Finally

How dominant was Kurt Busch at Atlanta? He scored just the eighth perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 since the inception of the Loop Data statistic in 2005.

Busch had race-best stats in Laps Led (234), Average Running Position (1.5) and Fastest Laps Run (81). He was one of two drivers who ran all 330 Laps in the Top 15 (Kasey Kahne).

Busch, who now has four perfect Driver Rating scores, is the only Cup Series driver with more than one.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.