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Power Rankings: Martinsville
October 14, 2003
9:10 AM EDT (0910 GMT)

So now the big rumor is that Newman got better gas mileage because he limited the size of his carburetors. It’s the first time in history that a car was put on the Atkins Diet.

Biggest Gain this week: Sterling Marlin, up six spots

Biggest Drop this week: Kurt Busch, down seven spots

New this week: John Andretti (25)

Dropped out: Joe Nemechek (25)

Week 32 of 36, Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway
Rank Prev Number Driver Comments
 1  1 Ryan Newman Ryan Newman For sale on eBay: one gas tank, winner of several Winston Cup races, slightly used. Low reserve, no pun intended. Actually has a lot of reserve.
 2  2 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick His advice to Matt Kenseth: Run the Craftsman Truck Series race, spin out Coy Gibbs, and get suspended for the Winston Cup event.
 3  3 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon His new teammate is Brian Vickers, making Jeff Gordon the second-oldest driver at Hendrick Motorsports. And if Vickers wins two of the final four races, Gordon will be the third-winningest.
 4  4 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson He’s launched a new website: www.wheresmypitbox.com/tracks/lowes. Don't bother clicking it though. Traffic has been so high that no one can get through.
 5  6 Tony Stewart Tony Stewart He called Matt Kenseth after Kansas to offer some championship-related advice for the stretch run. Which means he basically informed him that it would be poor manners to wear that ever-present baseball cap with a tuxedo at the Winston Cup banquet.
 6  5 Jamie McMurray Jamie McMurray He actually made it into the media center this time. Probably because he remembered it from last year.
 7 11 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott So the word is that he’s just going to drive in the major events in 2004. It’s kind of like the Rolling Stones – they only play in big stadiums. Not that Elliott is the same age as the Rolling Stones, mind you. But you get the picture. Not even Elliott is as old as the Rolling Stones.
 8  8 Jeremy Mayfield Jeremy Mayfield If he goes to RCR, what happens to all his Dodge commercials?
 9  9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Did you see that Carmen Electra gave him a nice look before the race? Which begs the question: Does Dale Jr. go for the older women?
10  7 Rusty Wallace Rusty Wallace Just because you’re speeding near your house (Concord, N.C.) doesn’t mean the local trooper (NASCAR) won’t write you up for it.
11 10 Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte He and Tony Stewart have almost the exact same stats: 10 top-fives, 14-top 10s. Stewart has 3,801 points, Bobby Labonte has 3,800.
12 13 Matt Kenseth Matt Kenseth He sat out the Busch Series race to rest up for the Winston Cup event. Which is pretty smart. Trying to clear five unsponsored cars every lap is a sure-fire way to wear yourself out.
13 12 Terry Labonte Terry Labonte Wow. He’s won $3 million this year. When he won the title in 1984, the TV rights for the entire Winston Cup Series didn’t cost $3 million. Terry can go back in time, purchase the rights, and make a killing on commercials.
14 18 Mark Martin Mark Martin He fell another spot in the standings, but he was pretty good at Charlotte. Martin should finish the season well.
15 16 Greg Biffle Greg Biffle He finally beat McMurray. Unfortunately, it was in the Busch Series race.
16 14 Ricky Rudd Ricky Rudd It’ll be very interesting to see if he finishes ahead of Elliott Sadler in the standings.
17 17 Dale Jarrett Dale Jarrett The season can’t end soon enough.
18 24 Sterling Marlin Sterling Marlin We miss the twins already.
19 19 Elliott Sadler Elliott Sadler He set a new Winston Cup Series record – different paint schemes (three) demolished in one year.
20 22 Ward Burton Ward Burton In a major surprise, he’s headed to Haas CNC Racing, sponsored by NetZero Hi-Speed. The ads are coming out next year: NetZero Hi-Speed! Faster than a bullet from Ward Burton’s gun!
21 20 Jeff Burton Jeff Burton He’s a big fan of Duke University. The basketball team, that is. But the irony of the whole thing is that his season since September has mirrored the season Duke has had on the football field.
22 15 Kurt Busch Kurt Busch Before the punch, he averaged a 16th-place finish. Since the punch, he’s averaged a 22nd-place finish. To reverse the curse, he’s requested an unprovoked attack by Don Zimmer.
23 23 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Judging by his stats, maybe Darrell was driving the car the past two months.
24 21 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Only one top 10 since his win at Watkins Glen. Is he hiding a secret injury from lifting that trophy?
25 NR John Andretti John Andretti He won at Martinsville, but it was a long time ago. Dale Jarrett had long hair, Tony Stewart hadn’t had any media run-ins, and Ricky Rudd was a team owner.
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• Week 1 at Daytona International Speedway
• Week 2 at North Carolina Speedway
• Week 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Week 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Week 5 at Darlington Raceway
• Week 6 at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Week 7 at Texas Motor Speedway
• Week 8 at Talladega Superspeedway
• Week 9 at Martinsville Speedway
• Week 10 at California Speedway
• Week 11 at Richmond International Raceway
• Week 12 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
• Week 13 at Dover International Speedway
• Week 14 at Pocono Raceway
• Week 15 at Michigan International Speedway
• Week 16 at Infineon Raceway
• Week 17 at Daytona International Speedway
• Week 18 at Chicagoland Speedway
• Week 19 at New Hampshire International Speedway
• Week 20 at Pocono Raceway
• Week 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Week 22 at Watkins Glen International
• Week 23 at Michigan International Speedway
• Week 24 at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Week 25 at Darlington Raceway
• Week 26 at Richmond International Raceway
• Week 27 at New Hampshire International Speedway
• Week 28 at Dover International Speedway
• Week 29 at Talladega Superspeedway
• Week 30 at Kansas Speedway
• Week 31 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
• Week 32 at Martinsville Speedway
• Week 33 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Week 34 at Phoenix International Raceway
• Week 35 at North Carolina Speedway
• Week 36 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Week 37 at Daytona International Speedway
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.
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