The flavor of the season thus far has been a blend of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. The pair have managed to claim more than half of the nine races to date. On Sunday, the man known as Shrub, Rowdy, or Cactus (pick your favorite) came back from a lap down to be at the front when it counted the most. It marked the second win on the season for the guy who turns 23 on Friday, and the sixth victory of his Cup career.

Edwards, who has three wins to his credit in 2008, could not get a sniff at Talladega. He did get a snootful of Kevin Lepage in Saturday's Nationwide race. That can happen when a guy inexplicably pulls his lapped auto up off the apron just in time to pick off a GOOD chunk of the field. The last time I saw such a move, it involved a computer and a joystick. On Sunday, too much camber had Edwards shouting "thar she blows" more often than Captain Ahab in his race with Moby Dick. 40th is a long way from first.

Okay, what happened to Jeff Gordon? One moment he was running up front pushing the leader and the next thing we know he wasn't even running GOOD enough to get involved in that last lap wreck. If Dale Earnhardt Jr just missed it to finish tenth, there seemed to be a whole lot of junked metal separating him from his team mate, who finished 19th.

Tony Stewart had the best car on the day. He led the most laps. He also had a tire go flat, ticked the fence, and found himself back in the pack. No problem. Stewart had a car GOOD enough to make its way back. It just proved just too wide for some little holes. In the firestorm of cars going in and out and lanes opening and closing as the laps wound down, he wound up in a 190mph bear hug up against the fence. GOOD car, BAD luck, UGLY 38th place finish.

You just got to love villains. I mean, some did when Dale Earnhardt was the guy you either cheered or jeered. Jeff Gordon, for different reasons, is still in the same boat. However, when I think of BAD boys I remember how Kurt Busch once was, back in the days when he more resembled a weasel than the guy he is today. I think about Brian Vickers, who won his only race at Talladega a couple of years ago by taking out both Junior and his then team mate Jimmie Johnson. If that wasn't bad enough, he actually celebrated the win by whooping it up as though the twit just discovered that he was indeed the new King of the Morons. What he should have done was show the proper amount of humility and penance for the miscue that led to his GOOD fortune. We fans have long memories.

My new candidate for villainy? Denny Hamlin. I may be wrong, but when the boy is out there I just don't feel the love. On Sunday, he was a bridesmaid to so many, but he couldn't get a date of his own when he wanted to stay up front. When his team mate Kyle Busch attempted to pit early in the race, he was forced to drive by without stopping because Hamlin was in the way. Even Stewart has had problems with lad. I don't mind aggressive guys. Heck, I cheered Earnhardt. I cheer Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, Stewart and Kyle Busch. Yet, something about this Hamlin boy seems to be bothering some people. Are they out to lunch?

I thought our next BAD man would be the guy from Columbia. An aggressive foreign driver with an attitude who got his first NASCAR win by turning his team mate. It seemed like the perfect villain storm. He finished second on Sunday and I doubt too many were upset. Heck, how can you get ornery with someone who is man enough to have Juicy Fruit on the hood of his car?

Matt Kenseth has run well at Talladega. Too BAD this is the exception, not the rule. Sunday was no exception, as he had a tire go BAD early, found the fence, and limped around to wind up 41st. It was his worst finish on the big track where he has just a half dozen Top Tens in 17 tries.

Joe Nemechek took the pole, and actually proved competitive enough to finish 25th, even though his race ended in that last lap carnage. Last season, things went well for the team for a time when the crew got a special batch of cookies from a loyal fan. I understand they got another special batch of cookies in Alabama. Just to be clear, there is nothing in these cookies Congress might want to investigate, just a bunch of love. Okay, maybe some oatmeal. You know, the world would be a better place if we had a little more love and oatmeal.

Last week, my favorite uncle, Curtis Blaine Smith, passed away in Creston, British Columbia. Blaine was not a NASCAR fan, just a GOOD man. Rodeo was his sport, and he was a true cowboy in the best sense of the word. Thanks to him, our sons got to experience their first ride on a horse, learned what can happen when you touch an electric fence, and received the lesson that pancakes can and do fly on Sunday mornings. At 65, he left us way too early. We shall miss him dearly.