But this was not the X � F � L. How long does it take to interview the winner along with the top runner-ups, about 10 minutes at the most. I think Justin Timberwolf (or whatever the hell his name is) can wait. I mean it doesn�t take Stewart long to deliver a couple of verbal jabs at Newman (�It�s about time the fastest car won�), in fact he could probably be a good SNL monologue in itself. We know Stewart is sick of looking up at Newman, but he is selling him way short. Not only does Newman have eight wins, but took his eighth pole of the year this past weekend as well. It�s not like Steve Bartman keeps on getting in the way of Stewart�s front tire carrier on his last stop, or that Bart is moonlighting for Goodyear when not attending Cubs games and becoming the biggest villain this side of Kurt Busch.

But then again, Stewart never has much to say to TV when things do not go well, so perhaps it was good that TV returned the favor. Still, I think SNL could wait. For how many years has 60 Minutes been delayed when NFL games go long??? The audience usually waits and showing the end of the game actually helps as a lead in. Meanwhile Stewart has actually been the hottest driver (next to Newman of course) over the past four weeks, scoring finishes of 3rd, 3rd, 4th, and 1st while jumping up to 7th in the standings after being 14th as late as the end of July.

Here is a look at some of the other drivers at Charlotte�

Jimmie Johnson � The three top drivers historically at this track did not disappoint. Led the second most laps and would had overtaken Newman for second if he had about 10 more laps.

Bill Elliott � If this is his swan song he is going out in a blaze, recording his fifth top-five in his last 11 races and is now knocking on the door of the top ten.

Jeff Gordon � Rounds out the top five, interesting to note that all five drivers actually qualified in the top six. Sometimes qualifying does mean something.

Bobby LaBonte � Is always money at Charlotte and Atlanta, and was not far off the mark here placing sixth.

Jamie McMurray � Another hot driver who proves that last year�s win was not a fluke by finishing seventh. Now has eight straight finishes in the top twenty.

Matt Kenseth � Dodged a couple of bullets this week, first he manages to avoid contact with Kevin Harvick. Then the crew correctly diagnoses the cause of a power steering problem and had a new cap ready when it is realized on pit road that the old one had flown off, causing the loss of fluid. A huge eighth place finish while expanding his points lead over Harvick to 267. Considering Matt is from north of the Illinois border and as long as �Cowboy Up� doesn�t appear on his paint scheme don�t look for a fold job here.

Jeremy Mayfield � No top ten this week, but caps off another momentus week for the Evernham team by placing 12th.

Rusty Wallace � Was busted for speeding on pit road twice but still finishes on the lead lap in 13th.

Michael Waltrip � Hey, he kept in one piece and places 14th.

Sterling Marlin � The #40 was the two-time defending champion of the fall race, but Marlin struggled early and needed the Lucky Dog pass twice in the early going before finishing in 15th, the final car on the lead lap.

Robby Gordon � The freefall continues, don�t look now but Gordon is down to 15th in the standings after a 38th place finish.

Kurt Busch � And what�s going on here??? Throw out a sixth at Talladega and the #97 has gone 38th, 40th, and 41st. Spencer must have aimed that Ojuia board at him good.

This will be yet another hurdle in Matt Kenseth�s championship quest, as the #17 has finished 19th or worse in five of seven career races here. But Ryan Newman will be equally challenged to make up ground, he has never scored a top-15 in four attempts. Likewise Ryan Newman does not have a good track record here, as racing here is more about conserving the brakes rather than horsepower. Surprisingly, Dale Jr has the best track record of the point championship contenders, with three consecutive top-fives. This could also be a good weekend for Kurt Busch to rebound, he started a tremendous season-ending run by winning this race last year. Of all active drivers, Rusty Wallace has led the most laps with 3,488 � more than twice as much as his next nearest competitor (Ricky Rudd/1,569). Sterling Marlin usually doesn�t do well on short tracks, but has finished 12th or better in his last five Martinsville starts. And despite his recent good run, this may be a good week to rest Bill Elliott, he has failed to finish 10 of his last 19 short track events.

TRIVIA: Who was the last place finisher in this event in 2002???