(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
"I guess the question on everyone's mind is where will Danica be next year? In an Indy car or in a stock car? I think most red-blooded racing fans could care less, as long as Danica's in a bikini. In all three cases, 'grip' and 'handling' play important roles."
8. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin survived an eventful night in the Southern 500, piloting the No. 11 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota to a well-earned 13th-place finish. Hamlin banged a spinning car early in the race, the damage from which compromised the car's handling. Several pit stops and a "Lucky Dog" free pass later, Hamlin was back on the lead lap.
"With a record number of 17 cautions," says Hamlin, "Farm Bureau picked the right time to sponsor the No. 11 Toyota. Luckily for them, they only cover reckless drivers on the street, and not on the track."
"This team is desperate for a win, though. Unlike Jeremy Mayfield, I don't get to do a victory burnout every day. And what's this about NASCAR not accepting Mayfield's excuse that he tested positive because he was taking allergy medication? I thought it was common knowledge that he was allergic to not being stoned."
9. Kyle Busch— Busch cut a tire on lap 274 and hammered the wall, sending the No. 18 M&M Toyota to the garage for major repairs. A frustrated Busch returned to complete 29 more laps, but finished 34th, 64 laps down. On Friday night, Busch's dominance in the Nationwide race was negated by a flat tire that cost him the win.
"Do I have an attitude problem when things don't go my way?" says Busch. "It certainly seems that way. When I'm 'down and out,' I 'frown and pout.'"
"Maybe I got a little too caught up in the hoopla surrounding my win at Richmond. And, as the winner of last year's Darlington race, I was confident. I guess the Darlington 'stripe' outweighed the Darlington 'hype.'"
"Maybe this is karma at work. Last week, after my Richmond win, perhaps my ego became overinflated. That flat tire on Friday took care of that."
"My guess is you won't be hearing about 200 wins again, unless I happen to win again, and the NASCAR media machine again becomes infatuated with me, baiting me into making outrageous claims, like winning 200 races."
"I guess it's up to me to knock myself down a few notches and say what everyone else is afraid to: 'Kyle Busch is ready to win races, but he's not ready to win a championship."
10. Greg Biffle— Biffle led the most laps at Darlington, but a spin on lap 295 all but ended his chances for the victory. Biffle also made contact with the car of teammate Carl Edwards a few laps earlier, sending Edwards into the wall. Biffle finished eighth, and improved two spots in the point standings to ninth, where he is 256 out of first.
"Between the wall and Carl's No. 99," says Biffle, "I guess you could say we left our mark out there."
"That's three races in a row in which Carl's been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And speaking of 'the wrong place at the wrong time,' that pretty much sums up what it's like to be a Roush Fenway driver this year."
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