HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. laughed when asked on pit road Friday if recent allegations in a National Enquirer story entitled "Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a death spiral" were true.
He jokingly said there was more truth in a 2004 Enquirer article that said he and drivers Jamie McMurray and Elliott Sadler were involved with "naked partying" with girls in beer-filled hot tubs during spring break in Panama City, Fla.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a happy man at Homestead on Friday.
"The hot tub story was kind of true," NASCAR's most popular driver said with a laugh. "Filling it up with beer, well, who hasn't done that?"
I sheepishly raised my hand.
"Even when you were in college?" he said, his voice raising a few octaves. "Holy … !"
Sorry to disappoint.
And by the way, the best part about the 2004 story, which Earnhardt pretty much shot down at the time, was that Martin Truex Jr. also was with the group but identified as Tony Stewart because that's who he told everybody he was.
Back to the current Enquirer article. Earnhardt said he considered legal action against the publication before realizing it was worded in a way "so you really can't go after it."
"I got all tore up about how we qualified at Charlotte [in October] and I got in front of you guys and really said how I feel," Earnhardt said after qualifying at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "A couple of metaphors I used such as 'end of my rope' put me in range of those guys.
"They played target practice on that. I actually researched online how many people had sued and won."
The article anonymously quoted several sources supposedly close to Earnhardt saying he had turned to "booze" to cope with what statistically is his worst season in the Sprint Cup series.
The article said he "burned through a string of girlfriends and he's still haunted by the tragic death of his legendary father."
"Dale Jr. seems almost in a death spiral," disclosed a pal in the story. "He's locked himself away from his closest friends, and he's upset all the time.
"Those closest to him are concerned about his mental health and well-being. No one wants to see him do something stupid. We've suggested that he get help, take some time off and regroup, but he won't listen."
Earnhardt again laughed off the article, refusing to call 2009 his worst season ever even though statistics -- 24th in points with no wins -- suggest otherwise.
What he means is the scrutiny he's been under for lack of performance is far less than what he went through during the family warfare with stepmother Teresa Earnhardt.
"It doesn't really bother me that much," he said of the article. "A lot of people say any publicity is good. We're [24th] in points and still relevant for the National Enquirer."
As for this season, Earnhardt said a lot of good things have happened and that he wished the year wasn't over so his team could continue to improve.
But he said confidence is what his team needs to work on the most during the offseason.
"That's where it starts," Earnhardt said. "I need to believe that they believe, and vice versa. If they get the feeling I don't believe in them, then we are done. That's the worst thing I can do. It's a two-way street between every employee on that team."
Earnhardt said some of the changes crew chief Lance McGrew has made in the structure of the team at the Concord, N.C., shop have helped.
"And we'll see hopefully some more of that as we get closer to Daytona," he said, referring to next year's opener. "He's already made some good changes and done a pretty good job of helping us improve as a team."
The Enquirer probably won't report that, though, unless McGrew fills the car with beer.
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- I digress to the debacle at Talladega Superspeedway and a comment made by Denny Hamlin after NASCAR president Mike Helton told drivers to curb their enthusiasm with bump-drafting.
"Let us race," the driver of the No. 11 said. "They gave us the car to race. Now let the drivers handle it."
I refer to that comment because the same thing needs to be said in the
Brad Keselowski-Hamlin feud.
Let 'em race. Let them handle it.
That's not going to happen. NASCAR officials, including chairman Brian France, met with Keselowski before Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway to talk about his aggressive driving that is ticking off fellow drivers.
They believe it is in the best interest of the driver and the sport to guide the rookie driver, to teach him ways to compete without making others so mad that they want to retaliate, as Hamlin promised after Saturday's Nationwide Series race.
But that's the main problem with the sport today: It's too sanitized.
In case you missed it, Keselowski caused Hamlin to spin out, igniting a war of words from Hamlin about his getting even. It was a continuation of the feud that began in May 2008 and escalated a few months ago at Dover when Keselowski wrecked Hamlin late.
With apologies to Ron Hornaday Jr. for wrapping up a fourth Truck series title Friday night, it was the most excitement of the weekend.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
As I sarcastically Twittered on Saturday, where do you think NASCAR would be today had Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers, Bobby and Donnie, gotten out of their cars at Daytona in 1979 and tweeted each other instead of exchanging fisticuffs?
NASCAR officials have used that clip to promote the sport for as long as I can remember. They do it because they know fans like the drama, the feuding and fighting almost as much as they do the racing. Some like it more.
We as sports writers certainly appreciate it.
What is happening between Keselowski and Hamlin is good for the sport. If they get into each other on the track, penalize them, slap them on the wrist and say they are bad boys.
But let them be bad boys.
We had a bad boy in Kyle Busch until he became sanitized. Drivers once complained about him the way they complain about Keselowski now.
You don't hear that anymore.
You may not hear much more from Keselowski and Hamlin after Sunday's meeting, although there was a certain confidence -- or maybe arrogance -- in Keselowski's voice that makes me believe he won't back off too much.
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Between the whirling wind atop Rattlesnake Hill and the roar of the trucks circling Phoenix International Raceway below, I barely could hear the person beside me.
These words I didn't miss.
"I'm gonna make you guys pay for everything bad you've written about me," Carl Edwards said as he strapped in the seat belt of the four-wheel-drive, all-terrain vehicle.
Want a bird's-eye view of Phoenix International Raceway? Climb to the top of Rattlesnake Hill.
Unfortunately, I was one of "you guys." The other was Joe Menzer of NASCAR.com.
We were squeezed onto the back ramp made for toting gear, not two out-of-shape sportswriters who thought it would be a good idea to watch the start of the Truck series race from atop this 1,158-foot mound of rocks and cactus.
No padded seats. No seat belts. There barely was room for our combined rear ends -- no comments, please -- as our feet dangled over the edge.
Were it not for the roll bar behind our hard heads we likely would have been launched into the dessert darkness as Edwards roared at what we guesstimated was 50 mph down the bumpy, narrow path.
"Any dust getting on you guys?" Edwards shouted in a tone that was almost as scary as the ride.
I wanted to reply with something smart like, "Not as much as the dust Jimmie Johnson has left you in during the Chase."
Unable to see my legs from the knees down and understanding who was in charge, I refrained.
As we approached the end of this treacherous journey that I accepted only for the health of my fellow scribe, who had to stop and rest on a rock during the walk up, Edwards asked where we wanted to be dropped off.
In my oft-sarcastic voice, noticing a 5-foot drop to the next level of rocky path and knowing Edwards would be overly cautious with his pregnant wife in the passenger seat, I said to take a hard left.
He did.
Joe and I became closer than we ever imagined -- or wanted.
"Watch your hands," he insisted.
"Sorry," I replied as I struggled to hang on.
The move didn't go unnoticed by a security guard, who informed us such maneuvers are considered a no-no in this wasteland around the track. He asked to see Edwards' identification.
Unlike Kasey Kahne, who in 2007 was sued for assaulting a 62-year-old security guard at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he couldn't produce anything but a driver's uniform with his name on it, Edwards had his wallet.
Fortunately, the guard wasn't Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who in 2005 said "our streets are not to be used as raceways" after Kurt Busch was charged with reckless driving not far from the track.
Fortunately, the ride was over. Edwards dropped us off at the entrance to the Sprint Cup garage and then disappeared as quickly as he came.
I have to admit, the ride made me better appreciate Edwards' skills. Had Joe or I been behind the wheel at that speed on a path better suited for rattlesnakes and tumbleweed they still might be looking for body parts.
I also better appreciate Edwards' sense of humor. Not for scaring the you-know-what out of us, but for leaving a voice mail for my wife explaining how he carried me off the hill after I was bitten by a snake.
I also better appreciate the view from Rattlesnake Hill. There may be no more spectacular place to watch a race. It is comparable to viewing a Boston Red Sox game from atop the Green Monster, more awe-inspiring than standing on the start-finish line at Daytona International Speedway.
The view, particularly as we watched the sun set over the hills, was breathtaking.
The ride down took my breath as well.
Only nice things to say about Edwards from now on.
I was going to craft a funny blog about what Jimmie Johnson should be nicknamed when he wins a fourth straight Sprint Cup championship. Then I remembered it was Veterans Day. Then I remembered Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Fowlkes.
Chris was 18 when I last saw him two and a half years ago. He was preparing to leave for boot camp in Parris Island, S.C. He couldn't have been happier.
Chris died on Sept. 10 from wounds suffered in an explosion while serving his country in Afghanistan.
He was only 20.
As my 16-year-old son so poignantly reminded me of his cousin, "One day I was playing volleyball with him in the backyard. The next I was going to his funeral.''
So I will forego funny for today and leave you with an Associated Press story I stumbled onto. It was among hundreds that came up about fallen veterans. It sums up why Jimmie Johnson's new nickname will have to wait until a future blog.
It sums up why Chris should be remembered on this Veterans Day ...
Christopher Fowlkes had just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, but it wasn't too much to drive six hours so he could send off his buddy to Marine boot camp.
"His heart was just huge," said friend Cameron Snuggs. "He was my brother."
Snuggs said Fowlkes always wore his uniform with pride -- whether it was a Little League jersey, his Gaffney Indians high school uniform, Marine dress blues or camouflage.
"No one wore that Gaffney High School uniform like Chris did," Snuggs said.
Fowlkes, 20, of Gaffney, S.C., died Sept. 10 at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. He had been seriously wounded a week earlier in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive detonated. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The Rev. David Kite eulogized Fowlkes at his funeral.
"He gave laughter in situations that were really difficult to find humor," Kite said.
"He gave friendship to those who needed a friend."
Jessica LeMaster, who attended high school with Fowlkes, said it was clear in high school that he wanted to be a Marine. The two shared a love for University of Tennessee sports -- and LeMaster said she had borrowed a pair of basketball shorts from him some time ago.
Now, she'll keep them as something by which to remember him.
LAS VEGAS -- Richard Petty had signed about his 300th autograph at the SEMA Show on Wednesday when I informed him that Danica Patrick was close to a deal with JR Motorsports.
"To do what?" NASCAR's seven-time champion said.
I smiled and said, "To drive in the Nationwide Series."
Petty smiled back and replied, "Just being politically correct."
Another first for the King: being politically correct on the subject of women in NASCAR.
About 40 years ago Petty told a group of women from Queens College in Charlotte, N.C., that the pits at a NASCAR event "was no place for these girls."
In 2006, his opinion hadn't changed.
"I just don't think it's a sport for women," Petty told me at the time. "And so far, it's proven out. It's really not. It's good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity, it gives them publicity.
"But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it's kind of tough."
Petty wasn't trying to be harsh then any more than he was trying to be harsh about IndyCar Series darling Patrick being close to finalizing a deal to drive in the Nationwide Series for JRM. He was just noting the obvious: that women have tried to make it in NASCAR's premier series many times before and failed.
His reasons are the same now that they have always been. Stock cars are heavy machines that are tough enough for 200-pound men to handle, much less for a 100-pound woman, even with power steering and all the other advanced technology.
"The deal is, this is not as easy as it looks," the Hall of Fame driver said. "And if you've had championship drivers come from that league that are struggling, then where does it leave her?"
Let's get this straight. Petty doesn't wish Patrick ill will because she is a woman. He understands more than most what Patrick would mean to the sport from a public-relations standpoint, particularly in tough economic times.
He simply doesn't believe, like many I've talked to, that Patrick can succeed in NASCAR.
But apparently she's going to try. Sources say the deal with JRM is close to done and that the goal is to put her in the ARCA event at Daytona International Speedway in February. If that goes well and officials approve, she'll make her Nationwide Series debut, then compete in another 11 or so races.
She'll have the best money can buy with Hendrick Motorsports equipment. She'll have a top sponsor with GoDaddy.com. She likely will have her IndyCar number (7).
Will that be enough for her to successfully compete, to make her a candidate for the Sprint Cup Series when her three-year deal with Andretti Green Racing in the IndyCar series ends?
"I'm going to tell her good luck," said Petty, peering under the rim of his signature cowboy hat and again flashing his famous smile.
Ryan Newman is critical of NASCAR after surviving a scary airborne crash
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- A few sights and sounds from the Sprint Cup garage at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday as a Halloween weekend gave way to a full moon:
• Most drivers were long gone when points leader Jimmie Johnson greeted crew chief Chad Knaus behind the NASCAR hauler with a hug.
"Dude, seriously!" Johnson said as they embraced.
Johnson was ecstatic because he finished sixth and all but wrapped up a fourth straight title -- he is 184 points ahead of Mark Martin with three races remaining -- despite strategy gone bad.
"Our strategy backfired," said Johnson, referring to the decision to lag around 30th much of the day. "Our strategy killed us. Our strategy didn't do us any good because there wasn't the big wreck midway through the race. What saved our butt was [Knaus'] decision to take fuel during the red flag."
OK, we get that. A lot of cars ran out of gas or had to pit for more gas after the late red flag.
But that doesn't explain why Johnson still was behind the NASCAR hauler while most drivers were on helicopters or planes headed for home.
"I came to lobby for two more spots," he said.
That's why Johnson is so good. He doesn't miss any opportunity to improve his position, in this case being moved from eighth to sixth, which he was after NASCAR unraveled everything from the last-lap crash.
"You never know," Johnson said. "Every point counts."
• Crew chief Pat Tryson was standing beside his crumpled No. 2 car that was involved in the last-lap crash when I asked what started the wreck. Having been chasing down Ryan Newman, who was involved in another wreck a few laps earlier, I missed the final lap in which Kurt Busch and the Blue Deuce were among 13 cars that wrecked.
"Go ask Brad Keselowski what happened," Tryson said of the rookie who will arrive at Penske Racing to take over the No. 12 at about the time Tryson leaves for Michael Waltrip Racing. "He … wrecks somebody every damn week."
Tryson, by the way, said there are no plans for him to step aside and begin his new job now that Busch is 312 points behind Johnson.
• Mark Martin was walking back from the infield medical center with a large turkey sandwich and an even larger smile.
"That's the first time I ever got upside down," he told former Roush Fenway Racing teammate Jeff Burton.
For the record, Martin has driven in 755 Sprint Cup races, 231 Nationwide Series races and 23 Truck Series races. That's over 1,000 races of staying right-side up. Impressive.
• Richard Petty was making his way out of the garage when I asked what he thought about AJ Allmendinger, who will drive his famed No. 43 in 2010, getting charged with driving under the influence on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C.
"Didn't you read all my quotes?" the seven-time champion and co-owner for Richard Petty Motorsports said.
"Hum, no, didn't see those," I replied.
"Cause I didn't give any," Petty said.
Subtle.
For the record, Petty said the plan to move Allmendinger from the 44 to the 43 will not change.
• A final thought from Petty, who never was a fan of restrictor-plate races at Talladega and Daytona: "When we used to run without the plates there was a few people who could run wide open. Now you put plates on them anybody can run wide open. It makes good drivers out of everyone, as far as they think."
He didn't mention names, but Sunday's winner, Jamie McMurray, has three career wins. Two are at plate races.
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Call me crazy, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked like the most unexcited excited driver in the history of NASCAR during Friday's announcement that Lance McGrew had been elevated from interim to full-time crew chief.
Junior said all the right things, how he and McGrew had developed a close relationship and had the team headed in the right direction despite the lack of results.
Earnhardt said he was excited at least three or four times.
He just didn't look excited. He looked more like the groom at a shotgun wedding with an almost deer-in-the-headlights expression, as he spent most of the press conference staring straight ahead.
Maybe he was focused on the upcoming first practice at Talladega Superspeedway. Maybe he got a bad can of Amp that drained his energy instead of spiking it.
Maybe some girl had just broken his heart or he was worried about being recognized in his Halloween costume.
I'm not the only one who noticed it. Several colleagues agreed something was missing.
Lance McGrew got the "interim" tag taken off his crew chief title. He'll be back in 2010.
Earnhardt had the kind of serious look we would have expected from points leader Jimmie Johnson, who has more to lose Sunday than anybody if he gets caught up in the so-called "big one."
The championship is Johnson's to lose. Earnhardt has nothing to lose, mired at 24th in points.
And yet Johnson was cracking jokes as though he'd already wrapped up his fourth straight title and Earnhardt looked the way one would expect him to if he were nursing a four-point lead going into the season finale.
Earnhardt seemed almost as beaten down as he did two weeks ago when he said his next full-time crew chief needed to be a dictator.
Maybe that's it. Earnhardt is that beaten down. McGrew mentioned he was surprised to see his driver so "beat down" when they were paired in June.
"I expected him to be a lot more positive and a lot more understanding of the situation, I guess you'd say," he said.
McGrew also said there's been a light in Earnhardt's eyes and a strut in his step lately that hasn't been there before.
"The steps are in place to get there," McGrew said. "I'm excited about that."
McGrew appeared excited. He smiled a few times, making a funny face when Earnhardt was asked if his crew chief could be a dictator. He talked with enthusiasm about changes he and Alan Gustafson, who works as Mark Martin's crew chief in the same building at Hendrick Motorsports, planned to improve the shop.
Getting Earnhardt to match that enthusiasm and excitement actually might be McGrew's greatest challenge. Even Earnhardt admitted the team needed an attitude adjustment, "showing up feeling like you're the team to beat or there's no reason to feel like you're a long shot."
"I can't speak for everybody on the team," Earnhardt added. "My confidence was pretty down earlier. It's gotten better. It's still nowhere near where I want it to be, but every week we seem to improve on that."
A lot of pressure comes with being the most popular driver in the garage and being with a team that is underperforming. Earnhardt shouldn't be excited about much of anything that has happened this season.
It has been a disaster, and Talladega -- where Earnhardt has six wins and once had a string of seven straight races finishing first or second -- may be his last realistic chance to win this season.
But Friday's announcement, whether it was put together to thwart rumors that HMS might consider hiring soon-to-be-former Kyle Busch crew chief Steve Addington or because the timing was right, should have been exciting.
Call me crazy, but Earnhardt just didn't look excited.
Matt Ferguson was watching a Sprint Cup race in March when he turned to his wife with what at first seemed like another one of his crazy ideas.
He wanted to sponsor a car.
Well, not just him. He wanted to devise a plan where all fans would have an opportunity to sponsor a car. So he began researching, hired an agent and developed a program.
It's called FanCar, and you can learn more about it at FanCar.com. It's really simple. For $20, fans who sign up will get their name on the car of an established team owner with a driver already in place.
The plan is to debut the FanCar in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The owner and driver will be announced on Monday, so fans will know whom they're backing.
"This is not some start-up team," said Ferguson, a 32-year-old businessman from College Station, Texas. "This isn't their first race, and they're not a start-and-park team. We're not going to have somebody who doesn't know what they're doing or isn't respected by other drivers.
I can't tell you who it is, but he is a familiar name and is guaranteed to be in the field. Maybe you can figure it out based on which driver is looking for sponsorship in Homestead.
But if this works, Ferguson plans to have another FanCar in the 2010 Daytona 500 and as many races as he can next season. If it works really well, he'll try to sponsor two cars.
"My guarantee to the fans is 100 percent of the sponsorship dollars goes to the car and its owner," Ferguson said. "I don't take a dime. In fact, I pay all the development fees and transaction fees.
"I told my wife, 'I know we can do this.' She finally said, 'I'll let you do this one, but it'll be your birthday present for this year, next year and your Christmas, too.'"
Here's how it works: Fans register at the Web site and contribute $20. For that each fan gets his name or the name of a friend or family member on the car, a vote to decide the design of the car, a vote to decide the message on the side of the car, an e-certificate confirming he is an official sponsor and exclusive inside content about what's going on with the car.
"I don't skim off the top," Ferguson said. "It's the car owner's money -- not mine. I take nothing. It's written in the contract."
It's an interesting concept, one that quite possibly could keep a car and driver on the track that might have to be parked thanks to lack of sponsorship.
And it's nice to see somebody actually is trying to help during these difficult economic times instead of bashing everything from the car to Johnson's run at a fourth title to the Chase format.
But to succeed it'll take a lot of participation. Realistically, it will take 10,000 or more fans to make it worth an owner's expense because it costs $200,000 to $500,000 a weekend for one car.
But if NASCAR has 75 million fans as its publicity department says, 10,000 or more should be a drop in the bucket.
And if for some reason the deal falls through, fans can either get their money back or have it donated to one of four charities listed on the Web site. Ferguson says he wants none of it.
"I know times are tough," he said. "Hopefully, FanCar can generate some excitement and we'll be competing with other people for these sponsor deals in the future.
"I guess this is just what happens when a NASCAR fan teases his entrepreneurial spirit."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kyle Busch didn't look very intimidating standing next to Big Show and Chris Jericho as a guest host of WWE's "Monday Night Raw."
OK, he looked downright puny.
You could have stacked two of his pencil-thin bodies -- along with teammate Joey Logano, who also was a guest host -- next to Show's 7-foot, 485-pound frame and he still would have been dwarfed.
One could use the same analogy for Busch and soon-to-be-ex-crew chief Steve Addington next to three-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus.
Sure Busch and Addington have won a lot of races the past two seasons, but when it comes to being the intimidating force that Johnson and Knaus are, they're not even close.
Apparently, management at Joe Gibbs Racing felt the same way. Nothing against Addington. Twelve wins in two seasons would be cause for a contract extension for most crew chiefs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans would eat dirt for those numbers.
But when you're considered by many to be the most talented driver on the planet, you're measured by championships and consistency.
Addington didn't help Busch achieve that, so Dave Rogers will get a shot.
Many were surprised the move happened so quickly. They shouldn't be. You can have patience when you've got a good driver. When you've got a great one -- and 53 wins in Cup, Nationwide and Truck gives one reason to believe Busch is -- you can't waste a moment.
A crew chief who has won a title told me earlier this season that if Busch expected to win a championship he would have to get a new crew chief. He argued that Addington was solid, but not great enough to consistently turn the bad days into good days.
Looking at Busch's numbers, I can't argue. Aside from the four wins this season, he has 12 finishes of 20th or worse. They had eight a year ago when Busch won eight races and led the points going into the Chase.
Johnson has 13 in the past two seasons combined.
Consistency. That's why Addington is out and Rogers is in. That's why team president J.D. Gibbs told me on Sunday at Martinsville that Addington wouldn't be judged on these final four races, that the organization had to look at the overall picture.
That's why he didn't give Addington a vote of confidence after Busch finished fourth on Sunday.
He knew a change needed to be made, just as his dad knew when to change quarterbacks or receivers with the Washington Redskins.
He knows Busch has the talent to stand as tall in the Cup garage as Big Show does in the ring.
He knows Busch could be the Show, not just a prop for one.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- As four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon left the podium in the infield media center at Martinsville Speedway on Friday he shrugged his shoulders and said "It's tough being me."
Jeff Gordon, right, was among the first to congratulate Jimmie Johnson after his teammate's victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2003.
Well, kind of.
There is some truth to it.
Had Gordon not recommended in 2001 that team owner Rick Hendrick hire Jimmie Johnson to drive the No. 48 car and work out of the same shop as his No. 24 he might have two more championships.
He would have had one for sure, after finishing second to the three-time defending Cup champion in 2007.
Gordon also might have four more wins, the number of times he's finished second to Johnson. One of those came at Martinsville Speedway, where the two square off on Sunday ranked first (Johnson) and third (Gordon) in points.
When a reporter asked Gordon what it's like to be playing second fiddle to his protégé so often, he smiled and said "It's not easy being in my shoes, is it?"
Gordon has to be careful what he says on this subject. He and Johnson are not only teammates, but good friends. He has great admiration and respect for Johnson.
And yet it has to be tough going from the top dog at Hendrick Motorsports to deputy dog.
All the accolades, wins and titles that used to go to the teacher now go to the student. Since Johnson ran his first full Cup schedule in 2002, he has 46 wins to Gordon's 24 and three titles to Gordon's none.
Even for a guy as classy as Gordon, that has to be frustrating.
"I mean, you hit on a lot of very good points that have some truth to it," said Gordon, who trails Johnson by 135 points. "I don't know if you guys watched the 'Together' documentary. I said in my interview that I think Jimmie and I are always going to be really good friends, but we might be better friends 15, 20 years from now because right now I'm a competitor, like every other competitor out there that wants to beat him."
Never was that frustration more apparent than Martinsville in 2007. Gordon was in the midst of a 23-race losing streak. He had what he believed was the fastest car.
But at Martinsville, a one-groove track, speed doesn't get you past the car in front if the driver doesn't give you room. Sometimes the only way to pass is to nudge the car out of the way.
With 39 laps remaining, Gordon was so hot that he asked Hendrick for permission to do just that.
"Boss better give me the OK 'cause that's the only way it's going to happen," Gordon radioed to Hendrick.
He never got that permission, and when he climbed out of the car with a runner-up finish he was almost red-faced mad.
"I think he knew I was his teammate, and he used that up," Gordon said at the time. "I pushed, I shoved and I did just about everything I possibly could. I don't know what else to do. I'm a little more surprised the way he raced me. We, as teammates, we usually give a little bit more room than that.
"But I know going forward how we're going to race. He's the guy to beat for the championship. He's winning races right now, and we're not."
That's as close as Gordon has come to calling Johnson out over the past eight seasons. That's as close as we've seen the frustration of being in Johnson's shadow boil over.
"Because I'm at Hendrick Motorsports and his teammate, I see everything that goes on and I'm aware of the setups and the driving styles and the data and all those things and sometimes that can make it even more frustrating when you're getting beat," Gordon said. "At the same time it makes you hungrier to want to push harder to do everything you can to go out there and beat them.
"So it's definitely affected our friendship. There's no doubt about it."
You won't see that at the track. Gordon and his team will share their setup with Johnson the same as Johnson and his team will share with Gordon. When Johnson wins, Gordon usually is one of the first to congratulate him in Victory Lane.
"I'm not going to go over and pat him on the back and say how great he is and 'I love you, man' when I really want to beat him," Gordon said. "But at the end of the day I respect him, I know the story of how he got there and I think he's a great guy and a great race car driver."
Johnson understands the frustration. He knows there are a lot of people in the garage and grandstands tired of seeing him dominate.
"I certainly hear the comments," he said. "From my standpoint, we're working so hard and we've been able to pull off some really cool things, but other people seem more confident in our abilities than I do at times.
"It makes me laugh inside when I see that, at times. But you just never know. We're out there doing all we can each week."
Gordon is doing the same, knowing the path to a fifth title for him will have to go through the man he brought into the sport. He'll take small victories, such as starting second Sunday while Johnson is back in 15th.
But it's the big victories, or lack of them, that make it tough being Gordon these days.
"That team has pushed all of us in the sport to be better, to push ourselves harder and to step up," Gordon said. "So I'm thankful for that, and I don't have any regrets about anything."
DURHAM, N.C. -- Random thoughts at midnight from my recliner/bed on the third floor of the Duke University Hospital, where my father is recovering from the first of several surgeries for kidney cancer:
• One of several ministers -- you have that when your father is a retired pastor -- visiting during this five-hour procedure began telling me about his grandson collecting book bags for needy children as part of a project to earn his Eagle Scout award. I suggested hooking him up with Tony Stewart, who has teamed with sponsor Office Depot to provide book bags for the needy around the country.
Tony Stewart is a two-time champion and a philanthropist, but that doesn't mean everybody knows his name.
"Never heard of him," the minister responded. "But if he's got book bags, I'm interested."
See, drivers aren't the only people who live in a vacuum.
• A sushi bar in the hospital diner? Seriously? Next thing you know, they'll be replacing Martinsville hot dogs for ones with real meat.
• Hospital visits often become like 500 miles at Pocono. Way too long.
• I officially have read everything on the Internet and have come to the conclusions that Lindsay Lohan did have plastic surgery and that NASCAR's Chase format doesn't need plastic surgery. Seriously, people. If we didn't have a Chase, Stewart would be 122 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, and you'd be griping about that.
Sit back and enjoy watching Johnson's historic run at a fourth straight title. Don't wait 20 years to appreciate it. By then you won't recognize your own self in the mirror, much less Lohan.
• The nurse from Miami didn't seem to realize that the NASCAR season ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That's another argument for moving the finale to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and having the championship banquet the next day. Any momentum you've built is completely lost by waiting two weeks for the banquet.
• Getting around the halls of this place is about as difficult as double-file restarts at Martinsville will be. It could be the most dramatic, plot-thick race of the Chase. The half-mile, paper-clip-shaped track, in the humble opinion of this reporter, puts on the best show of any short track on the circuit.
• What do nurses have in common with debris cautions? They come around every hour or two to wake you up.
• Every time I look around this place and get the least bit depressed, I remember Richard Petty's response when asked whether he felt sorry for David Pearson after the Silver Fox drove 90 minutes in the rain not to be selected to NASCAR's inaugural Hall of Fame class.
"We went all the way to California last week and wrecked four cars," said The King, referring to a late-race incident at Auto Club Speedway that took out all four Richard Petty Motorsports cars at once. "How do you think that feels?"
Probably not too good, but it is kind of funny. And maybe a record, as a member of his organization suggested this past weekend.
• Now I know where I get my sense of humor. When the nurse asked my father whether he smoked, drank alcohol or took illegal drugs, the response was, "Now if you get into my sex life, [my son] has to leave."
• This recliner/bed is like these random thoughts are starting to become. Awkward.
David Newton, an award-winning NASCAR writer, began as a national motorsports columnist at ESPN.com in December 2006. Prior to joining ESPN.com, Newton served as the lead writer for NASCAR.com.
Newton previously covered NASCAR, the Carolina Panthers, Clemson University and University of South Carolina athletics for The State in Columbia, S.C., from 1984 to 2006. He also served as a correspondent for Sports Illustrated, and covered seven Super Bowls, dozens of college bowl games, five Masters, two U.S. Opens, two men's Final Fours, one women's Final Four and every major race on the NASCAR circuit.
The 1981 Wofford College graduate has won numerous state and national press association awards, including second-place national honors for his coverage of University of South Carolina football from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) in 1992 and the award for excellence in news reporting from the South Carolina State Press Association in 2002. He has also broken major national stories, including the Carolina Panthers' steroid scandal in 2004.
David Newton
