5 things we learned this weekend
Best is yet to come -- Don't count Jeff Gordon out yet.
Oh sure, you'll see plenty of negative analysis in the coming days after Gordon failed to seal the deal and finished second Saturday night at Richmond, but it's worth remembering that there's another side to the story.
"For us, I think we're way ahead of where we were last year," Gordon said after his fourth top-five finish of the year. "I think because (of) the Chase format, we're approaching this season different than we ever have before.
"Last year we came out, we were consistent, we were running okay, we won a race at Texas. I didn't think we were near dominant enough, leading enough laps, or diverse enough to run good at a lot of different types of tracks to compete for the championship. ... I feel like that's the difference for us this year. Other than the win column, I feel like we're dominating races at times, we're leading laps pretty much everywhere we go. We're running up front. We're putting ourselves (in position) to win races late in races. Our pit crew is strong. Everything is going good, other than getting the win."
Is some of that spin doctoring? Absolutely. But don't disregard it all. So far, Gordon's best performances have come at Martinsville (third), Phoenix (second), Texas (124 laps led before accident) and Talladega (had one of the cars to beat until getting wrecked out late) -- all tracks that are part of the Chase schedule. And, oh by the way, Richmond's fall race is the last one before the postseason begins.
Gordon's not done yet.
Where's that emergency button? -- It may not be time to panic for Tony Stewart, but his recent form is definitely concerning. Since his runner-up finish at Bristol, Smoke has an average finish of 24th. Although he got a slightly better than average 23rd-place finish Saturday at Richmond, his performance was one of the worst of the season as he fell off the lead lap multiple times and was well off the pace all night long. "We're just not where we need to be right now," Stewart said after the race.
The race is on -- Eight years into Kyle Busch's NASCAR career and he certainly looks capable of challenging one of the sport's "unreachable" records. His win Saturday night was his 17th in Sprint Cup competition and 67th in all NASCAR competitions. Considering he just turned 25 on Sunday, the record of 200 career NASCAR wins set by Richard Petty doesn't seem like that much of a stretch as long as he continues running a high number of Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races for the foreseeable future to help him pad his stats.
Leaders of the pack -- We're just a handful of races into the "spoiler age" with the new car, and it's worth noting that there is only one multi-car team with 100 percent of their cars inside the top 12 of the standings. No, it's not the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports organization -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped five spots to 13th after Richmond. Neither is it Roush Fenway Racing nor Joe Gibbs Racing. The mystery group? Richard Childress Racing (championship leader Kevin Harvick, ninth-place Jeff Burton and 12th-place Clint Bowyer).
Let's play the feud -- Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson may be letting cooler heads prevail for now, but there's no shortage of teammates having "differences of opinions" on - and off - the track. This week's culprits are Penske Racing's Brad Keselowski and Justin Allgaier. In Friday night's Nationwide Series race, the two battled hard up front early and the radio chatter was lively - "Somebody has got to have a brain on this damn team," Keselowski quipped during the race. Keselowski, who went on to win the race, and team owner Roger Penske were quick to play down any feud postrace, but you didn't have to read between the lines too hard to figure out Allgaier was still upset after the race. It may not have the star power of Gordon vs. Johnson, but watch out for Allgaier vs. Keselowski - these two are the future of Penske Racing ... and possibly NASCAR.
4 things you may have missed
Green, green, green -- NASCAR is forging a path towards a more environmentally friendly future. Lee Spencer reports that the next step could come this season , and some are already planning ahead.
Signing day -- Bad news for the competition and haters all over. Hendrick Motorsports locked its two lieutenants to long-term deals this week. While that likely signifies the continuation of dominance for one of Hendrick's teams, the news still leaves questions to be answered for other parts of the organization.
Just a number? -- As FOXSports.com first reported, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it official this week that he will drive the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet this July at Daytona. The news reopened the debate on whether car numbers should be retired. Junior weighed in - and you're not going to believe what he thinks .
What a ride! -- With the Sprint Cup Series taking Sunday off, it was up to the Camping World Truck Series to put on a show. Johnny Sauter and Ron Hornaday Jr. were up to the task.
3 on top
Kyle Busch -- Richmond victory snaps a 21-race winless streak, his longest since 2007. I know a few drivers who wish they could complain about that short of a run between wins.
Jeff Gordon -- Forget wins, Gordon needs some consistency (four top-five finishes vs. five finishes of 18th or worse) if he's going to be a title contender.
Kevin Harvick -- Earns a breathtaking win last week, claims the championship lead this week. There's no doubt Happy is the hottest driver in NASCAR right now.
2 quotes from around the garage
"Did I have a plan? Was that exactly my plan? No. My plan was just to drive it as hard as I could and make whatever (happened), happen. It seemed to work off the cuff." - Kyle Busch
"We've got a heck of a notebook of what doesn't work, let me tell you" - Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Kevin Conway
1 last thing
NASCAR takes a step back in time this week as the sports' best head south to the first ever superspeedway - Darlington Raceway.
The Track Too Tough to Tame certainly will live up to its name this weekend as drivers will earn their share of "Darlington stripes" as they try to survive 500 miles of racing on Saturday night.
Equally as thrilling as the action, the racetrack, which is celebrating its 60th birthday this year, also offers an opportunity to pause and reflect on the history of the sport. The Lady in Black helped forge the careers of the legends of NASCAR like David Pearson, Fireball Roberts, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip as well as Hall of Famers Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson and even modern stars like Jeff Gordon.
Before settling down to enjoy the action next weekend, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pull out the history books and take a trip down memory lane. Trust me, it'll be worth the effort.
