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You go away for a couple weeks, and a ton of stuff happens. Here goes:

Lap 1: Shrub continues to tear it up. Chicagoland was his seventh win this season to give him 11 for his career. The key to his latest win? Check out the videotape at about the 3:10 mark. You'd think JJ would have some veteran move to get Shrub off his tail, but I guess not. JJ had no chance with the 18 thisclose on the restart.

Lap 2: Anyone remember last year's race at the Glen? That was Tony Stewart's most recent victory -- and probably his last as a Cup driver. Good for him that he has controlling interest in a race team. It gives Stewart some control that he lacked at Gibbs -- JGR made the switch from Chevy to Toyota over Stewart's objections, and I suspect that move played a big role in his decision. (I don't think it was the change itself -- rather, I think Stewart probably was hacked off more by the fact that there wasn't a danged thing he could do about it.)

But the new Stewart Hass team will be a non-factor. (Ask Robby Gordon how team ownership is working out for him.) He won't have top-35 owners points for at least one of the cars. Chevy won't be in a position to do much for him. And two-car teams just don't win any more. Good luck, Tony. It was nice knowing you.

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Assorted randomness ...

Lap 1: Mike wrestles with the Jamie McMurray-as-odd-man-out-at Roush here, and AOL does much the same here. (McMurray, meanwhile, says he's sticking around.) The calculus is pretty simple for Roush, which needs to shut down one of its five teams to get to NASCAR's max of four. A Roush stable of Kenseth (past champ), Edwards (has made three Chases in four years), Biffle (Chaser in 2005 and probably this year, too) and Ragan (up and comer) is a pretty stout bunch. McMurray, with two wins in 199 career starts and who's now 22nd in points, is clearly the fifth wheel.

Would I hire McMurray? Sure, if Jeremy Mayfield or J.J. Yeley already were signed. And, yes, I know it's only the first full week of June, but it's never too early to talk Silly Season.

More after the jump ...

Here goes:

Lap 1: It's about time NASCAR took away a win for cheating (or, more technically, a rules violation. This case seems more stupid than intentional). The argument against doing that has traditionally been the fans and the sponsors and all the money that's tied up in both. The thing is, your bottom line might look better if folks didn't think the winner was cheating. I don't see much different between Peyton Sellers' bad shock and Carl Edwards' loose oil pump cover. Do you? More from Dustin Long here.

Lap 2: Yes, it would great if Junior won this week. No, I don't think it's going to happen. (My bet is Richmond next week.) My hope is that Four-Time wins. Do you throw Amp cans at the 24 even though he's now Junior's teammate? (My bet is they'll throw Bud cans just for old time's sake. Some habits die hard.)

More after the jump ...

Must have been something I ate, but I'm in a foul mood. Maybe it's the inane debate over NASCAR's drug policy. Remember, it took the death of the sport's biggest star for NASCAR to finally do something serious about safety. NASCAR is running the same play ("We're NASCAR and we know") with its substance abuse policy. Gimme a break.

A grade-A rant is below the jump. If you're in a good mood, I suggest you go outside and enjoy the sunshine and read something else. That's what I'm going to do shortly.

Lots of Small Team news this week. Let's get to it.

Lap 1: When Petty moved its shop to Mooresville this year, it was billed as the start of something new. Now it looks like the beginning of the end, or maybe the middle of the end. Kyle Petty missed Sunday's race at Martinsville, a place that should be called Pettyville because King Richard own the place. Kyle's going to skip Texas this week, too. Worse, General Mills, tired of backing a team that has won just three races in 23 years, is going to Childress next year. Dustin Long and I were talking last week about which team we thought would be the next to follow Morgan-McClure to the garage. The likely candidates (other than BAM, which isn't much of a team) are the Wood Bros., the Pettys and and Yates. I had Wood, Yates and Petty in that order, but now I'm not so sure that Petty won't be the first.

Lap 2: Speaking of BAM, they're not coming to Texas this week. That's a death blow, because there's no way that team will climb back into the top 35, and they're not usually fast enough to qualify on speed.

Three more laps after the jump ...

Oh, I love me some Martinsville. Let me count the ways:

Lap One: That little paper clip about 45 minutes north of here produces some good, good racing. It rewards the patient and the resourceful and punishes the rash and the foolish. Take care of your stuff, and your stuff will get you to victory lane.

Lap Two: The Lost Martinsville Date issues rears its predictable head again. (I wrote it on my calendar back in January: March 25 -- "Someone will write that Martinsville might lose its second date.") So why does Martinsville have two dates anyway? That's one too many, IMO.

More after the jump ...

I've done to the STRs and the BTRs what Red Bull did to AJ Allmendinger:

Fired them.

Technically it's temporary, but you know and I know that AJA should just leave his form-fitting custom seat at home instead of hauling it to the track, especially since the airlines are starting to charge extra for that second bag. I've told the BTRs and the STRs the same thing.

You don't know what BTR stands for? Don't worry about it -- I was bored with 'em, too. So now on to something different after the jump.