RPM.ESPN.com takes a look at what went down in the racing world this past weekend.

	Tracy's time.

Biggest surprise: How about Ryan Newman not winning from the pole -- or at least scoring a top-five finish. Newman was on his way before wrecking late -- with or without the help of Dale Earnhardt Jr., depending on which story you believe.

Biggest non-surprise: Jeff Gordon getting hot. Two wins in a row -- and second place in points isn't out of the question. Same goes for Tony Stewart's hot streak, though he may be cemented in current slot of seventh in points.

Also, Matt Kenseth finding a way to score a solid finish despite not having a great car. Again.

Biggest disappointment: Bruno Junqueira. He was in position to take a tight Champ Car points battle to Fontana before crashing out in Australia and handing the championship to Paul Tracy.

And Kevin Harvick. He was great at Atlanta on Sunday and had a good shot at slicing a few more points off Kenseth's championship lead. Instead, damage suffered to his No. 29 car after Dave Blaney lost control relegated Harvick to a 20th-place finish and dropped him behind Earnhardt Jr. to third in points. "It's over," Harvick said. Indeed.

And Johnny Benson losing his ride for next year this late in the season. He's a solid driver who has turned in a couple of very solid seasons but finding something for 2004 could be difficult.

Also, rain can be so aggravating. Here's to fretting over things one can't control ...

Gutsy move: Ryan Hunter-Reay's first career win -- and Darren Manning's late pass on Jimmy Vasser to take second. Still, nice showing for the American Spirit team Down Under.

Also, how about Greg Biffle's Busch team changing a flat tire on the starting grid? Great stuff. Biffle won the race from the pole for his second BGN victory in three races.

And while NASCAR is having trouble with some rulings (see below), awarding a lap back to the first car a lap down when a caution comes out has solved one problem -- lapped cars racing the leaders. We're not talking restarts. Rather, in instances where the leader is trying to hold off a challenge from a car or two, getting caught in lapped traffic is a major hindrance. And as Chip Ganassi once pointed out, often the car about to go a lap down battles the leader for an extended period of time but allows the cars in second, third or fourth to just drive on by once the leader finally does make the pass.

Now, those cars have no reason to fight as hard to remain on the lead lap because they'll get that lap back, anyway, if a caution is thrown. That's one part of the rule that doesn't need tweaking.

Boneheaded move: NASCAR setting the field during a yellow at Atlanta (have we, by the way, expressed how much we despise yellow flags during green flag stops lately? Perhaps we'll rant later on -- depends on our mood). First, they make Jeff Gordon pit twice. Then Kurt Busch is penalized for not slowing for the yellow despite the appearance that no yellow lights came on before Busch finally crossed the line and saw the flag. Further, No. 7 crew chief Tommy Baldwin claims NASCAR told him that his car was the first a lap down and could get its lap back. NASCAR changed its mind, but Jimmy Spencer had already pitted and the car lost a ton of track position (though Spencer did get his lap back during a later caution).

One other suggestion -- if the leader of the race is actually eighth or 12th or 20th on the track (as was the case with Earnhardt Jr. after the yellow thrown during green flag stops), why not just let those cars come around and join the back of the field in the same position? It makes no sense whatsoever to bury the leader in the pack.

Also, CART running in the rain. Some believe it's a true test of driver skill. More likely, it's a sloppy debacle waiting to happen (the wet track played a role in Tracy's day before Junqueira dropped out). The sun came out soon after the race restarted. CART easily could have waited. Leave the rain tires in the truck. Better yet, toss them into the Pacific.

Redemption: Tracy's championship. Redemption on Sunday for clinching despite his on-track problems and redemption for past criticism that he was too aggressive and headstrong. Tracy really didn't alter his driving style much this year and it earned him a championship.

Random stat: 23. That's where Derrike Cope qualified at Atlanta. Pretty respectable. Figured it was worth mentioning after taking Cope to task for running so poorly and taking a spot in the field. Of course, Cope did not finish the race and was credited with a 40th-place result.

Random thought: How funny and engaging was Stewart during Sunday's rain delay?

General amazement: John Force is not the NHRA Funny Car champion anymore. His team driver Tony Pedregon took that honor at Vegas, ending a remarkable run of 10 consecutive championships for Force.

And how about Kenny Bernstein? Wonder if he's thought about a two-car operation next year with himself and son Brandon in the cockpits.

Quote: "We've been through so much this year and it has built a lot of courage on this team.." -- No. 24 crew chief Robbie Loomis after Jeff Gordon won Monday's Cup race at Atlanta.

Photo: Check out the photo of the week. Scott Dixon with Tony Renna. What could have been ...

Tell us what you think: Share your thoughts with us about the weekend's action.

 
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