Burning Questions

By Stephen Thomas, CNNSI.com
July 25, 2001
6:32 PM EDT (2232 GMT)

1. Should Mark Martin have run another Busch season?

Before Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway, Mark Martin told a TV reporter that despite his difficulties this season, he had no intention of considering even a limited return to the Busch series. According to Martin, the demands of running Winston Cup and even a pared-down Busch schedule are simply too much.

Mark Martin

But given the disappointing-by-his-excellent-standards season that Martin has been suffering through this year, might it not be have been worth his while to perhaps reconsider? Hindsight is 20/20, but given that Martin has been one of the many drivers who has acknowledged that many of his frustrations this year -- no wins, three top 5s and a 12th-place in points -- can be traced to the new tire produced by Goodyear, wouldn't even an occasional return to the minors at some point before now have benefited Martin? After all, wouldn't even a limited Busch schedule have greatly helped Martin learn the subtleties of the new rubber?

While it's true that Martin's recent performance -- four top 10s in his last nine races -- would seem to indicate that he's headed in the right direction. After all, that stretch has helped him climb from 21st in points to 12th. However, it's equally true that for a perennial top-five driver, anything that might help improve performance is all to the good.

2. Talent or equipment: What makes the driver?

Kevin Harvick is in the midst of one of the greatest rookie seasons in Winston Cup history -- two wins, six other top 10s and seventh in points.

Dale Earnhardt

But let's say Harvick climbs even higher in points over the course of the next 17 races. Will his season really have been as impressive as it appears? After all, at this point last year, Dale Earnhardt was second in points, driving the same car and with precisely the same personnel supporting him. So which is it? Does the man make the machine or does the machine make the man?

Consider the curious case of Michael Waltrip. For 462 races, it was suggested that Waltrip was a talented driver who was handicapped by less-than-stellar equipment. And when he won this year's Daytona 500 in his first race for Dale Earnhardt Inc., ostensibly behind the wheel of good equipment, it appeared that his defenders might be right. But then, in 17 of 18 other races, Waltrip hasn't so much as sniffed another top-10 finish.

So ... which is it?

3. What's different with Robert Pressley this year?

Two weeks ago, Robert Pressley finished second to Kevin Harvick at Chicagoland Speedway. It was the best finish of Pressley's career (187 starts). He followed up that performance by qualifying seventh -- just his second top-10 start of the year -- for last Sunday's New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Robert Pressley

"It's amazing what momentum will do," Pressley said, "and it's running with us right now."

He's not kidding. Though Pressley ultimately finished 19th Sunday -- still better than he's finished in 10 races this year -- the 42-year-old veteran did spend a healthy percentage of his afternoon running in the top 15. Though it's true that Pressley has set fairly modest standards in his career, if he keeps up this recent run, he just might have his best season ever. He is now 23rd in points, the highest he's been since Bristol and two places better than his career best, which he managed last year.