IN SIGHT Uh, is this the Rushville Rocket? FOCUS: STERLING MARLIN Marlin Wasn't he supposed to pick up where he left off? Sterling Marlin's title run was cut short last year by a broken bone in his neck. But his team didn't miss a step, sending Jamie McMurray to Victory Lane at Charlotte in Marlin's No. 40 car. Fast forward to 2003 to find a healed, rested and ready Sterling Marlin. "I was bored to death last year when I had to sit out," Marlin said before Daytona. "I just didn't know what to do with myself. I am not tired of racing and I am not even thinking about quitting. I am having too good of a time." But Marlin's '03 season hasn't been as good a time as he might have hoped. Marlin sits 23rd -- he hasn't been any higher than 18th this season -- .in points after an up and down seven races, having scored two top-10s and three finishes of 29th or worse -- including Sunday's 29th-place at Texas, where he started 43rd after changing an engine and struggled after some banging on track. "We had some trouble early and had to play catch-up the rest of the day," Marlin said after the race. "It's a shame because we really had a top-five car. That early accident hurt us. We'll try it again next week at Talladega." There's likely no better place for Marlin to get his '03 campaign on the right track than Talladega. Though he made just one start at the Alabama superspeedway last year -- finishing fifth in the Aaron's 499 -- two of Marlin's 10 career wins have come at Talladega. Another three came at Daytona, NASCAR's other superspeedway. But Marlin will only be as good as his car -- and the car hasn't been great. "We're not where we need to be right now with the 40 car," team manager Tony Glover said following one of Marlin's better finishes this year, a 14th at Atlanta. "We've got some work to do. We were no match for those guys up front by any means. "Until we can be the best Dodge week in and week out like we've been the past two years then we've got to go to work to make our program better and not worry about what the other folks are doing. We've just got to get our stuff better." Rookie teammate McMurray (21st in points) is pulling his weight. And rookie Casey Mears (34th) hasn't been great but he has run clean. Marlin and the 40 team could start feeling the pressure soon -- if not from themselves then certainly from Chip Ganassi. PIT PASS Almost home: The Brazilian Grand Prix is the hometown race for several F1 drivers, including Rubens Barrichello, Cristiano da Matta and Antonio Pizzonia. But that doesn't mean Juan Pablo Montoya isn't happy to be in the neighborhood. "Brazil is the closest thing to a home race for me," said Montoya, a native of Colombia. "It is geographically close, but it is also culturally and socially similar. Whether it is the people, the heavy traffic or the atmosphere and, of course, the enthusiasm of the fans, it reminds me of home. The fans wave their flags and sing for hours and it seems they never tire." Montoya got off to a strong start this season with a second-place finish in Australia but was caught up in a first-lap incident in Malaysia and ultimately finished 12th. But he has run well in Brazil before. "2001 was sweet and sour if you like, because I missed out on a win. I led the race from the third lap until lap 38 and I was looking good for the first win of my F1 career when I was accidentally hit by Jos Verstappen and my race was over. It was going to be one of the best days of my life and unfortunately it became a bad one!" Not proximity to home (where he did visit on his way to Brazil) nor history at the track -- could Montoya's favorite aspect of visiting Brazil be the food? "I shouldn't start with my favorite things to eat, but I really like Rodizio, which is a informal cuisine based on coal-roasted skewered meat. They call it Churrasco in Brazil, but we have a different name for it in Colombia. Whatever you might call it ... I just love it!" Montoya failed to provide a recipe. A Gentleman's Agreement. A yellow was thrown. Race leader Matt Kenseth slowed to allow a few drivers to attempt to regain a lap. That's common. Jeff Gordon did not slow. Instead, he passed Kenseth to apparently take the race lead. But NASCAR intervened and enforced this "Gentleman's Agreement" that only lapped cars can pass the leader in an instance such as what we saw on Sunday and made Gordon drop back to second. Huh? "Somebody is going to have to explain that one to me," Gordon said. "It's frustrating. I don't think that just because the leader wants to let the guys have a lap back doesn't mean that everybody else behind him has to let them have a lap back. "I think it's his choice whether he wants to let them have a lap back or not. If he doesn't, then the next guy in line can choose. I did. I was the leader when I crossed the line." He's right. And Gordon himself has been involved in incidents during which he as a race leader slowed to allow lapped cars to pass, only to have the current second-place driver gun it and attempt to pass, forcing Gordon to accelerate to maintain his lead, thus not allowing the lapped cars to pass, either. That's what Gordon did to Kenseth on Sunday. But Kenseth let him by -- it's just that NASCAR did not. "We are talking about keeping cars down a lap and I don't know of any gentleman's agreement that says that I have to let cars have their lap back, even if I'm not the leader," Gordon said. "I think to the whole giving a lap back thing is crazy anyway." Another good point made by Jeffy. It's a courtesy -- not an obligation -- for a race leader to allow cars to regain laps. It's certainly not a rule, nor should it be. After all, these are the same cars competing for the same championship as the race leader. And as for Gordon himself, most drivers -- short of his own teammates -- don't hesitate to try and keep him a lap down because they know the No. 24 car could come back around and beat them that day. NASCAR did admit making a mistake on this, saying that Gordon should have been given the lead. But in the same breath, NASCAR admitted disapproval of Gordon's actions. "Naturally, our reaction leaves you with the impression that we didn't like it," said NASCAR president Mike Helton. So Gordon was right but NASCAR doesn't approve? This rule needs to be clarified. Either you allow racing back to the yellow -- meaning lapped cars and second- and third-place cars can make runs at the leader -- or you don't, instead choosing to freeze the field at the time of the caution. And that method works oh-so-wonderfully -- just ask Paul Tracy and Helio Castroneves. The third option would be to revert to the running order at the completion of the previous lap. This makes the least sense -- any passes made during a lap before a caution is thrown can't just be negated. On Sunday, the situation called for NASCAR to reinterpret and reinforce an rule which doesn't necessarily exist. And nothing good can come of that. EXHAUST FUMES Clock ticking: So is it too early to start guessing which Cup driver will be the first to get axed this season? Of course not! Let's name some candidates: Steve Park, 26th in points. Park got it together toward the end of '02. Slow, unimpressive start this season. Chances are he'll turn it around and finish in the top 20. He's fairly safe. Jeff Green, 27th: After a quiet yet strong season in '02, Green hasn't been good but hasn't been bad this season. Coming off a season-best seventh at Texas, Green's safe for this year. Jeremy Mayfield, 29th: Mayfield, who has shown very few signs of life with Evernham, started strong with an eighth at Daytona. Zero top-20s since. That ain't gonna get it done. Mayfield needs to perform. Jerry Nadeau, 30th: Nadeau's strong runs finally paid off at Texas. He's encountered some bad luck, but that team has had some decent runs. Nadeau needs to string together some top-20s. Mike Skinner, 39th: Often encounters bad luck, but has a couple of decent finishes this year. No. 4 car isn't the greatest, so anything Skinner can accomplish is gravy. Still, some top-10s wouldn't hurt. Skinner's on the fence. Others receiving consideration: Terry Labonte, 31st (he's safe); Ward Burton, 32nd (safe); Ken Schrader, 38th (safe if BAM is smart). Verdict: Unless his fortunes reverse, money's on Mayfield to get the pink slip. Maybe not during the season, but come November ... Skinner could also use a change of luck this season. It's not too difficult to imagine Bobby Hamilton returning to Morgan-McClure for 2004, is it? OVERHEARD Gil de Ferran On his recent wreck: "I've been the perfect crash-test dummy for the HANS ... one forward impact and one rear impact." Joe Gibbs On the illegal No. 20 car: "We're trying to go back to a process to figure out how it happened. ... All of our other cars fit the templates. It's just our fault and there's no excuse for it." Brian Vickers On his black flag penalty: "I have a lot of respect for NASCAR officials, they usually make good calls. But I have to disagree this time. This time, they made a really bad one."