Welcome back, Kenseth
Matt Kenseth came from nowhere (34th starting position) to finish sixth at Darlington, only the fifth top 10 of the season for Mr. Consistent. At Martinsville he behaved like a wild man and drew a penalty for rough driving. At Phoenix he tried to knock down the wall almost as soon as the green flag flew.
Maybe Kenseth is finally accepting the fact Robbie Reiser is no longer his crew chief. Whatever the case, he's 20th in points with a big hill to climb and 15 races to do it.
Welcome back II
After a workmanlike third-place finish at the Lady in Black, Jeff Gordon is 10th in the Cup standings, only the second week this season he has been inside the top 12. The No. 24 team still has work to do to catch Busch and Edwards, but the next seven races should play to Gordon's strengths.
When things fall apart
In the final year of his current contract, Greg Biffle has said repeatedly he expects to re-sign with Roush Fenway Racing. But the organization had better start giving him equipment that can survive a 500-mile race. After falling out of Saturday night's event with a litany of troubles, Biffle's frustration bubbled over.
"It is really frustrating, but, you know what, I've just come accustomed to expecting it because, week after week, it's something," said the polesitter, who retired after Lap 234 with a blown engine and finished last (43rd), despite leading 95 laps. "Something breaks. Something falls off. We've got wheels loose. We had wheels loose twice tonight. I don't know. I know everybody is trying their hardest. The guys are digging their hearts out, but the fact of the matter is in this sport -- in this day and age -- you cannot leave the wheels loose, not at a place this fast."
Dude, where's my car?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth at Darlington) posted his eighth top 10 in 11 races, solidified his third-place position in the Cup standings -- and left the track with a 73-race winless streak and mounting frustration. On the radio during the race, Earnhardt kept asking crew chief Tony Eury Jr. where the car was that had been so fast in practice.
"Well, we had a real good car all weekend, and when the race started, I knew we weren't exactly like we had been," Earnhardt said. "Tony Jr. told me right after the race we had changed a lower A-frame, and that might have changed how the car rolled over and traveled and stuff and handled. We were off a little bit all night, weren't really that good.
"Let's line 'em up and go again. But I want to set mine up again. We were a little bit off from where we ran all weekend. It wasn't near the same race car."
Maybe the next download on the No. 88 team's iPods ought to be The Allman Brothers Band's "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing."
No. 12 with a bullet
For the first time since the second week of 2007, David Ragan is back in the top 12 in the Cup standings. This time is different, in that it's based on an 11-race body of work -- and a remarkable rally from a 42nd-place finish in the Daytona 500.
As is the case with Biffle, this is the final year of Ragan's current contract with Roush Fenway, and he's doing everything he can to elevate his market value. Is this really the same kid who spun like a gyroscope at Martinsville in 2006? At 22, Ragan is younger than Kyle Busch, with plenty of upside.
Sponsor, please!
Will someone please put some money down on Travis Kvapil's No. 28 Yates Racing Ford. After finishing eighth at Darlington, the 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champ is 18th in points and starting to sniff the Chase. His performance deserves respect -- and money.
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