by Jeff Hammond

Updated: August 4, 2008, 6:34 PM EST 520 comments

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At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, we experienced NASCAR history with the first official race using rain tires at the Canadian Nationwide Series race. For all the flak that Goodyear has taken over Indianapolis, they deserve a big "atta boy" because their technology allowed the Nationwide race to continue and it seemed like it went really well. That said, now maybe all those fans who always wondered why we don't race in the rain will understand why.

Additionally, there was rain at Pocono Raceway, too, and it really put a lot of guys to the test.

I would wager that the outcome for Sunday's event to both crew chief Bob Osborne and his driver Carl Edwards was surprising. When you have guys arguing about making a pit stop you know that it was controversial. But now in hindsight, we all know that it was definitely the call of the race.

It's easy to learn from decisions and arguments like that when you end up in Victory Lane. Racing is funny like that, and you just never really know how it will play out. Carl and Bob have been through a baptism of fire. They've had some moments in the past. They've had their ups and downs. When they were separated in 2006 I think they learned, and honestly I hope they learned that they are better together than they are apart. They compliment one another.

Normally you don't get the blowup you had in the pits between a crew chief and a driver. Crew chiefs normally do a good job of moving forward and not letting it escalate. But trust me, this weekend was not the first time a driver and crew chief have disagreed about a call nor will it be the last. Sometimes a situation like that will result in a guy losing his job. On the flip-side, it can also strengthen the resolve between the two people and within the team. You just never know what is going to happen in a situation like that.

I think sometimes it is hard for a driver to admit that one person can have so much influence in his life. It's a two-way street. It's give and take. Look at me; I learned the hard way with Darrell Waltrip that we were better together than we ever were apart. It's like a marriage. You both have to work on it very hard to make it work. Again, like in marriage, a great combination of driver/crew chief is hard to find.

I think crew chief Chad Knaus could win with another driver. I think Jimmie Johnson could win with another crew chief. Both guys are smart enough to realize that they can do a whole lot more winning by staying together. It's like DW is fond of saying, "Your two and my two make five." That's what a great driver/crew chief combination is like.

Smoke rising

While some might call Tony Stewart's runner-up finish a "wake-up call" to the competition, I disagree.

Everyone knows the history of Stewart and that No. 20 car. That team always starts slow, and by mid-season, they start flexing their muscle and finishing strong.

There were a number of races they were in position to win earlier this year, but for whatever reason, the racing gods just weren't smiling on them those days. The race in May at Charlotte was a classic example. Tony is leading the race and then cuts a tire with just a few laps to go. That's just racing luck working against the Home Depot crew.

The key is that Stewart and Co. have been running well. That is the part that is encouraging to that team. They are running strong. They have put themselves in position to win this year, and I truly believe it will happen. Stewart and the team realize they don't need to be pushing the panic button. There are still a lot of races to go, and they still have a great opportunity to win a championship.

Stewart is getting the same type of cars and motors that Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are getting from Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 18 and the No. 11 have been to Victory Lane already this year. It's just a matter of time before the No. 20 joins them. The key is that if the No. 20 can stay focused through this drought, once they do win, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see them rip off three or four consecutive wins. I think Stewart has a great chance to break through that drought this weekend at Watkins Glen. If I could bet on one driver for this road course, I would bet on Stewart in a heartbeat. I think he has an excellent chance of pulling off a win this weekend. There is not a racetrack that we go to that Stewart can't win on.

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We've already seen how strong Toyota is overall, so there's no reason to think that the combination of Stewart, Greg Zippadelli, the No. 20 team and Toyota won't be successful.

Close calls

I was a little surprised Sunday of how some of the crew chiefs made some gambles. I just think some guys made some miscalculations when you think about how close it was on fuel. We saw how close Carl Edwards was. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel. They and others cost themselves a good finish because they didn't do a good job of managing their fuel situations well.

The flip side to that would be Kevin Harvick. His day started badly with a spin on Lap 1, and it looked like he was going to really fall behind in the race for the Chase. Well, the No. 29 team did a good job of recovering and Harvick finished fourth. While some guys cut it too close and didn't finish as high up as they would have liked, Harvick and his crew chief Todd Berrier made the right calculation and the right calls and had a great finish.

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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.