In a separate event that no doubt will capture the attention of Drudge, NASCAR signed a pact with pop star Britney Spears to produce a movie in which Britney plays the daughter of a fictional NASCAR driver, and encourages her father to make a comeback in the sport. Initial plans call for actual teams, drivers, tracks, and competition to be used in the movie. Sounds like yet more proof of the sport selling it�s soul to the entertainment world. And can you imagine Drudge�s rant when this movie hits the big screen and blows away all the recent records set by Scooby Doo, Attack of the Clones, Spiderman, Sum of All Fears, etc.????? Myself I liked the movie 20 years back where Kenny Rogers plays the role of an aspiring driver, which climaxed with the character bowing out of a race he has a chance to win when he sees the authorities attempt to take custody of his children. At that point commentator Cris Economaki makes a cameo appearance to interview the driver.

Enough of conspiracies and movie reviews, I have a race to recap. In typical Michigan fashion there wasn�t much attrition which took a lot of the stress off fantasy teams.

MICHIGAN RECAP

The Saturday Night Busch race in Kentucky was halted and eventually suspended when rain hit just before the halfway point of the race. This led to some logistical problems with crew members of some cup teams who have commitments to both series. The only driver this would affect was Todd Bodine, who elected to stay in Kentucky, and would be rewarded by winning the race. Meanwhile older brother Geoff would drive Todd�s #26 in the Michigan race. Bill Elliott jumps out to the first lap lead, but relinquishes to Ryan Newman by Lap 3, as plenty of two and three-wide racing goes on further back in the field. Jeff Gordon appears to have the fastest car, improving from 24th to 13th in just six laps. Dale Jr. inherits the race lead by lap 10, with Newman eventually settling back to the seventh position. Jimmie Johnson stakes his claim to the top five, overtaking a high running Ricky Craven. On lap 18 Bill Elliott grabs the race lead from Junior, who would not be a major factor for the rest of the day. As Junior fades, polesitter Dale Jarrett along with Johnson, grab second and third respectively. After 30 laps all cars with the exception of Casey Atwood (-1) are still on the lead lap. Ricky Rudd moves from his starting position in 26th up to 12th as the first round of green flag stops begin. Benson 14.9, Hamilton 13.6, Johnson 14.8, Waltrip 14.5, Jarrett 14.3. Elliott runs out of fuel on the backstretch and coasts into the pits, losing about 20 seconds in the process. Elliot Sadler is the last to pit on lap 50, which is exactly quarter distance. Any guess who wants this thing to stay green the entire way???? There have been three caution-free races in the history of the track, which averages only four cautions per event.

Jarrett is fist after the stops, with J. Gordon fifth, Rudd eighth, Elliott (after the fuel problem) 135h and Tony Stewart an unimpressive 16th. Craven is forced to make an unscheduled stop when a tire goes down while Sterling Marlin, whose car has not been right all weekend and whose team elected to change engines, has only improved from 42nd to 29th. Johnny Benson makes his way into the top five, guess the home cooking can do some good, that and a spoiler concession given by NASCAR. The leaders start lapping people and we�re down to 28 on the lead lap by one-third distance. Jeremy Mayfield makes an unscheduled stop with a junk tire. Field-filler Gary Bradberry does become the first retiree 85 laps in, and by the time the second round of green-flag stops begin we are down to 20 on the lead circuit. Johnson 16.8 (with wedge taken out), W. Burton 15.6, Gordon 15.5 (wedge adjustment), Elliott 15.7 (chassis adjustment), Junior 17.9, with adjustments, team slow on right rear. Right in the middle of the stops, John Andretti makes contact with the wall to bring out the yellow. Many teams who had already made their stops are now a lap down and only 11 are left on the lead lap. Jarrett 14.2, Busch 16.1

The restart occurs with four cars attempting to get on the tail end of the lead lap. Jarrett is first, followed by Busch in second, and a fast-charging Ricky Rudd in fourth. Caution comes out for debris (a plastic soda bottle, of all things, it looks like) but Jarrett does not let Gordon get a lap back and Jeff lets Dale know with a fender that he is not happy. Jarrett takes on four tires (14.7), Newman takes two (8.0), and Busch gambles and elects to stay out. Restarting on the inside, Gordon jumps ahead of Busch and the other leaders, at the tail end of the lead lap. Eight of the top ten cars at this point are Fords, including Rusty Wallace who is running another solid race. Ward Burton�s engine (valve tran) expires, caution out, a 42nd for Ward who is slipping farther than a dot.com stock. This time Gordon is among those getting a lap back. Newman pits in 16.0 and wins the race off pit road. Jarrett grabs the lead on the restart, and is being followed by Matt Kenseth, who has quietly snuck into contention in typical Kenseth fashion. Just short of � distance Matt grabs the lead for the first time. Kurt Busch has fallen to fifth with a tight race car while Dale Blaney is having another impressive run in eighth, Michael Waltrip is also having yet another quality top ten run. Jimmie Johnson grabs the race lead from Kenseth with 40 to go. Waltrip is pushing Dale Jarrett for fourth as current projections call for pit stops with 10-15 laps to go. Elliott would pit first, two tires, one can of fuel. Kenseth is still chasing Johnson with a stronger car in turns 1, 2, and 3, but Johnson continues to lead by being stronger in 4. JJ stops with 15 to go, and takes gas only (5.5), J. Gordon 7.6, Rusty takes two tires (8.6). Rudd 3.1 splash and go. Martin 3.4, a fantastic 3.0 for Kenseth (if they indeed have enough fuel), Newman 4.9, Jarrett splash-and-go as well. Marlin takes right side tires. Waltrip 3.4, Blaney is the last lead lap car to pit (and leads race for a lap) but stalls engine, ouch. Kenseth now has an insurmountable five second lead. But a monkey wrench occurs in the form of Elliot Sadler who slaps the wall with six to go, bringing the red flag out. Kenseth, Johnson and the other top five drivers stay out while Waltrip, Jarrett, Benson and Blaney among those who come in. Nemechek and Petty get tied up with each other on pit lane. Restart occurs with four laps to go, and Johnson immediately gives ground to some of the cars with fresh skins. Jarrett eventually grabs second and closes in on Kenseth, who did get a decent restart jump. Jeff Gordon, who was last car on the lead lap (14th), is shooting up like a rocket as well. Jarrett gives Kenseth all he could handle, and would had won if the race just went one more lap, but the #17 holds on for his third win of the season.

Kenseth, Jarrett, Newman, Waltrip, and Gordon comprised the top five, followed by Johnny Benson, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Bill Elliott, Kyle Petty, Dave Blaney, and Jimmie Johnson - which was the final car on the lead lap. Other notables include Ricky Craven (15th), Tony Stewart (16th), Sterling Marlin (21st), Dale Jr. (22nd), Bobby LaBonte (24th), Kevin Harvick (27th), Robby Gordon (33rd), Jeremy Mayfield (36th), and Ward Burton 42nd). Sterling Marlin's point lead is reduced to 110 points with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon tied for second. Other contenders include Mark Martin (-174), Matt Kenseth (-190), Rusty Wallace (-192), and Tony Stewart (-229).

There's a new cat on top of my top twenty, based simply on recent trends...

1. (2) Johnson (+3), 2. (5) Kenseth, 3. (3) J. Gordon (+2), 4. (1) Marlin (-3), 5.(8) Rudd (+4), 6. (7) Stewart (-3), 7. (12) Jarrett (+7), 8. (4) Martin (-2), 9. (9) Busch (-2), 10. (6) R. Wallace (-2), 11. (16) Newman (-1), 12. (10) Elliott (+3), 13. (13) Craven (-2), 14. (11) J. Burton (-1), 15. (15) Dale Jr. (-3) 16. (14) Waltrip, 17. (17) Blaney (+1), 18. (20) B. LaBonte (+1), 19. (19) T. LaBonte (NR), 20. (18) K. Petty (NR)

Dropped out: Spencer (17), Mayfield (20)

SEARS POINT PREVIEW

Let's say that you are a somewhat casual Winston Cup fan. You have a pretty good idea of the contenders and pretenders on the circuit, and you think you know pretty much what to expect each race. Then on a Sunday afternoon in June you turn on the TV set smack in the middle of the Sears Point event. You find out that Jeff Gordon has been leading most of the way, that wouldn't be a surprise on any track. But then you see Robby Gordon chasing down Jeff, running a strong second. You are puzzled and say to yourself, 'Robby hasn't done anything all year, what is he doing contending...' But that's not all, here are the mysterious #67 and #87 cars also running in the top ten, being run by Boris Said and Ron Fellows, a couple of drivers you may have never heard of. Suddenly, you realize you do not know everything about the quirks of the Cup Season. Welcome to the world of road coarse racing, where road race ringers are much more than mere field fillers. But do not fret, if you know about the talent of drivers on these courses, along with a little knowledge of the road aces - you can use this week as a great opportunity to catch up with the competition. Grab both Gordons and maybe throw in a Said or Fellows. Two weeks from now at Daytona you can catch up further by using Dale Jr., Waltrip, and perhaps even throwing in a Geoff Bodine.

Historically, the veteran drivers, along with those with open-wheel experience, are those who fare best in this event. Fellows and Said do come with this warning - both of their pit crews will be a patchwork composition from several teams in the Busch Series ranks, so they tend to suffer on pit road. Also, should any problem occur that forces either driver behind the wall will mark the end of the day, since they are not racing for points. If you are suggesting using Fellows or Said, realize that it is a gamble, and maybe not right if playing conservatively. But they may be better plays than Johnson, Newman, or Busch, who have never raced here in the Cup Series. The list of possible contenders is as follows...

Jeff Gordon - The #24 is a Tiger Woods like slam dunk this week, as he has won seven of the past nine road races. Give him at least a 50 percent chance of winning here as well.

Robby Gordon - The #31 becomes a prime contender on the road courses. Robby had this race in his hip pocket last year when we got our first glimpse of the stubbornish of one Kevin Harvick, who refused to be lapped in the waning laps. Tony Stewart then took advantage of the opportunity to pass Gordon/Harvick and steal the race. Was also the car to beat at Watkins Glen before the in-car telemetry device, used for the race telecast caught fire!!! There is enough bad luck in racing without that.

Tony Stewart - As just mentioned, the defending champ at this event, and like Robby Gordon, a open-wheel veteran as well.

Ricky Rudd - Top fives the past two years here.

Mark Martin - Between here and Watkins Glen there is usually a 50/50 chance of seeing the #6 finish in the top five.

Jeff Burton - Eighth here and second at the Glen in '01, so he definitely knows the way around the joint.

Rusty Wallace - Normally would think of him a little stronger, but his bad foot could cause problems with the constant braking/accelerating. Winner of this event back in 1996, a fifth place finisher in 2001, and a pole-winner in 2000.

Bobby LaBonte - Has fallen as far as the other LaBonte, but owns top tens here in 2000 and '01.

Bill Elliott - Like Rudd, Wallace, and Martin - Bill's road experience dates all the way back to the days NASCAR ran at the old Riverside course. Finished in the top ten here last year, and has been running great lately.

Ricky Craven - Was not a factor at the Glen in '01, but qualifed in the top ten here and placed 16th.

Sterling Marlin - Traditionally struggles on the roadies, finishing outside the top 20 both here and at the Glen last year. But Marlin has been taking lessons from Boris Said in recent weeks, and turning laps as fast as him.

POTENTIAL SLEEPERS

Jimmie Johnson - 'Young Gun' who should fare the best, as you can rest assured that Jeff Gordon is schooling him on the nuances of road racing.

Boris Said - Stepped in for Robert Pressley in the #77 for both roadies last year, and finished 11th here and eighth at the Glen. This year Dave Blaney stays in the #77 while Jasper Enterprises gives him his own car, which will be prepared by Blaney's crew. Defending truck series winner here. Very capable of winding up in Victory Lane.

Ron Fellows - Joe Nemechek is his car owner for the #87. Did crap out both here (38th) and at the Glen (42nd). Best credential on his resume is a second at the Glen in 2000 as well as being a Busch Series winner here.. May be an even better prospect than Boris this week.

Kevin Harvick - #29 could very well turn his season around here, as he did very well on the roadies last year, qualifying 12th and finishing 14th here and qualifying 10th and placing seventh at the Glen. Should be a force this week.

Matt Kenseth - Finished smack in the middle of the field in both roadies, 21st here, 23rd at the Glen. But Rosch cars historically do well here so expect Matt to run in the top fifteen.

Jeremy Mayfield - Was not a factor here but produced a third at the Glen.

Todd Bodine - Did very well at the Glen in '01, qualifying seventh and finishing fifth.

Bobby Hamilton - By his own admission, is not crazy about the roadies. But finished second here in 1998 and qualified tenth and placed 15th last year.

Elliot Sadler - This is actually a very deep sleeper. Finished 17th last year and has also attended the Boris Said school since.

Kyle Petty - Has snuck into the top twenty in points and plenty of experience here.

SHAKY PICKS

Dale Jarrett - One veteran who I am not nuts about this week. Finished 26th here, and although he won the pole at the Glen, wound up in the kitty litter twice and finished out of the money in that as well.

Jimmy Spencer - Does have a fifth in 1999 but usually not a factor in this type of race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - A 19th here and a 12th at the Glen, but momentum is not exactly on his side. Jump on him in two weeks at Daytona.

Michael Waltrip - Has appearantly saved his job at DEI by running absolutely fantastic in the last month or so. Usually in the middle of the pack here, likewise save him for Daytona.

Ryan Newman/Kurt Busch - Newman does have the benefit of Rusty showing him the ropes, Busch is the 'young gun' I'm expecting the least of this week.

There, I have only gone through 27 drivers. My top ten is as follows...

1. J. Gordon, 2. Stewart, 3. R. Gordon, 4. Rudd, 5. Martin, 6. Wallace, 7. J. Burton, 8. Johnson, 9. Marlin, 10. Said

NASCARODDS has the drivers ranked as follows...

J. Gordon 3-1 (should be even money), Rudd 4-1, Stewart 9-2, Marlin 5-1, R. Wallace 6-1, B. LaBonte 7-1, Elliott 8-1, J. Burton 9-1, Craven 10-1, Kenseth 11-1, R. Gordon 12-1, Harvick 13-1, Marlin 14-1, Johnson 15-1, Dale Jr. 16-1, Newman 17-1, Jarrett 18-1, Busch 19-1, Mayfield 20-1, Schrader 22-1, T. Bodine 24-1, Spencer 26-1, Waltrip 28-1, Hamilton 30-1, Nadeau 32-1, Petty 34-1, Benson 36-1, W. Burton 38-1, Blaney 40-1, Andretti 42-1, Park 44-1, Nemechek 46-1, Atwood 48-1, J. Green 50-1, Sadler 55-1, T. LaBonte 60-1, Skinner 65-1, B. Bodine 70-1, Stricklin 75-1, Compton 80-1, field (Fellows/Said) 25-1