By Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
Six of one ...
Drivers with momentum heading to Dover:
• Ricky Rudd -- He posted his first top-10 finish since Oct. 15, 2005, at Charlotte -- and now trails fifth-place Mark Martin by five on the all-time list.
• Bobby Labonte -- Don't look now, but he's lurking: finished 13th at Charlotte and now is only 89 points outside the top 12. He also hasn't finished outside the top 20 in the past five races.
• Carl Edwards -- Among the drivers in the top 12 in points, he made the biggest move -- up two spots, to eighth. And he finished second at Dover in last year's fall race.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- He has four consecutive top-15 finishes, the team's best run since Race Nos. 10-15 last year. Could the end to the 38-race winless streak be near?
• J.J. Yeley -- Since the bar was upped for Yeley, his average finish in the past two races is 10th. The guy who upped the bar -- Driver 8 -- his average finish is 8.0. ... Not saying that Yeley got the message loud 'n' clear, but ...
• Casey Mears -- C'mon, the guy just won his first race; you know he's stoked! Bring on Dover ... and a 25.6 average finish in eight previous starts. And big ups to crew chief Darian Grubb.
Half a dozen of the other ...
And six drivers who need a jump start:
• Greg Biffle -- Only 12 races into the season and he has as many DNFs (2) as he does top-10 finishes. Welcome to the Titanic, Greg Erwin.
• Ryan Newman -- Another pole ... another thirtysomething finish, his fifth of the season. The team also has three DNFs in the past four races.
• Elliott Sadler -- Believe it or not: three consecutive finishes outside the top 20 and only two lead-lap finishes in the past eight races.
• Juan Montoya -- He hasn't finished on the lead lap in the past five races. ... Eso no es una buena cosa, tipo. (That's not a good thing, dude.)
• Reed Sorenson -- He finished fourth! Why does he need a jump start? The only other time Sorenson posted a top-five (June 18, 2006, at Michigan) he followed it up with a 29th-place finish at Sonoma. Consistency, grasshopper.
• Michael Waltrip -- Fans and detractors alike need you back behind the wheel. ... One non-racer is enough on Inside Nextel Cup, which should be reason enough for NASCAR to change the qualifying rules.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
Six of one ...
Drivers with momentum heading to Dover:
• Ricky Rudd -- He posted his first top-10 finish since Oct. 15, 2005, at Charlotte -- and now trails fifth-place Mark Martin by five on the all-time list.
• Bobby Labonte -- Don't look now, but he's lurking: finished 13th at Charlotte and now is only 89 points outside the top 12. He also hasn't finished outside the top 20 in the past five races.
• Carl Edwards -- Among the drivers in the top 12 in points, he made the biggest move -- up two spots, to eighth. And he finished second at Dover in last year's fall race.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- He has four consecutive top-15 finishes, the team's best run since Race Nos. 10-15 last year. Could the end to the 38-race winless streak be near?
• J.J. Yeley -- Since the bar was upped for Yeley, his average finish in the past two races is 10th. The guy who upped the bar -- Driver 8 -- his average finish is 8.0. ... Not saying that Yeley got the message loud 'n' clear, but ...
• Casey Mears -- C'mon, the guy just won his first race; you know he's stoked! Bring on Dover ... and a 25.6 average finish in eight previous starts. And big ups to crew chief Darian Grubb.
Half a dozen of the other ...
And six drivers who need a jump start:
• Greg Biffle -- Only 12 races into the season and he has as many DNFs (2) as he does top-10 finishes. Welcome to the Titanic, Greg Erwin.
• Ryan Newman -- Another pole ... another thirtysomething finish, his fifth of the season. The team also has three DNFs in the past four races.
• Elliott Sadler -- Believe it or not: three consecutive finishes outside the top 20 and only two lead-lap finishes in the past eight races.
• Juan Montoya -- He hasn't finished on the lead lap in the past five races. ... Eso no es una buena cosa, tipo. (That's not a good thing, dude.)
• Reed Sorenson -- He finished fourth! Why does he need a jump start? The only other time Sorenson posted a top-five (June 18, 2006, at Michigan) he followed it up with a 29th-place finish at Sonoma. Consistency, grasshopper.
• Michael Waltrip -- Fans and detractors alike need you back behind the wheel. ... One non-racer is enough on Inside Nextel Cup, which should be reason enough for NASCAR to change the qualifying rules.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.