Dale Earnhardt Jr. earns the pole with teammate Michael Waltrip, along with rookie phenoms Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman close behind. Meanwhile Ward Burton is off to yet another bad start losing positions early, then is eliminated in a nine-car wreck on the frontstretch also involving Elliott Sadler, Tony Raines, Stuart Kirby, Casey Atwood, Bobby LaBonte (who changed engines and started from the rear), Ken Schrader, Jeff Green, and Jerry Nadeau. Green suffers some damage but is still able to salvage a decent day. A tire rim appears to come off the Raines machine to start the carnage. Restart occurs on Lap 15 (of 267 laps) but not for long as #2 qualifier Waltrip cuts a tire (went over some debris) and nails the wall. Dale Jarrett and Sterling Marlin are among those pitting at this point, Marlin like many others at this venue has scuffs (slightly used tires) put on. Restart on Lap 27, but the race appears to be headed to even more attrition than last year�s crash-filled affair as Morgan Shepherd, Schrader, and Jack Sprague wreck. Kyle Petty taps into Shepherd to start that one, and Jeff Green was barely able to avoid being involved again. This time, some of the front-runners elect to pit, with a variety of strategies. Bill Elliott (with his winning Pocono/Indy car) takes fuel only, Jimmie Johnson get two tires, while Dale Jr. gets four along with adjustments. Newman and Jeff Gordon are among those not pitting at all and restart in front, as the field is now turned upside down. Dale Jarrett loses a motor soon after the restart, ending his day with nearly as bad a result than last year. Ricky Craven would soon head behind the wall as well with a radiator problem. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick (in his winning Chicago car) is on the march moving into the top three. Dave Blaney wrecks in Turn 4 to bring out yet another caution, and the #24 and #12 finally pit. That puts Harvick in front for the next restart, with Newman and Gordon in 15th and 16th respectively.

Harvick dominates at this point, and soon checks out to a 2.5 second lead as the likes of Bill Elliott and Tony Stewart move into the top five. Kurt Busch�s engine starts to miss as we go under 30 cars on the lead lap. Elliott gets past Johnson for second as Greg Biffle gets into Jimmy Spencer, sending Spencer into the wall with radiator fluid pouring out to bring yet another caution � and full-pledged pit stops. Harvick 15.5, Elliott 16.3, Johnson 16.7 Spring rubber removed along with adjustments for Stewart, four scuffed tires each for Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin, there is also a tract-bar adjustment on the #6. Johnny Benson and Matt Kenseth take their turn up front for the restart, but third-place Kevin Harvick gets both of them on Turn 1. In fact Kenseth falls back quickly, as he took on only two tires. Sterling Marlin hangs around the top ten while Rusty Wallace (who nearly won last year�s race) charges into the top five. Rusty gets a bit too aggressive however and gets into Johnny Benson, who makes a great save before the #10 could get into the infield. Rusty, Elliott, and Jeff Burton all set their sights on Jeff Gordon while Dale Jr. closes in on Harvick, and gets the lead on Lap 95. Not soon after, a caution falls for debris. Rusty 16.0, Dale Jr. 14.2. Johnson, Martin, and Stewart take on two tires while Ryan Newman takes fuel only and restarts in front.

Restart on Lap 107 but not for long as Steve Park wrecks possibly after being pinched down by Marlin. Mark Martin did not fare well with the two tires, so the #6 takes on four this time. Jimmie Johnson charges into third on the restart, behind Newman and Elliott. Joe Nemechek is having a fine day and gets Rusty for the ninth position. As we approach the halfway point, Martin is still struggling and gets into the rear of 20th place of Robby Gordon. Yet another caution as the #49 of Stuart Kirby blows up. Sterling Marlin elects to get four stickers (brand new tires � as opposed to scuffs) on this stop. Harvick 16.2, Johnson 15.2 (a/p adjustment), Newman 17.0. Meanwhile there is trouble for Dale Jr., one of his hubs would not stop spinning on his stop, and will now restart in 20th. On the restart Sterling Marlin season would make an even sharper turn for the worse as Jeff Burton gets into the #40, sending it hard into the outside wall and ricocheting into the inside retaining wall. Marlin walks away, but there would be more news to come later as Bill Elliott is one of the few to pit during this caution, as Jeff Gordon restarts in front.

Rusty is back on the march in fourth, while Elliott quickly moves back up to 11th, Dale Jr. in 14th. A tire goes down on Jimmie Johnson, and he comes in during green to take two tires � going a lap down. We are now into by far the longest green flag run of the day, as Gordon starts encountering lapped traffic. By lap 200 Gordon�s lead balloons to six seconds as we heads towards green-flag stops. Rusty 14.4 (w/wedge-a/p adjustments), wedge adjustments for Benson, Newman and Gordon (15.9) as well. Harvick loses time on pit road as the #29 takes scuffs instead of stickers this time. Harvick immediately reports a vibration and has to make a second trip in, losing a lap. Mark Martin takes scuff while Jeff Burton ruins a great day by over-revving his engine during his pit. Jimmie Johnson now in second, and a caution now would be a huge break for the #48. Tony Stewart passes a now struggling Jeff Burton as he sets his sights on Kenseth for fifth. Suddenly Newman dramatically closes in on Gordon with the six-second lead reduced to 2.5 seconds with 42 laps to go, as Gordon refers to his car as junk (aero-push). Meanwhile Jeff Burton blows up and is done for the day. Meanwhile Gordon is able to pull away from lapped traffic and his lead on Newman stabilizes, as the number of lead-lap cars get down to a precious few. Johnson finally is forced to pit with 33 to go, and takes two tires. Bill Elliott and Dale Jr. remain on the march with Bill in fifth, and Dale Jr. seventh. Meanwhile Gordon�s advantage is back up to 4.5 seconds. Debris on the backstretch finally brings out the caution with just 19 laps to go with only ten cars on the lead lap, the last of which being point leader Mark Martin. Martin, along with fellow lead lap drivers Tony Stewart, Bill Elliott, and Matt Kenseth elect to pit. Martin's engine, which was starting to miss at the end of this run - stalls on pit road. Martin manages to fire it back up to get out, but the car dies again on the backstretch. That would be the end of the afternoon for the #6, along with the end of Martin's point lead. That would be the third Rosch car to go behind the wall, only Kenseth remains unscathed. Restart order with 14 to go is Gordon, Newman, Rusty, Elliott, Stewart and Kenseth. Dale Jr. gets into the rear of a loose Tony Stewart on the restart, causing the #20 to drop to last (tenth) among lead lap cars. Meanwhile Johnny Benson gets into Jimmy Spencer, triggering a four car pile-up involving those two along with Jeremy Mayfield and Ricky Rudd (Stewart gets through the carnage) - necessitating the dreaded red flag with six laps remaining. Bill Elliott gives up seventh position to pit before the restart with three laps to go. Gordon restarts clean, and although Ryan Newman provides some competition, the #24 prevails as Gordon suddenly has three wins on the campaign.

Rusty Wallace finishes strong with his second straight Kansas near-miss, finishing third while Joe Nemechek goes a long way in securing a ride with Hendrick Motorsports with a season-best fourth-place showing. The other five lead-lap cars (in order) were Bill Elliott, Dale Jr. Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Jeremy Mayfield. Both Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick recovered somewhat from their tire problems and placed 10th and 11th respectively. Either one could had won without those hiccups occurring. Other notables include Robby Gordon (13th), Jeff Green (17th), Ricky Rudd (20th), Mark Martin (25th), Michael Waltrip (26th), Jeff Burton (29th), Kurt Busch (31st), Sterling Marlin (33rd), and Dale Jarrett (39th).

JimmyJohn may had caught a bad break with the tire, but still finishes good enough to take over the point lead by 11 over Mark Martin, with Tony Stewart now only 36 points in arrears. Jeff Gordon (-109) and Sterling Marlin (-121) round out the top five followed by Rusty Wallace (-137), Ryan Newman (-154), Matt Kenseth (-193), and Bill Elliott (-201).

STERLING DONE

That leaves nine drivers within 200 points, however much like the dude who fell into the fire on Survivor a few years back, Sterling Marlin has likewise been voted off the island due to injury. Already banged up from the crash at Richmond a few weeks back, further examination after the Kansas wreck revealed two hairline fractures in Marlin�s neck, which will sideline for the remainder of the season. While the team was devastated, a reflective Marlin offered �it could be worse, I could be in a wheelchair�. Actually, racing with a protective neck brace was offered as an option. Also, Marlin would still get points for all races started, even if a relief driver were to take over. However, Marlin will wisely sit out as Jamie McMurray (slated to drive the #42 for Ganassi next year) nows gets his feet wet with the #40, with the exception of Martinsville in a couple of weeks when McMurray is slated for a Busch Series race at a different venue.

Also, in perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets in racing history � Dale Jr. now admits to suffering a concussion (along with a sprained ankle) in the aftermath of a wreck at California back in late April. By archiving to my race recap (just after I go off on a tangent on Jeanne Zelasko), I reported then that there were rumors of a concussion, and even suggested that he might not fare well the following week at Richmond because of it. Sure enough Junior crapped out in that race, and would go on to five finishes of 30th or worse, along with zero top-fives in the span of ten races. In the nine races before the California crash Junior had five top-fives along with zero 30th or worse finishes. The jury says his brains were scrambled for a while.

All of this leads to renewed debate about drivers hiding such conditions, and the need to more thoroughly examine competitors before clearing them to race. And indeed in the wake of Junior�s admission, NASCAR has now vowed to step up it�s �concussion policy� � ordering drivers to take a CT scan in those instances where a concussion is suspected. If a concussion is diagnosed, a driver cannot be allowed to competed until medical clearance is given. Supposedly CART and IRL have similar policies already in place. The new policy may sound fine and dandy, but you be the one to tell Tony Stewart or Ricky Rudd or someone else smack in the middle of a points race that they can�t compete. There�s just too much money and prestige involved to really put any teeth into this. And has been proven with Sterling Marlin, Johnny Benson, and Tony Stewart just this year � the drivers just have to keep on going out there, you just hope against them being involved in multiple wrecks in a short timeframe.

TALLADEGA PREVIEW

Sterling Marlin�s absence will definitely be felt this week, as the #40�s restrictor plate program over the past two years ranks only behind those of Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip. In hopes of preventing the big wreck, fuel cells in this race will only be 13 gallons (kind of like a passenger car) as opposed to the usual 22 gallons, forcing an increased number of pit stops. Also soft-walls have been installed at the track, which will probably be needed between the Cup and Busch races this weekend. Greg Biffle does not race this week, with Ron Hornaday taking over the #55 for this week. Also Kerry Earnhardt will be making his Cup debut. This will be a Top-five Million Dollar Bonus race with Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Dale Jr., Jeff Green, and Todd Bodine the eligible drivers. Well at least four of them have a shot. And there is also the carry-over jackpot for a point leader who wins a race which is now over a quarter-million dollars. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Tony Stewart all have a crack at that one. For a recap of Dale Jr.�s uplifting Spring race victory, click here. The list of contenders is as follows�

Dale Earnhardt Jr. � Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip may be ranked 13th and 15th in the standings, but they are #1 and #1A this weekend. Those two run at the front so much that neither really has to worry about being collected in �The Big One�. Look for Junior to inspire and unify a nation by completing a Talladega sweep.

Michael Waltrip � Lately, Mikie has been qualifying near the front. This weekend he gets to finish near the front. After winning in Daytona in July look for Mikie to return to his role of playing Robert Newhouse to Junior�s Tony Dorsett � and place second while paving the way for Junior to collect the million bucks.

Geoff Bodine � Why would anyone list this part-timer third??? Well, next to Michael Waltrip � Geoff is tied for second in best average finish in plate races this year, with a 3rd, 12th, and 10th to his credit. Geoff attributes his success in just knowing �how to avoid the wrecks�. Sounds good to me.

Jimmie Johnson � Count on a pole for sure out of JimmieJohn (where he�s already started in two plate races), and a top five as well as he pads his points lead.

Ryan Newman � Not a great plate record this year, although he does have one top ten. Marlin�s falling out does knock one obstacle out of the past of Newman�s late-season title charge.

Kurt Busch � Has a third to his credit from the Spring race along with a Daytona fourth place finish. Look for �wildman� to be a factor again.

Mark Martin � Won�t win but has a sixth and fifth to his credit in plate races this year.

Rusty Wallace � 18th, 8th and 2nd at plate tracks this year, he will win before year is out.

Jeff Gordon � Cut tire killed him in Daytona back in July, especially with his rivals wisely refusing to let him have that lap back. His other two plate outings have netted him a ninth and fourth however.

Bill Elliott � No top tens on plate tracks (11th, 19th, 17th) � but has finished on the lead lap each time which always gets you a shot.

SHAKY PICKS

Tony Stewart � Hard to put a championship contender here, but here is Tony�s plate record this year. 43rd (blew up on third lap), 29th (helped trigger the big one), and 39th (two accidents). Tony is also 0 for 15 in winning plate races. Of course, one can turn around and say that it only means he�s due.

Kevin Harvick � You could point to his July pole at Daytona along with the Goodwrench car�s tradition and track record at this venue. But his plate results have not been the best, placing 36th, 28th, and 11th.

Ward Burton � Tied with G. Bodine for the second-best plate record in �02 with a win, 15th, and 9th. But Ward�s is in a rut and heads rolled at Bill Davis Racing this week.

Matt Kenseth � Fourth in this race last year and bonus eligible. The extra pit activity should also work in Robbie Reiser�s favor. Not a plate specialist though.

LONG SHOTS

Jimmy Spencer � Rode Sterling Marlin�s coattails to a fourth in Daytona back in July. His only two career wins have been on plate tracks.

Elliott Sadler � Second place finisher in Daytona 500.

Jamie McMurray � No, he will not win. But if he can achieve just half of Sterling�s plate success it would bode well to those who use him at a rock-bottom price in a salary-cap like game.

After all the sheet-metal is cleared on White Knuckle Sunday, look for the results to shake down as follows�

1. Dale Jr., 2. Waltrip, 3. Johnson, 4. Newman, 5. J. Gordon, 6. Busch, 7. Rusty, 8. Martin, 9. Harvick, 10. Stewart, 11. Elliott, 12. Harvick, 13. G. Bodine, 14. Kenseth, 15. J. Burton, 16. W. Burton, 17. Sadler, 18. Green, 19. R. Gordon, 20. B. LaBonte

ANDY HOUSTON AWARD

Ward Burton becomes the first repeat winner of the award, and the first three-time winner overall. After the latest last-place finish crew chief Tommy Baldwin reportedly got into it with owner Bill Davis, with Baldwin cleaning out his office the next morning in the aftermath. With Baldwin out of the picture, Davis immediately hires former Jeff Burton crew chief Frankie Stoddard to finish out the year. It was also announced this week that Bobby LaBonte will have a new crew chief next year, as Jimmy Makar will be re-assigned to another position within Joe Gibbs Racing.