Qualifying was washed out on Friday (setting the field by points), and NASCAR had to separate heaven and earth to get just half the advertised distance in for the Saturday Busch Race before sunset. Sunday and even Monday did not figure to get much better as even more rain was forecast. However, the precipitation actually ceased and they were able to get the field out about two hours late on Sunday. The only car forced to the back to the field after changing engines was Kurt Busch, who wound up being stuck with the decrepit has-beens. The race starts under yellow as pit road was dried out. They were hoping to throw the green out on Lap 12, but some leftover sprinkles kept the field under yellow. Green flag finally waves on Lap 20, with Mark Martin taking the lead from polesitter Sterling Marlin. Bill Elliott is clearly on, taking third by eight laps of green flag racing. Elliott is using the same car that he qualified and placed second with in Dover. Those not doing so well and sliding back in the early stages included Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace. Busch slowly moves his way up the scoring pylon and is up to 30th by Lap 43. Elliott cruises by Martin to take the race lead on Lap 45. Sterling Marlin is running well and remains in third as Jimmie Johnson marches into second. Jeff Burton, who went from 33rd to first in just 73 laps to win the Busch race and won two rain-shortened Darlington races in 1999, is on another assault into the top five. Ricky Craven sits in seventh (with what appears to be one of his best runs in weeks), Jeff Green is running 10th, and Jeff Gordon is saddled in 12th with a tight condition. Kevin Harvick�s setup is clearly off and is sitting in 13th, ditto for Tony Stewart who is now all the way back in 20th as we stare into the face of a true Darlington rarity � green flag pit stops. No adjustments for the Elliott machine as the #9 crew turns in a sparkling 13.3. Air-pressure adjustment for Johnson, major adjustments for Gordon and a chassis adjustment for Matt Kenseth, with a car that the crew has not been happy with since a recent testing session. Sterling Marlin just gets a wedge (left-side) adjustment. Elliott and Johnson start to pick-off lapped cars one-by-one, and we are left with 26 cars on the lead lap at less than � distance � with the likes of Ricky Rudd, Johnny Benson, and Jerry Nadeau finding themselves one down. Dale Jarrett cruises into the top five on what is one of his favorite tracks. Jeff Burton is running fourth but is reporting a vibration. Johnson makes up a three-second deficit and takes over the race lead on Lap 96, as the Elliott machine now seems to not be running nearly as well. Ryan Newman blows by Jarrett for the fifth spot, while Gordon is doing somewhat better in eighth. Teams are complaining of debris in Turn 2 by lap 105, and eventually the first caution of the race does fall for that. Meanwhile the #17 is still not running well and Kenseth thinks he has gotten the wall pretty good. Elliott checks in at 18.1, while Johnson and Kenseth among others get adjustments. Ricky Craven gets what must have been an incredible stop and goes from seventh to the race lead. Elliott turns out to be the big loser and is now back in seventh.

Craven is able to hang on to the lead for some time under green, despite getting his �Darlington Stripe� � brushing the wall at one point. Jeff Burton gets Johnson for second, then Craven for the lead on Lap 129. Drivers continuing to struggle include Kenseth (17th) and Stewart (21st). Johnson starts to slide as Dale Jarrett takes over the #4 spot. The sun starts to come out at this point, and word out of the Johnson camp indicates the #48 starts to struggle under those conditions. Sterling Marlin is still running a strong third, and then gets Craven and Burton to take the lead on Lap 150. Elliott remains in seventh, Gordon eighth. Todd Bodine spins in four to bring out a caution, and Elliott is forced to check-up hard to avoid the #26. Jarrett 14.5 (tract-bar), Marlin 15.1, Burton 18.0 (tract-bar). Restart order on Lap 159 is Marlin, Jarrett, Craven, Burton. Bobby LaBonte is a huge winner on pit-road, moving from 15th to ninth. Jarrett leads a lap on the restart, only for Marlin to reclaim it on the next lap. Kevin Harvick (16th) and Matt Kenseth (21st) struggles continue. Jeff Gordon is now on a charge into fourth while Johnson is down to fifth. Gordon eventually blows by Jarrett and Marlin for the lead while Kurt Busch has quietly moved into 11th. Appearantly, KB has passed Spencer without incident. Adjustments on Tony Stewart�s machine evidently went well as the #20 is now banging his way into the top ten. The only multi-car incident of the day occurs on Lap 190 (past half-way) when John Andretti blows up and gets into the Turn 2 wall. Getting into Andretti�s oil, and also going into the wall was Jerry Nadeau, Kevin Harvick, Mike Skinner, and Steve Park. Harvick is actually in a pretty mellow mood afterwards, mostly since the situation had no intent involved. In any event, a long overdue bad day for the #29. Coming off stops of 13.6 and 13.4, Craven gets a tract-bar adjustment. Jarrett 14.7, Marlin 15.3, J. Burton 17.4. Restart order is Marlin, Jarrett, Burton, and Johnson. A lugnut stuck in the gun episode has relegated Jeff Gordon into 11th. Kurt Busch has some rear-end damage and is back in 13th. Dale Jr. (who�s not been a factor) is mired in 15th, while Kenseth sits in 19th. There are reports circulating of rain possibly 30 minutes away � which would not come to fruition. After a lengthy delay to put oil-dry down in Turn 2, the restart occurs on Lap 202. But it turns out that there are still problems in 2 as Craven, Stewart, and Jeff Burton all get into the wall in separate incidents. Burton is left with a �toe-out� condition that must be addressed. Only cars running toward the rear of the lead lap pit at this point.

Restart on Lap 211 as Johnson immediately blows past Jarrett for second, and you�ve guessed it � cloudy conditions have returned. Rusty Wallace is suddenly running strong in fourth, while Jeff Green makes contact with the Turn 2 wall, and has to make an unscheduled stop and two-tire change. Next caution occurs when Matt Kenseth makes huge contact with Turn 4, and has to go behind the wall for repairs. Kenseth would later blame himself for the incident � but like Harvick it was not like he was having a great day anyways. Dale Jr. 16.3 (air-pressure adjustment), Marlin 15.5, Johnson 16.7, Gordon 14.2. For the second time in a month disaster strikes Dale Jarrett during a crucial late-race stop as an air-gun is unplugged � costing DJ about 15 seconds and relegating the #88 to the last car on the lead lap (20th). Restart order is Marlin, Newman, Gordon. Gordon gets both the #12 and #40 on the restart � and starts to dominate the event. Jerry Nadeau finds the wall to bring out another caution on Lap 242, as Gordon lets teammate Joe Nemechek get back on the lead lap. Restart on Lap 246 with Bobby LaBonte suddenly in the top five, as Newman goes on the apron to get Marlin for second. Bill Elliott blows past Rusty for sixth while Jarrett has climbed back up to 14th. Robby Gordon, of all people, has suddenly made a top-ten appearance. Busch and Jarrett both pass Jimmy Spencer without incident. Elliot Sadler was also challenging for a top ten position but that is ruined as the #21 makes an unscheduled stop. As the laps start to click down Newman continues to run great, but is unable to make up further ground on Gordon, in fact the #24 starts to pull away. Busch now up to eighth, Jarrett 11th. Another round of green flag stops begin on Lap 300 (67 remaining), Dale Jr. 14.9 (air pressure), Rusty 15.5, Gordon 15.1, an air-pressure adjustment for Elliott, no adjustments for Mark Martin. Jimmie Johnson comes in on Lap 304 but falls victim to a freak tire problem � the valve core of his left rear gets ripped out by the air gun. After leaving the pit the outer-liner separates and falls to the track. But Johnson is able to get two huge breaks at this point. First JJ is able to get back to the pits as the yellow comes out, and more importantly is able to remain on the lead lap. Gordon dominates the restart with 59 to go, as Newman is forced to maneuver around the lapped car of Jeff Green. Bill Elliott moves into third, Jarrett eighth, Busch tenth, Stewart 11th. Caution out as Joe Nemechek loses a tire, then misses the entrance to pit road. Green gets his lap back from Gordon. Those with not much to lose who elect to pit at this point include Dale Jr. Johnson, and Stewart. 12 of the 23 on the lead lap end up pitting. Gordon dominates the final restart while Newman is also able to clear lapped traffic with 45 to go. Ward Burton (last year�s Southern 500 winner) has again suddenly appeared late in a race and is now running sixth. Jarrett also moves into the top five as Bobby LaBonte starts to fade.

Now since I worked Sunday, I was forced to tape the race for the whole six hours � not knowing how the rain delays would work out. Turns out that I did not miss anything in the final laps as Jeff Gordon cruises to his second straight victory, followed by Newman, Elliott, Marlin, and Jarrett (with a nice recovery, doubt he could had done much better without the pit mishap). Rounding out the top ten was Ward Burton, Busch, Stewart, Johnson (another nice recovery), and Jeff Burton. Other notables include Mark Martin (11th), Jeff Green (12th � after getting that lap back), Ricky Craven (14th), Bobby LaBonte (15th), Dale Jr. (16th), Robby Gordon (17th), Jeremy Mayfield (20th � this is the race his team was pointing towards), Rusty Wallace (22nd), Michael Waltrip (24th � a non-factor all day), Ricky Rudd (30th), Matt Kenseth (37th), and Kevin Harvick (40th). Not nearly the attrition normally associated with Darlington � I swore it seemed like a Michigan race at times. I can only imagine the drivers were given the riot act during pre-race meetings. The win is Gordon�s fifth all time at Darlington, tying him with Cale Yarborough for first on the all-time list.

In the points battle, Marlin�s third straight top-ten (but winless in 20 races) keeps him in the lead, but with Gordon now quickly closing � and only 91 points behind. Mark Martin is in third 125 points out, followed by Tony Stewart (-162), Jimmie Johnson (-167), Rusty Wallace (-230), and Bill Elliott (-265).

COSMIC LATTE

Not much to report from the silly season, fine, suspension, or rules department. Like I said, it seems like there was a one week cooling off period from the Bristol shenanigans. The biggest thing I have to report is that Travis Carter flew to Japan this week to recruit someone named Hideo Fukuyama to drive the #66 car for three races, starting later this month in Dover. The #66 does have points from the first three races this season, so Hideo should be able to make the field once or twice. His resume includes two Winston West races along with the season-ending Suzuki exhibition race back in 1996. Myself, I feel Hideo is way, way, over his head � but at least he has a legitimate ride to work with (unlike being with say, BAM RACING) � should be somewhat interesting�

RICHMOND PREVIEW

WHAT�S UP DOC??? That�s right, it�s the Richmond Loony Tunes 400 in prime time Saturday night � where some of the Bristol hostilities could very well re-manifest itself. If you're a conspiracy theorist - you would look for a Chevy to take the checkers. For a review of the May event, in which most of it was postponed until Sunday afternoon � then degenerated into a demolition derby as the notorious Richmond sealant broke apart, click here. This is a No Bull Five race, with Michael Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, and Mark Martin eligible for the million dollar bonus. I give everyone except Waltrip at least a punchers chance at cashing in. An interesting historical note: Richard Petty once won seven consecutive events here (1971-74), and thirteen all-time. That was back in the days when the amenities here were no better than your local short-track. The list of contenders is as follows�

Jeff Gordon � Yet another strong track for Gordon, seventh place in the spring and two wins all-time A third consecutive win is not out of the question.

Rusty Wallace � Bristol may be his favorite track, but RIR is not far behind � with six career victories dating back to 1989. If he�s in second and on Gordon�s fender in the waning laps is there any doubt what Rusty is going to do � especially with a million on the line?????

Tony Stewart � Two consecutive wins in the spring race, although after this May�s win he called the RIR surface �the worst I�ve ever raced on�. Nevertheless, he ranks as the main favorites along with Rusty and Gordon.

Jeff Burton � One of the home boys, and has a win in this event from back in �98 along with a top-five last year. Was contending along with his brother before wrecking midway through the May event.

Matt Kenseth � Finished sixth back in May � OK that is not too impressive, until you mention that he came from three laps down to do it.

Kevin Harvick � Crashed out in the middle of his horrible spring slump, but had this race in his hip pocket before Rudd bumped him in NASCAR�s final race in the pre-9/11 world...

Ricky Rudd � This is also his home track, and is usually a major factor. However, Ricky is clearly getting second-hand equipment due to his lame-duck status and is coming off a Ken Schrader-like performance at Darlington. Check out how he does in qualifying and Happy Hour before proceeding.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. � A winner at this track back in �00. A win here would be bittersweet however. Remember when Dale was talked into going for the win at the Pepsi 400 and proceeded to finish sixth????? That made him ineligible for the million dollars here. On a much brighter note however, a top five in this race makes him eligible for the bonus at Talladega, where he would have a great chance at cashing in.

Bill Elliott � Did finish on the lead lap in May, one of only 16 to do so.

Sterling Marlin � Did manage a seventh in Bristol � so the short-track program may be getting better. Eligible for the million dollars.

Jeff Green � Sleeper of the week. Was a serious contender at times in May � this is his kind of track.

Ryan Newman � Second place in the spring, and seems to have one of the better cars on a weekly basis.

Dale Jarrett � Not a huge Jarrett track, but again he�s got RYR�s best equipment.

Kurt Busch � Took a provisional and finished 27th in May, another one you may want to look at in qualifying to see if he�s any better.

Jimmie Johnson � Like Busch did not fare well in the spring, qualifying 26th and finishing 31st. On the plus side, the Johnson camp seems to be realizing their role better, they're going for Rookie of the year, while the #24 goes for the title.

Mark Martin � Has not won here since 1990, but don�t be surprised if he manages to collect his second million of the year.

Johnny Benson � Usually a good track for him, but this was where he was injured in the May Busch race.

Jimmy Spencer � Spencer led the way for part of the May event, as he is a force on the short tracks. Bonus eligibility is another plus.

Ward Burton � Two straight top tens for the Virginian, and had the best car for a good portion of the May event before breaking down. Some momentum to build on here.

Michael Waltrip � Bonus eligible and usually qualifies well. But don�t expect Front Row Mike to do much once the green flag falls.

Jeremy Mayfield � Team seemed to be pointing towards Darlington, but this is the track where he finished fifth in the spring. Supposedly he�s going to figure the learning curve between the Penske Ford and Evernham Dodge engines one of these days�

Bobby LaBonte � Qualified and finished sixth in this event last September. Has had his best efforts this year on the short tracks.

Look for things to shake out as follows�

1. Wallace, 2. Gordon, 3. Stewart, 4. Harvick, 5. Dale Jr., 6. Jarrett, 7. Martin, 8. J. Burton, 9. Spencer, 10. W. Burton

I wouldn�t trust the Vegas Mafia as far as I could throw them. If a night race were being held in Vegas and Dale Jr. were leading � someone would be sure to drive a car into a transformer before the race became official, and Vegas would be forced to take a bath to the legions of Junior fans. Nonetheless, here is how NASCARODDS has it down�

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

ANDY HOUSTON AWARD

Morgan Shepherd got a huge head start on the traffic by exiting after 43 laps due to a break problem. No suprise here...