Rick Minter's OBSERVATIONS

Some key story lines as the Cup Series heads to Texas. Flexing his clout

Like his dad, Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows how to flex his political muscles in NASCAR. Earnhardt Sr.'s nickname, "The Intimidator," was accurate on and off the track. Sometimes he initiated change simply by walking into the NASCAR hauler and making his point. On other occasions, he cleverly used the media to send his message.

So far, Junior rarely uses the direct approach, but he's becoming adept at the indirect route.

A case in point is the old bump over the tunnel at Texas Motor Speedway. Earnhardt Jr. wanted it fixed and said so in several interviews. Not surprisingly, the bump has been repaired in time for this weekend's Samsung 500.

"The track was coming into its own and creating a second and third groove, but the dip was so bad at the top of the corner on [turns] 1 and 2 that it was hard for us to run through there," Earnhardt said. "I told [Texas Motor Speedway officials] if they could fix that, they'd have a better racetrack."

But he said speedway President Eddie Gossage was a little perturbed at how he transmitted the message.

"He was upset that I used the media to tell him that, but sometimes you [media] guys have got the loudest microphone," Earnhardt said.

Unfair advantage?

The adage "practice makes perfect" is as true in NASCAR as anywhere.

Carl Edwards' victory in the Busch Series race at Nashville Superspeedway last Saturday was yet another triumph for a Nextel Cup driver racing in NASCAR's No. 2 circuit.

It wasn't surprising, given that the Cup drivers and their Cup-affiliated Busch teams are often more talented and have better equipment and more technology than the Busch-only teams.

But at many tracks, the double-dipping Cup drivers also get far more practice time than the Busch-only teams.

Busch crew chief Ricky Pearson, who leads the No. 36 team for driver Brent Sherman, said that to improve the inequities, NASCAR should allow Busch drivers who aren't running the Cup races to participate in the weekly practice session now reserved for rookie drivers.

"It isn't adding a practice, but it's making it more fair for the Busch drivers," Pearson said.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition, said he's willing to consider Pearson's idea.

"NASCAR looks to keep an even playing field for all competitors, and we'll always take their input as we move forward," Pemberton said in an e-mail.

Last laugh

Starring in TV commercials has become a big part of a NASCAR driver's job, but drivers aren't always portrayed as the hero. That might bother some, but it's OK with Elliott Sadler.

In a Nextel commercial, Sadler offers tips to Jimmie Johnson on his driving only to have Johnson phone someone who brings out his Nextel Cup trophy, which illustrates the fact that Johnson, as champion, doesn't need advice from Sadler, who hasn't won a title.

But Sadler said in a teleconference last week that his fans who may not have liked the way he was put in his place by Johnson shouldn't fret. It's all in fun.

"I don't mind being the fall guy or the idiot or the guy that gets the joke played on him in the commercials," he said. "That's who I am. I laugh. I can laugh at myself with the best of them."

Swappin' paint

NASCAR newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya sounded almost like a NASCAR "good ol' boy" in explaining the first shorttrack dust-up of his brief Nextel Cup career.

In so many words, he explained that the incident with Tony Raines in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway was "just one of those racing deals."

"It's just racing," Montoya said of the incident with Raines. "On a short track like that, things like that are going to happen. You hit some guy, some guy hits you and you don't really do it on purpose or anything. "The guy went to the inside really early, and when I went brake, it was too late. I ran into the back of him and took him out. It's not like you want to do it on purpose.

"You can't really expect anything different from a short track. I think what I like about a short track is it's like bumper cars."

NEXTEL CUP STANDINGS 1. Jeff Gordon

966; leader 2. Jeff Burton

938; behind: -28 3. Jimmie Johnson

906; behind: -60 4. Matt Kenseth

836; behind: -130 5. Kyle Busch

804; behind: -162 6. Denny Hamlin

776; behind: -190 7. Clint Bowyer

751; behind: -215 8. Tony Stewart

726; behind: -240 9. Carl Edwards

710; behind: -256 10. Kevin Harvick

687; behind: -279

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