by Jeff Hammond

Comment

Jeff Hammond: I did not get a chance to see the incident on The SPEED Report (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, SPEED) and NASCAR Victory Lane (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, SPEED), but when it comes to driver vs. driver, each team has to establish what Jack Roush considered a code. You have to do what you feel like you need to do to earn the respect of your fellow competitors with an emphasis on earning respect. At the same time, he cautioned any driver working for him not to jeopardize that respect by losing your temper or not thinking something through.

Without seeing the situation, I wouldn't want to comment on what Edwards' gestures meant vs. what happened on the racetrack, but both of those guys are very fierce competitors. While we're talking a lot about the drivers sitting 1st and 2nd in the points, there's a lot of money up for grabs for all of the positions in this Chase.

The guys that are toward the back are still fighting and trying to move up as high as they can for as good a pay-off as possible. A lot like Bristol, Martinsville can bring out emotion in drivers, whether they are teammates or not. We saw that during and after the spring race with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Seeing a guy get upset about something is not totally out of character and can be expected after 500 laps at the Virginia bullring.

Editor's note: See the confrontation on SPEEDTV.com at the end of this Subway 500 review clip from "The SPEED Report."

Dale Jr. isn't quitting like his engines

Jana from Lenoir, N.C.: What happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the end of the Martinsville race? During the restart of the green-white-checkered, he fell from fourth place all the way back to 23rd. Did his car trouble catch up with him, and how will he rally in the final four races?

Jeff Hammond: His engine caught up with him for his seventh failure of the season. The only way to rally is by winning one of the final four races. He's clearly had a car that could run up front a lot this season, but putting a period on races definitely has been a problem for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the No. 8 team. With as many engine problems as they've had, all involved at DEI are dreading the flak that they're going to continue to get from fans that feel like the company deliberate sabotages everything Dale Jr. tries to accomplish. They won't be satisfied until they get an answer of what really did happen.

The No. 8 had some issues during the course of the race. Not just the fans but Dale Jr. himself would like to know what's going on because it seems like every time he has a good race car, he can't complete the deal. The good thing about this whole scenario is you can see the kind of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. really is because he's still driving as hard as if he were trying to win a championship. It demonstrates to me that he's got the right kind of character to finish his time at DEI on as high a note as possible. He hasn't quit. When he gets in that race car, he gives it 110 percent.

Gordon's a great role model

Tyler from Utica, N.Y.: What do you think is most impressive about Jeff Gordon's career? The fact that he has won there seven times, has 18 top fives and 24 top 10's or has never failed to finish a race there in 30 attempts?

Jeff Hammond: Your last point is most impressive. It's been said by many of us who follow the sport that the only way you win is by putting yourself in position to win. That's something that every driver tries to do every week, but a lot of guys don't get enough credit for getting it done at short tracks where knocking off front fenders and caving in radiators are common occurrences.

Gordon's success lies in not only going to Victory Lane, but keeping the car running in every race. It's a huge feather in his cap because as good a team as you can have, you still have to have a driver that's got enough car control and patience to make it happen. You can't say enough about what Gordon has been able to accomplish. I've seen too many drivers run around Martinsville, thinking they can run roughshod over everybody. That's not the case. You've got to take care of your equipment, and not only the brakes, but the nose of the car.

Speed Mail Jeff Hammond
SpeedMail Subject: Comment/Question: Name:  Email:  Hometown:

The four-time champ is the poster child for how to do it right. I read . If this young man wants to wind up being the next Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Sr., he needs to start paying attention to what it takes to make it happen. Gordon is a great guy to follow because he has been successfully at so many different racetracks, not just Martinsville, Va. He's kept his car rolling, fenders in good shape and given himself the greatest opportunity to not only get to victory lane but to get solid finishes.

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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.