The initial bad luck of LaBonte, Busch, and Rudd would eventually turn into the break of the race when the longest green flag runs in recent Bristol Motor Speedway history would commence, with 138 laps worth of �hammer-down� racing spanning from Lap 262 thru Lap 389. When the yellow did finally fly again, LaBonte, Busch, Rudd, and Biffle were four of the five drivers left on the lead lap as virtually everyone else was forced to pit under green by that point. Sterling Marlin barely had enough fuel left and was the sixth driver. Some typically clever maneuvering by the Matt Kenseth camp left the #17 only one lap down, and Kenseth was able to regain that lap on the next caution.

Harvick�s luck was still better that some others. Even though the #29 was the first to pit under green, Harvick did then have the advantage of fresher tires, along with one of the stronger cars in the field - and was able to get one of his two laps back and would eventually place seventh, the first car a lap down. Everyone else was basically Dead to Rights. That included contending cars such as Jeff Gordon (finished 9th), Jimmy Spencer (12th), Dale Jr. (16th), and Bill Elliott (18th). Compounding matters for Gordon, Junior, and Elliott was that they inadvertently pulled up on the backstretch (as they would had been required to do pitting under yellow) when they were allowed to wait until getting on their pitboxes on the frontstretch before slowing. Supposedly a point was made repeatedly during the driver meeting about that ground rule. The drivers just forgot, in part because green flag stops are so rare at this venue. Junior also ran out of gas and needed a shot of ether, while Spencer overshot his pit stall.

Of the six who were eventually left on the lead lap, Busch and Kenseth were clearly the strongest with the #97 making sure that he would not be denied this time � winning his second consecutive Bristol Spring race in the process. Greg Biffle would make it three Rosch drivers in the top five with a career best fifth place showing.

Other highlights of the usual Bristol crashfest were as follows�

Busch � Has now officially supplanted Rusty Wallace and even Jeff Gordon as the king at this track. In fact Busch and Kenseth are the drivers to beat at Bristol, Richmond, or Martinsville.

Kenseth � Fifth consecutive top-ten finish gives Kenseth a cushion, and now has an impressive 138 point lead � not bad just six races into the season. Also was the lone driver who was able to get back on the lead lap (did he take only two tires pitting during green???), with teammate Busch to thank. Would Kurt do that in a similar situation later in the year??? Crew Chief Robbie Reiser was operating under a strategy all day that had Matt doing the opposite of the majority of the field during cautions (pitting when everyone else stayed out and vice versa). Oh, and did I mention Kenseth did all this from provisional land??? Looks like Matt will be the driver everyone chases for at least most of this summer.

Kyle Petty � The man wrecked four times!!!! You'd be hurting all over too. Even though I only ranked him 22nd for this week, I told ya all to look out for Kyle, who was running top-ten late despite being involved in two early incidents. That was until incidents #3 and #4 knocked Kyle out of the race, and sent him to the hospital with a good case of whiplash - which led to Jeff Hammond spending ten minutes on TV explaining the safety measures in the drivers compartment, and why it took Kyle so long to get out. The latest reports have doctors giving Kyle the OK to race this coming week in Texas. King Richard claims that he once drove with a broken neck (that Goody�s powder does wonders!!!) so I guess Kyle is just following in the family tradition.

Jimmy Spencer � Mark my words. He may be pushing 60 when he finally does it, but Spencer will win a Cup race at this track one of these days. I guess the planets are going to have to be in alignment, but it WILL HAPPEN.

Ryan Newman � I nailed this one as well, as I had Newman for 15th this week. Just minutes after Jeff Gordon set a NNNEEEEEWWWW TRAAAACCCKKK RECCCOOORRRRDDDD in qualifying, Newman shattered the mark with an insane clocking of 14.90 (128.709 mph), which is kind of like someone running a three-minute mile. Gordon�s lap was all of 127.343 mph. But most who follow the fortunes of the #12 know what happens next. He smokes the field for the first twenty laps or so of a race, then the car goes away and Newman struggles for the rest of the race. This week Newman didn�t even wait that long, as Ryan was way loose from the start and failed to lead a single lap. Good news was the Newman got 496 laps in, gaining valuable experience (which he lacks at this track compared to the likes of Harvick, McMurray et al) at this venue.

BRISTOL TEMPERS � Not the show it is usually. I imagine most of the drivers were somewhat subdued due to current world events, and are keeping things in their perspective. Still, we did have our moments. Most notable was Newman (running two laps down) squeezing into Jerry Nadeau and triggering a wreck. With only 20 seconds to wait until the #12 came back around, Jerry wasted no time giving the one-fingered salute. Then Jerry took his Army of One to the Newman war wagon, never a good idea. Then Jeanne Zelasko got a hold of Jerry�

And of course Robby Gordon (as usual) was in the middle of plenty of controversy. In fact it took Robby all of three laps (punting Petty) to instigate a wreck and to get a warning from NASCAR. Robby would later get into Ward Burton, who then took out Kyle for good. Then Zelasko gets him for this post-crash interview�

�I�m OK. We had some problems, but had a good run going. The #31 ccccaaawwwwrrrrr got into us, he caused a couple of wrecks today, I don�t know what the hell he�s thinking. CLASSIC.

Tony Stewart also had his moment, bump-drafting Ricky Rudd for an entire lap after an incident. Then there was Terry LaBonte, who got off this beaut after an incident with Brett Bodine - ``Anytime you race with a Bodine, you're liable to get in a wreck. For people who watch races or people that are involved, I don't think you really need to say any more.'' END OF FRICKIN� QUOTE. Give Brett credit however for a 24th place finish, one of his best showings in quite a while.

SO WHAT??? � The pit crews of Dale Jr., Steve Park, and Michael Waltrip are all currently in the top five for the McDonald�s/Powerade. �Drive-Thru� competition which rewards the pit-crews of those drivers who spend the least amount of time on pit road - so obviously the DEI boys are doing pretty good in the pit game. The leading participating team gets $20,000 each team, and the winning crew at the end of the season takes home a cool $200,000.

But I stress the word participating, because Matt Kenseth�s crew is not participating. See, there is this little conflict of interest here. Kenseth is aligned with Gatorade, a Pepsi product. McDonald�s and Powerade meanwhile, are aligned with the Coca-Cola empire. Thence, the #17 team is not participating in the program. That is kind of like giving an award to the best golfer on tour, with Tiger Woods not eligible. This also prevents the two-time defending World Champions from potentially earning a lot of coin. Reportedly, Kenseth showed his displeasure after winning the Las Vegas race, when bottles of Powerade were placed on top of his car. Instead of the customary tradition of taking a swig then dousing his crew and other well-wishers, Matt shoved the offending sports-drink bottles away.

All of this is interesting since the Kenseth team lost a couple of key crew members during the off-season (at least one to Dale Jr.). Will others on Kenseth and other teams aligned with Pepsi/Gatorade move on to teams with Coke/McDonald�s/Powerade ties??? Or at the very least the DeWalt team will have to dig deeper to retain key crew members.

OTHER VIEWS

This will probably jinx someone, but no one has failed post-race inspection yet. It simply does not feel like the season has officially begun until that occurs. That is way over-due. However, we have our first Silly Season rumors. A shakeup is occurring with the #4 (Morgan-McClure), which may end with Mike Skinner being replaced. Skinner actually had a nice qualifying run in Bristol (sixth), but got collected early. There is also reportedly pressure on Jeremy Mayfiled �to perform� or else. Guessing Ray Evernham has had it with middle-of-the pack finishes. Bill Elliott is a veteran but has given the team three victories over two plus seasons, so he�s clear. There is also some distant rumblings on the Jeff Burton front, 22nd in points before last week. I wouldn�t get serious on that at least until mid-season, although Burton better at least beat Greg Biffle in points � just to be safe.

A Lee Spencer TSN article last week focused on the slow starts of this year�s rookie crop. Actually, Greg Biffle is just fine except for not qualifying at Vegas. Jamie McMurray has had some adjustment problems with his new team in 26th. The jury will be out on Casey Mears (31st) for a while. Tony Raines and Jack Sprague are Busch-caliber drivers on lower level teams. And I hope no one was really expecting anything out of Larry Foyt.

Of more concern is the current crop in the Busch series. Cup regulars Todd Bodine, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick comprise three of the current top five, along with Busch veterans Jason Keller and David Green. Unless someone hooks up with a real good team next year, I don�t see the likes of Coy Gibbs or Stanton Barrett burning up Cup tracks in 2004. It may not be until Kyle Busch comes down the pipe (2006) that the next true phenom could come along, but one never knows for sure.

KAC RANKINGS

In a shocker, the top two drivers in KACSPORTS top twenty rankings remain the same as it was three weeks ago. Movement since the last ranking, along with NASCAR rank in parenthesis.

1. (1) Kenseth , 2. (2) Busch, 3. (5) Dale Jr. (+3), 4. (3) Stewart (+1), 5. (10) J. Gordon (+2), 6. (8) B. LaBonte (+7), 7. (6) Johnson (-3), 8. (15) Newman, 9. (4) Waltrip (-4), 10. (7) Craven (NR), 11. Rudd (+8), 12. (20) Jarrett, 13. (14) Sadler (NR), 13. (9) Rudd (+6), 14. (17) R. Wallace, 15. (23) Martin (-6), 16. (16) Blaney (NR), 17. (22) Marlin (-7), 18. (11) Harvick (-1), 19. (24) Biffle (NR), 20. (21) Spencer (NR)

Dropped Out: J. Burton (11th), Nemecheck (15th), McMurray (16th), Benson (18th), Park (20th)

Notice that the current power rankings on NASCAR.COM had Busch over Kenseth, which you could definitely argue. However, you can�t go against a 138-point lead.


BRACKET MANIA, AGAIN

In yet another case of great minds thinking alike, JAYSKI/FANTASYCUP have launched a �bracket� contest, with seedings very similar to what I did for the Darlington race two weeks ago. The contest lasts five weeks, with the Texas race used for the first-round pairings. Talladega will be used for the Round of 16, Martinsville for the Regional Finals, California for the National Semi-finals, and finally Richmond for the championship race. Obviously, the driver who comes through (placing higher than his opponent for five straight weeks) will be one who excels in several different racing environments.

Contestants get four points for each correct pick (driver who finishes better) in the first round, plus the number of the drivers seeding (making underdogs worth more). Second Round winners are worth 8 points (plus driver seeding #), Regional Final 12 points (+ driver seeding), Final Four winners 16 points (+ driver seeding) and finally 20 points (+ driver seeding) for correctly selecting the champion. Contestants are allowed to change two winners before the Regional Final along with making an original change before the Final Four round. Contestants who change no winners for the duration of the contest are rewarded with 25 additional points (rewarding those who have the correct picks in the first place).

Here are the pairings...

#1 Tony Stewart v. #8 Kyle Petty � I imagine this would be a free one if Petty were unable to race. As it is, you simply can�t go against the #20 here.

#4 Elliott Sadler v. #5 Johnny Benson � Like the strong engines at Texas, so go with the Yates power of Sadler here.

#3 Dale Jarrett v. #6 Robby Gordon � Jarrett is the better pick of these two, again thanks to the Yates engine. Robby may not be bad neither as a bolder pick. Should he advance he would have an excellent chance to advance to the Elite Eight with the plate race that follows in the next round. Take your choice here.

#2 Ryan Newman v. #7 Bill Elliott � Texas is a good Newman track, so go with the #12 here.


Allison Bracket �

#1 Jeff Gordon v. #8 Jamie McMurray � A great upset pick beckons here. Gordon has ran better here (2nd/5th) over the past two years, but McMurray is a #5/#6 caliber driver. Roll the dice and go with JamieMac here as his win would be worth 12 points over 5 for correctly picking a Gordon win.

#4 Dave Blaney v. #5 Joe Nemechek � You could almost flip a coin here. But since the track is of similar dimension to Atlanta go with Nemechek here.

#3 Jimmie Johnson v. #6 Steve Park � Take JimmieJohn here.

#2 Busch v #7 Terry LaBonte � This ought to be a 1/8 game. Texas Terry actually finished 10th at TMS last year, but you can�t go against Busch right now.


Earnhardt Bracket �

#1 Dale Jr. v #8 Jeremy Mayfield � Dale Jr. won his first cup race here in 2000, so go with the eight, not the eighth seed.

#4 Michael Waltrip v. #5 Jeff Burton � In a wise move, Junior and Mikie have been placed in the same quad, setting the stage for a possible head-to-head matchup at Talladega.

#3 Bobby LaBonte v. #6 Jimmy Spencer � Mongo a tempting darkhorse (or is that dark-mutt), and finished eighth at Texas last year. However three top-fives in four races do not lie. Also, TMS is very Atlanta-like, and I think Bobby has a chance to go very deep over the next five races.

#2 Rusty Wallace v. #7 Kenny Wallace � Not excited about Rusty thus far, but is the lesser of two evils this weekend.


Bonnet Bracket �

#1 Matt Kenseth v. #8 Greg Biffle � The second #1 that I feel will go down this week. Throw out the week Biffle didn�t qualify and the #16 has gone 21st, 22nd, 13th, 12th and 5th in five races. Meanwhile the #17 is overdue to blow up, despite the fact he�s the defending champ at TMS. Roll the dice here.

#4 Ricky Craven v. #5 Kevin Harvick � Clever how the �Fuel for the Soul� commercials featuring great NCAA tourney finishes was expanded to show Craven�s photo-finish win at Darlington. Don�t think Pontiac would had put that one in the can if Kurt Busch had won. Meanwhile, I like the reuniting of Harvick with Crew Chief Todd Berrier. Look for the #29 to be a factor over the next few weeks.

#3 Sterling Marlin v. #6 Ricky Rudd � Seedings should be the other way around. Rudd is 9th currently while Marlin is only 22nd. However Marlin is a great plate driver and a good bet for Talladega should he advance here.

#2 Mark Martin v. #7 Ward Burton � Equivalent to the Indiana/Alabama first-round game. A shame that someone has to win. Martin does have a pair of top-tens in the last two years.

Now for the subsequent rounds�

#1 Stewart over #4 Sadler
#3 Jarrett (or #6 R. Gordon) over #2 Newman � Ryan might be a bit skittish after his Daytona ride.

Allison �
#5 Nemecheck over #8 McMurray � Joe the better plate man.
#2 Busch over #3 Johnson � Kurt kicks ass everywhere these days.

Earnhardt �
#1 Junior over #4 Waltrip � First Junior is the better bet to make it to this round, as he should have an easier time with Mayfield, while Waltrip could lose to J. Burton. Also, Mikie already got his in Daytona so Talladega will be Junior�s turn.
#3 B. LaBonte over #2 R. Wallace

Bonnett �
#5 Harvick over #8 Biffle - #29 a better plate driver than either Biffle or Kenseth.
#3 Marlin (or #6 Rudd) over #2 Martin � Either Marlin or Rudd would be favored over Martin here.


REGIONAL FINALS (Martinsville)

Kulwicki �
#1 Stewart over #3 Jarrett (or #6 R. Gordon) - #20 always a prime favorite at the paper-clip shaped track.

Allison �
#2 Busch over #5 Nemecheck � Always go with Kurt on the short-tracks.

Earnhardt �
3 B. LaBonte over #1 Dale Jr. - #18 the defending Spring Race winner here.

Bonnett �
#5 Harvick over #3 Marlin (or #6 Rudd) � Harvick bumps and bangs with anyone. However if Rudd were to make it this far one could be tempted to pick him to go all the way, since two of his final three games would be at his home-tracks.

If Harvick wins his regional we are left with a #1, #2, #3, and a #5. Not exactly a Kentucky/Arizona/Oklahoma/Texas Final Four here. The final two weeks go as follows�


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS (Califiornia)

#2 Busch over #1 Stewart � Kurt dominated much of last year�s race in Califiornia.

#3 B. LaBonte over #5 Harvick � Can�t get over the images of Harvick and Junior slamming into the Turn 4 wall last year.


CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Richmond)

#2 Busch over #3 B. LaBonte � KB simply the best driver right now, anywhere/anytime.


TEXAS JUSTICE

Two burning questions for this Sunday. Do the Dixie Broads get to do the anthem in their home state this week??? That could be followed by Oscar winner Michael Moore giving the starting command for an extra patriotic flavor. By the way, Houston Astro star Lance Berkman is on record suggesting that the Dixie Hags relocate to Oklahoma. That�s a rip.

Supposedly changes to the track have made the racing slower, but perhaps racier as well. Kenseth is the defending champ, so I�d be foolish not to rank him high although in my opinion he is overdue to blow up. My top 30 for the race, sans commentary is as follows�

DIX CHIX AND MICHAEL MOORE, A PRE-RACE SHOW ONLY FOX WOULD LOVE...