Tony Stewart finally sealed the deal at Martinsville by out-dueling the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Last season, Stewart dominated both events held at the 0.526-mile paperclip-shaped oval, only to watch Jeff Gordon rejoice in victory lane. This time it was Stewart who was able to celebrate with his traditional fence climbing routine.
"I'm still too old and still too fat to be climbing fences, but as long as those fans keep cheering, I'll keep doing it," Stewart said.
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I am amazed at how everyone has branded Jeff Gordon as NASCAR's new tough guy. Yeah, he shoved Matt Kenseth after the Food City 500 at Bristol, but to me, it looked like Kenseth was more amused than harmed. Gordon is a great driver, but intimidating he is not.
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Mark Martin seemed a little more feisty than usual. After being spun around by Casey Mears, Martin's patience wore thin. I guess he decided to take it out on NASCAR rookie Denny Hamlin. Hamlin fired back at Martin verbally after the race by saying, ""I understand I'm the rookie and he's the veteran, but we're all on the same race track. You've got to give room. He crowded me every time I was around him."
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Remember Ward Burton? You know, the guy with the peculiar accent. Well, he's ready to jump back into the cockpit of a race car or race truck. The eldest of the Burton brothers has admittedly missed being behind the wheel and has expressed interest in possibly returning to the Busch Series or driving in the Craftsman Truck Series. With Burton's track record, he shouldn't have a problem finding employment.
Speaking of Burton, his kid brother Jeff had a top ten taken away from him after he was knocked out by his former teammate Kurt Busch. What's the deal with Busch ramming into former teammates? Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle- beware!
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In trouble- The fans of Jeremy Mayfield, Bobby Labonte, and Michael Waltrip must be a bit nervous as each of those drivers are on the brink of falling out of the top 35. While Labonte and Mayfield have shown little promise, Waltrip has been practically absent from the front of the pack. It's time for this trio of past winners to step it up in order to avoid becoming a 'go or go homer'.
Head of the Class- Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, and Matt Kenseth seem to be a step ahead of the competition after six races. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Kyle Busch are just a mere car length behind.
Underachieving- Ryan Newman is considered a top-notch driver, but something is amiss with the #12 team. I still believe the Intrepids have thrown them off. Newman's teammate Kurt Busch has a win under his belt, but other than that, he has been mediocre. Kevin Harvick has been great on the two short tracks, but he must become more competitive at the faster tracks. Jamie McMurray has not improved one iota ever since ditching Chip Ganassi Racing to join Roush Racing. In fact, he has been outperformed by his former teammate Casey Mears.
