by Jeff Hammond

Updated: April 17, 2007, 2:30 PM EST

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Jeff Hammond: There's nothing really confusing about it. I wish everybody would quit trying to make a lot out of what turned out to be racers taking care of racers. Kyle Busch got out, thought the car was damaged beyond repair and left the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car lost an engine, the No. 5 was looking for a driver. He's about the same size as Busch. The crew said, "Hey, would you consider giving us a few laps in our car so we can get a few points?" He graciously agreed, and I think I understand the logic behind it.

This practice wasn't uncommon back in the day. If you've ever watched the program that Junior hosts — Back in the Day Mondays at 9:30 p.m. ET on SPEED — drivers would drive two or three cars in a race. They didn't have power steering and cool boxes like they do today. A lot of long races in really hot weather would require relief drivers.

Dale Jr. is a very unique individual, caught between two eras. He loves the past, and he's driving in the present. Any time he has an opportunity to feel somebody else's race car or do something that connects him to the history of our sport, he takes advantage of it.

When he was asked how the car drove, Dale Jr. said, "Like it was wrecked." It was not a winning race car. He really did something that took a lot of class and willingness to get into a race car with which he was very unfamiliar. He showed a lot of faith in the Hendrick Motorsports crew, believing they put something together that was safe enough for him to drive.

I really admire the young man for his show of sportsmanship. No one could have planned or figured that something like it was going to happen. Don't read into it anything more than this young man staying connected to what makes the sport so great — the willingness to help one another.

A relief driver gets no points. They all go to Kyle Busch and Rick Hendrick because Busch started the race. Just because Dale Jr. got out of his car, it doesn't mean he can take the points he got out of the No. 5 and add them to the points he earned in the No. 8. It doesn't work that way.

Kahne's pain

Shelly from Deal Island, Md.: Hi Jeff, what is the problem with Kasey Kahne this year? Is it the new nose that the Dodge Chargers are using? He was the best on 1 1/2-mile tracks last year. Bring the old nose back.

Jeff Hammond: I wish I could say that was it because I think the world of Ray Evernham and his operation. But something isn't quite working for that organization. If you'll take a look, Kurt Busch had an outside shot at winning the Texas race. His Dodge ran extremely well. Also, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Stremme ran up toward the front in Dodges so I can't believe it's just the nose.

The combination with the old nose that worked for Evernham Motorsports a year ago and wasn't working for the other Dodge teams has been reversed. They've got to get on the new page and figure out where the combination lies. During the week off, I had hoped that they would be able to come up with more of the answer, but clearly, they're struggling with the balance of the race car. Don't blame it on the nose. Blame it on the package they're trying to run. The success that they had a year ago might be part of the problem this year because you don't want to give up what worked last year. Clearly, it's not the combination that they need this year.

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'Crank' it up

My buddy Lee Roy Mercer's new CD is out, and I finally got a copy of it. He punked, or crank-called, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Jack Roush, Kevin Harvick, Jimmy Spencer, yours truly and several others. He's gotten the best of people in racing. It's a very funny CD, and if you ever want to hear some of your favorite racers try to deal with somebody putting them in awkward positions, you need to get a copy of this thing.

If we can get advance sales going, everybody will donate their percentages of the proceeds to Victory Junction Gang Camp. It's a great opportunity to help out the kids and help these drivers make this thing successful. That's why I'm so excited about trying to pump up this CD. Mercer is a great American. He's a patriot, a former Marine, who is having some fun with these drivers, but in the end, we have an opportunity to give something back to Victory Junction Gang Camp as it gets ready for its busy season. They need the funds, and we're willing to give something back so go to www.leeroymercer.com, order it and tell your friends, neighbors, and enemies that we're going to help some kids.

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FOX race analyst Jeff Hammond led Darrell Waltrip to two of DW's three Winston Cup championships as his crew chief. They also teamed to win the 1989 Daytona 500.

For autographed copies of Jeff Hammond's book "Real Men Work in the Pits" plus magnets, hats and more, check out www.dwstore.com.

For photos and appearances, visit Jeff's web site www.jeffhammond.com.