Talking points as mid-season approaches

By DAVID GREEN

Some points to ponder as we approach the return to Daytona on Independence Day weekend:

(1) Have we determined that DEI has lost its restrictor plate magic, or will Junior be a contender in the Pepsi 400 Saturday night?

The opinion here is that it's the Hendrick Chevys that are now the ones to watch. And didn't some guy start a championship run with a win at Sonoma, followed by a win at Daytona, last year? In other words, watch out for the 24.

(2) What's up with guys announcing engagements, then going out and winning races?

In Champ Car, A.J. Allmendinger did it week before last at Portland, Ore., and then this past weekend, Jeff Gordon pops the question and then pops the cork in Infineon's victory lane.

Man -- that's a more expensive route to victory than home improvement projects.

(3) What in the world is up with Kevin Harvick trying to body-slam Paul Menard's car into the inside wall after the Busch Series race at Milwaukee Saturday night?

I suppose Happy was miffed because Menard didn't cooperate and spin out after Harvick repeatedly tried to dump him, but when J.J. Yeley got into Harvick's rear bumper, Harvick spun out like a bump-and-run victim is supposed to. The nerve of that Menard guy -- maintaining control after somebody gives him a cheap shot from behind.

That had to be the most bizarre incident of the weekend. Harvick's curious confrontation with Menard was kind of like the Chicago White Sox pitcher who was ejected for throwing a beanball last week. At the time of the incident, the Sox had a 19-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. Dude -- you throw at somebody when they're beating you by a big margin, not when you're whipping them. What are you trying to do -- add injury to insult?

Cheer up, Kevin. Menard is still a relative newcomer to NASCAR. Perhaps someday, he'll learn to spin out when you hit his car.

(4) Remember when everybody was talking about what a strong start Tony Stewart was having to this title defense season?

Well, as the first half of the season approaches, it's fair to say the champ is in a bit of a slump. And yet, he's still running pretty strong. He's not crashing out or blowing up while running 35th. He probably wasn't going to catch Gordon Sunday, but he was a good bet for second until his engine went sour.

Not too many drivers have ever maintained for a full season the kind of winning edge Stewart rode at mid-season to last year's championship. That kind of excellence doesn't usually come out of a clear blue sky, though. Stewart was competitive just about every race last year.

He has been fairly competitive in most races this year, too. I'd say a ding-dong battle between Stewart and Gordon for this year's Cup title is not out of the question. Then again, they might be fighting it out for third place, if Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth keep on keepin' on.