The forecasted rain holds off and the race is run in it�s entirety on Sunday. Jeff Gordon, upset about the changes with the inside groove � actually qualifies second while Ryan Newman gets the pole. Is there any track the #12 has any weakness??? But actually who would fare best, at least early in this race would be anyone with Virginia ties. That means anyone named Burton, Sadler or Rudd � along with short-track king Rusty Wallace. Even Hermie Sadler manages to qualify eighth � his best ever Cup qualifying effort by far. Newman jumps to the early lead while Ricky Rudd and Casey Atwood both get early flat tires to fall two laps behind. John Andretti (w/help from B. Bodine) spins to bring out the first caution. Top 24 cars stay out, and Tony Stewart has already climbed from 31st to 21st. The #28 car is clearly hooked up, and gets in front of Newman on the restart to get one of his laps back. Dale Jr. (in a car run exclusively for this track) is involved in contact with R. Gordon and H. Sadler. Newman is challenged for the first time by a Virginia driver when Ward Burton drags, and then takes the lead on Lap 32, with Rusty Wallace (6X Martinsville) winner not far behind. Hermie Sadler spins on the frontstretch to bring out the caution. Most cars now pit, two tires for the #29 (which Harvick will regret), wedge for Newman, track bar adj. for Ward Burton, a/p for R. Gordon. Restart order is Blaney, T. LaBonte, J. Burton, John Andretti, Steve Grissom (#44 car). Rudd jumps past Blaney on the inside to get his other lap back. Rusty gets J. Burton for second on Lap 61, then Blaney for the race lead. Stewart still moving up, and will soon be in the top ten. Ryan Newman is in second, while Jeff Burton is doing well with old tires in third. Robbie Gordon is sitting in fifth, Bill Elliott (historically one of his worst tracks) is in sixth, John Andretti (after the early spin) is in 13th � and Mike Bliss is 22nd in the #40 made famous by Sterling Marlin and Jamie McMurray. Those not running well include Jimmie Johnson (16th), Mark Martin (18th), Matt Kenseth (20th with no bite), and Jeff Green (already lapped in 36th). Geoff Bodine (in the #23 car with Kenny Wallace in the rain-delayed Busch race) spins to bring out Caution #3. Jeff Burton finally takes tires with no adjustments, wedge for Newman, track bar adj. for Rusty and Ward Burton. A lugnut problem delays Rusty�s stop and forces Jeff Gordon to pit again. Jeff has already been bitching early and often today, saying among other things �They have completely ruined this place��. NASCAR would even relay a message to Crew Chief Robbie Loomis to tell Gordon to �calm down�.

Restart order is Jeff Burton, Newman, Ward Burton. Jeff Gordon is now saddled back in 35th position. The Sadler�s are now not faring so well � Elliott in 41st, Hermie in 42nd. Newman is suddenly not hooked up and falls back to sixth. Jeff Burton gets Robbie Gordon for third, Stewart gets Bill Elliott for fifth. Bobby LaBonte does a 360 on the frontstretch, with slight help from the #24 to bring out a caution. No adjustments for Elliott, while W. Burton, J. Gordon, and Junior do not pit. Jimmy Spencer takes two tires. J. Gordon, R. Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Stewart now fight for track position behind race leader Ward Burton. Tony Stewart would eventually grab the second position as Kurt Busch is spun around by � you guessed it, Jeff Gordon to bring out caution #5 (Lap 179). No adjustments for R. Gordon, half pound off the right rear for Stewart, no changes for Ward Burton or Junior. Jeff Green temporarily gets his lap back on the restart. Ricky Rudd has now charged through the field and is now in fifth, while Rusty and Junior bump and bang for position for several laps. Rusty says over the radio that Junior �would had gone for a helicopter ride� if he kept it up. Tony Stewart completes his charge from 31st by passing W. Burton for the race lead as a caution (Grissom) comes out. Stewart 13.8, chassis adjustment for Rusty. Joe Nemechek winds up crooked in his pit, courtesy of Dale Jr., wedge-a/p adjustments for J. Burton. Jimmy Spencer elects to keep his top-five track position with two tires.

Restart order is Burton (#22), Burton, Johnny Benson. You would have to probably go back to Las Vegas in 1999 to see the Burton�s dominate a race like this. Tire goes down on Mike Wallace, then a Nemechek spin brings out Caution #7. Crew Chief Paul Andrews calls for a wedge adjustment on the Jeff Burton car, while a pound comes out on the left rear for Ward Burton. Ricky Craven (defending champ) 14.6, Geoff Bodine is the only car who doesn�t pit and restarts in first. Jeff Gordon tries to get the #23 but is not turning well and starts losing positions � hung out to dry. Gordon eventually finds the rear of Jeff Burton � damaging both cars. The #24 now has a tire rub and is forced to pit and go three laps down, while the #99 would eventually be black-flagged with the rear quarter flapping. Jimmy Spencer taps into G. Bodine, sending the #23 spinning to bring out Caution #8. Debris would bring out Caution #9 not long after that. Craven (w/very little damage) is now in first, followed by Junior and Johnny Benson, who is running one of his best races of the year. Mike Bliss (truck series leader) is now up to 12th in the #40, as Benson gets Junior for second with 200 laps to go. Kurt Busch is now also becoming a factor trying to crack the top ten. Spencer falling out of contention during the long green-flag run. Tony Stewart�s momentum is beginning to fade and the #20 is now back in fifth. R. Gordon has now fallen a lap back after a tire rub compounded by the long run. Benson is still running strong in second � still looking for that elusive first win. Caution due to a Mayfield spin on Lap 343. Wedge adj. for Busch, a/p adjustment for Benson, no changes for Craven. Busch moves into third with a great stop.

Jarrett now also with a tire rub, along with Robbie Gordon. Busch makes a bid for second on Lap 368, but Benson hangs on after the #97 is forced to check up. Johnson is now up to fourth, Ward Burton still hanging around in sixth. In fact the 'best driver who's never won a race' passes Craven for the lead on Lap 374, with Busch right behind to take second. Craven would fall back to fourth by Lap 409 when Fukuyama wrecks to bring out the caution, and one final round of pit stops. No changes for Benson, wedge adj. for Craven and Busch - who gets out first. Remember he started 36th and wins here outside the top 15 in qualifying are rare. Tony Stewart is a big loser on pit road and restarts 15th, while the #12 team rolls the dice with a two-tire stop for Newman, who now restarts in fourth. Dale Jr. now in sixth, Johnson seventh. Bill Elliott becomes the second casualty on Lap 425 to bring out the final caution. Elliott had moved up from 31st to 14th on the previous run on what is traditionally one of his worst tracks. Restart order is Busch, Benson, Craven, W. Burton. Rusty Wallace no longer a factor and back in eighth, while Newman is already falling back on the two tires. Junior gets Ward for fourth with 42 to go, Rudd gets JimmyJohn for sixth with 36 to go. Junior then gets Craven for third, with the #32 eventually fading to fifth. In the closing laps both Busch and Benson encounter a slew of lapped traffic in the form of Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Jeff Burton, Steve Park, and Kevin Harvick. Benson was able to close the gap on Busch, with the two leaders running head to tail for the final laps - but Benson is unable to complete a pass and Kurt Busch winds up with his second short track win of the year - turning the trick with the worst starting position ever at this venue.

Busch, Benson, Rudd, Dale Jr., and Ward Burton comprise the top five � followed by Johnson, Craven, Jarrett, Rusty, and Mark Martin. 14 cars finish on the lead lap, with everyone outside of Elliott and Fukuyama completing at least 496 of the 500 laps. Other notables include Tony Stewart (11th), Bobby LaBonte (12th), Mike Bliss (#40 car � 14th), Ryan Newman (15th � a lap down), Jeff Burton (17th), Michael Waltrip (18th), Matt Kenseth (19th), Kevin Harvick (31st), Jeff Green (32nd), Jeff Gordon (36th), and Bill Elliott (42nd). Jeff Gordon is voted off the island with this latest debacle, he is now saddled in sixth as far as points are concerned � a insurmountable 291 points out. Tony Stewart continues to lead, followed by Jimmie Johnson (-82), and Mark Martin (-123). Both Penske drivers Rusty Wallace (-174) and Ryan Newman (-177) remain on the fringes of the title chase. Kurt Busch moves up to seventh (-317) with his win while Bill Elliott (-439) drops to 11th. As far as owner points are concerned, the #40 car is 169 points out just ahead of both the Penske drivers. Should the field for this week be set on points, Jamie McMurray would start fourth.

COSMIC LATTE

I have a feeling this won�t happen, but Sterling Marlin is already talking about a possible return to the #40 in two weeks at Phoenix. Marlin says he�s going stir-crazy watching the races at home, but what would be the use with only two races left??? Probably the same kind of syndrome NFL starting quarterbacks go through when watching the backups lead their teams to wins. I also noticed some comments coming out of the Todd Bodine camp (per MRN broadcast) on Sunday suggesting that perhaps Todd was made too much of a scapegoat, being placed on probation for triggering the 10-car Charlotte crash. Word out of the #26 stable suggested that the violation was the racing equivalent of jay-walking. OK, let�s use that analogy. If Joe Schmoe jay-walks across the street with little other traffic present, I guess a policeman would have the option of just giving a warning or a small fine. However, when Mr. Schmoe jaywalks and causes a major problem, then the repercussions are much more severe. Same thing goes here, if Bodine�s actions only resulted with just the #26, and perhaps even one other car wrecking that would be one thing. However, going on the grass caused a multi-car accident, including wrecking all three of the RCR entries. And don�t think Childress wasn�t having a tantrum and pushing for justice on this one � and for good reason. All in all, I don�t think NASCAR overdid this punishment.

84 drivers have now participated in Cup races this year, with only 28 participating in every race. There is an interesting entry for this week�s Busch race in Atlanta � none other than Roberto Guerrero of Indy 500 fame. How long since his name was around racing circles???

ATLANTA PREVIEW

There was a reason I mentioned the possibility of McMurray starting fourth. Qualifying for this race will be held Friday night, and of course rain is forecasted to move into the area around nightfall � and possibly stick around for the entire weekend. This marks the first year this event does not mark the end of the Cup season, as it has switched dates with Homestead. Exactly ten years ago, the most historic race in NASCAR history took place � the day the sport�s past, present, and future would collide. First, there was an unprecedented six-way battle for the season title featuring Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, and Bill Elliott, with Harry Gant, Kyle Petty, and Mark Martin also in mathematical contention. As a fleet of Blackhawk helicopters �saluted� the field on the pace laps - Allison controlled his own destiny, needing only to finish sixth or higher to ensure what would had been his first tite. All six contenders were running at, or near the front for 2/3 of the event until Ernie Irvan cut a tire in front of Allison, collecting the #28 and ending Davy�s chances at the title. That left Kulwicki and Elliott in a virtual dead heat in the late stages, with the AK7 leading Elliott. After leading for the 103rd lap, ensuring the extra five bonus points � AK takes on a splash-and-go making sure that there would be enough fuel to last till the end. Elliott�s splash goes faster, and the #9 leads the rest of the way for the race win while leading 102 laps. However, AK takes the Cup title by 10 points, had Elliott led that extra lap instead of AK, the two would had wound up in a tie - with Elliott winning the title based on more wins than AK. The title was a huge upset for Kulwicki, not only since he came from over 300 points down at one point � but also because he was a solo owner/driver, a dinosaur even in those days � and virtually impossible to compete in that capacity today (ask Bill Elliott/Brett Bodine).

That would had been enough excitement for one day � but there was more. It was also the final race for one Richard Petty. The day would end early for the King due to an early fire, but the #43 was able to make it back out in the waning stages just in time for one final victory lap. And then there was the other end of the spectrum, as a fresh-faced rookie made his Cup debut to get a jump on what would become a full-time ride for 1993. The day would also not last long for this rainbow-schemed Chevrolet, but we would hear from it again many times in the years to come. Of course that was the #24 driven by 21-year old Jeff Gordon. And of course somewhere amidst all this history that day the #3 was actually flying under the radar.

After Davey Allison crashed, Bob Jenkins mad a note on the telecast that he would be a title contender for �years to come�. Unfortunately, this would prove to be Davey�s only chance � as he would lose his life while piloting his helicopter the following July. That would mark the end of an era for the �Alabama Gang�. Brother Clifford Allison died following a crash practicing for a Busch race during the �92 season, while father Bobby was seriously injured in a wreck several years earlier, which ended his career. Davey himself survived a horrific crash on the infield at Pocono earlier in �92, but valiantly started the following week at Talladega so he could remain in Cup contention. Tragedy would also befall Alan Kulwicki, as he perished in a fiery plane crash en route to Bristol on April 1, 1993 � a story that racing fans were hoping at first was just a cruel April Fool�s joke. Dale Earnhardt Sr. witnessed the Kulwicki crash, as his plane was the next to land that icy Bristol night. So within just eight months, NASCAR had to survive the loss of two of the three main components of the historic 1992 title chase. And the worst irony of all is neither was race related, as the sky is yet another hazard that drivers take � with many having their own aviation licenses.

All of this leads to the final four weeks � with more history to be made. Track owner Bruton Smith has promised 35 lead changes in this event, and if recent races here are any indication that is a good bet to happen. Click here for a recap of Tony Stewart�s win here back in March. The contenders are as follows�

Tony Stewart � Story from Lee Spencer came out this past week on how Stewart has been bothered by carbon monoxide lately. With everything else he's been through you think that's going to stop him??? Qualified seventh and would up claiming what is still his only 500+ mile race win. �Point racing� is always a possibility when in his position, so he may be a tad conservative � but still very capable of sweeping, especially when considering teammate Bobby LaBonte's success at this track.

Jimmie Johnson � Was still an unknown quantity back in March when JJ placed third. His chances of winning actually improve next week in Rockingham when Hendrick was throw in two additional entries to help clear holes for the #48. Even without that additional help JimmieJohn is a prime contender anywhere, anytime.

Ryan Newman � 10th in March, same applies with Newman that goes with JJ. If you want a good futures wager go with either Newman or Johnson as the 2003 Cup Champion. A recent thatsracin.com poll has the fans selecting either Stewart or Dale Jr. as next year�s champion. Myself I like the �young guns� better.

Matt Kenseth � Started the Spring race after changing an engine, but wound up having a terrific run. Getting great mileage, the #17 would had won going away if not for a late caution, then fell victim to pit road misfortune � relegating Kenseth to the final car on the lead lap. Matt still rallied for a fourth place finish and one imagines the same car being used this time around.

Bobby LaBonte � The 1996, '97, '99 and '01 winner of this race. Bombed out in the spring but still a good pick.

Jamie McMurray � He�s back� Marlin finished ninth in the #40 in March and this is a similar configuration to Lowe�s � so don�t count him out for two-for-two. A rain-out on qualifying would also help the cause.

Jeff Gordon � Three wins, eight top five�s and 11 top-tens for his career here. Not a bad batting average. Did not have one of his better runs in March, winding up 16th and the final car on the lead lap. Without a points chase to contend with, Gordon can just concentrate on a win. There is a slight chance of the #48 getting better equipment the next few weeks, but I feel there is enough power to go around for both.

Dale Jarrett � Five top five�s since �92 and a 13th in the spring, always a force at this venue.

Kurt Busch � Another strong run for the Rosch team in March, as the #97 was running in the top-five before fading late. Has big-mo on his side.

Rusty Wallace � Sixth place in March and still hungry for that win.

Ricky Craven � Fifth in March.

Mark Martin � Eighth in March.

Bill Elliott � Don�t get too down too much on his last two efforts. Elliott took the pole here in March, although matters went downhill for there. Where the #9 should really be strong will be Phoenix and Homestead (defending champ) where he will pull out his Pocono/Indy special.

Ward Burton � Was solid in March, and nearly pulled it out with some late pit-road magic before settling for seventh.

DON�T COUNT ON

Jerry Nadeau � By far his best track and came within � lap of winning last November when he ran out of gas. Unfortunately, Nadeau is out for the year after injuring himself in a go-kart race, and probably won�t be invited back by Petty Enterprises.

Kevin Harvick � Wrecked his primary car, which he won with in March of �01 during a test session this week and will have to go back to his �Pumpkin� (old Robbie Gordon) car, which was involved in the Lowe�s wreck. A long day awaits.

Jeff Green/Robby Gordon � Neither has been having much luck late and will have to test out new cars as well thanks to Todd Bodine. Green also blew a motor here back in the spring.

Michael Waltrip � Also blew up in March.

Look for the final running order to wind up as follows...

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