IN SIGHT That Jeff Green is one goofy SOB, ain't he? Hey, pole-winner's got that right. FOCUS: JERRY NADEAU Nadeau After a tough '02 campaign that saw him bounce from team to team and suffer a mechanical failure just a couple of circuits short of victory at Sears Point, Jerry Nadeau's prospects for 2003 might be looking up. Though he posted just the 34th-best qualifying time on Sunday, the Connecticut-native notched the second-best time in Tuesday's practice. Nadeau is now teamed with Johnny Benson and driving the No. 01 U.S. Army Pontiac. The team switched from its previous No. 36 (driven by Ken Schrader in 2002) because the sponsor wanted the number to coincide with it's "Army of One" campaign. Ironically, there are now two drivers with the No. 1/01 on their side panels (Nadeau, Steve Park). PIT PASS A question always asked during Speedweeks is whether teams are really showing all their cards during practice or if they are holding back something extra for Sunday's running of the Daytona 500. "We're doing everything we can," said No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus, whose Jimmie Johnson-piloted Chevy hasn't been close to last season's pole-setting performances, though the car was the third-fastest during Tuesday afternoon's practice. Knaus said he hoped Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 8 team weren't holding back -- otherwise, Sunday's race could be a blowout. And how about Junior, DEI teammate Michael Waltrip and the three RCR cars posting five of the six quickest times in qualifying on Monday? Richard Childress gives "all" of the credit for his strong superspeedway program to the late Dale Earnhardt, and DEI's big-track prominence is also attributable to Earnhardt's influence. The Talladega and Daytona races account for just four events on a 36-race schedule. But considering the prominence and publicity surrounding each of those events -- especially the Daytona 500 -- it's hard to argue with the logic of focusing on developing a strong superspeedway program. After all, Derrike Cope will forever be known as "1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope." Wonder if he legally changed his name to that ... Welcome to Gas and Go. RPM.ESPN.com takes a look at what's going down in the racing world, starting with this week's NASCAR action down in Daytona Beach. Check back weekly for the latest buzz. Enjoy! A hot topic in the NASCAR garage lately has been the hot pass. To help alleviate the overcrowding in the garages during practice and qualifying, NASCAR has instituted hot times -- a period starting 30 minutes before on-track action and ending 30 minutes after during which only people holding a hot pass can gain access to the garage. The hope was to give the teams and drivers some breathing room during work times while still allowing media access, but limiting fan access to other periods of the day. Is it working? Well, Jeff Gordon was able to walk from his hauler through the garage and out the gate toward his camper without being harassed or asked for even one autograph, so you tell us? It's so quiet in the garages during these hot times that you can almost hear someone's dad in a Daytona Beach ranch scolding his son or daughter for listening to Alice Cooper music. Fan-geared events have been created to help give the public access to their favorite drivers. And there still are plenty of times when the garage is "cold," allowing fans and the like access -- but there are far fewer drivers mulling about during this time. Further, NASCAR has limited the number of passes teams are able to pass out. Overall, driver accessibility isn't what it was, but it still is reasonable. And the difference during hot times is dramatic and effective. Good call by NASCAR. EXHAUST FUMES Be prepared: A TV crew approached Kevin Harvick following a practice session last weekend. The reporter asked Harvick where he placed among the practice times. Harvick's reply? "You should have done your homework." Then he shrugged his shoulders, raised his hands in the air, said, "Sorry" and walked away. Take 1: Kudos to Harvick for taking the media to task. It's really not that difficult to check a timesheet to see where the cars finish in practice. Take 2: Hey, give 'em a break, Kevin. You could have just told them and let them ask their questions. Take 3: Maybe Harvick didn't know where he placed in practice ... IROCking Iraq: Overheard in media center ... Q: "Is IROC still on the track right now?" A: "What about Iraq?" Forget Hans Blix. Let's send IROC testers/coaches and racing veterans (and just generally hip old guys) Dave Marcis and Dick Trickle into Baghdad. Give 'em a couple of late models to run around the sand with and they'll have those (allegedly) hidden weapons exposed and torn up in no time. Either that, or Saddam Hussein will run screaming out of the country after hearing hours upon hours of the duo recounting the good ol' days of Wisconsin short track racing. OVERHEARD Bill France Jr. On collegue/rival Bruton Smith "Sometimes when Bruton opens his mouth he sounds constipated." RICHARD CHILDRESS On Dale Earnhardt: "He was the man here for many, many years. I'll always give Dale Earnhardt all the credit. He's the man when it comes to Daytona and Talladega." CHASE MONTGOMERY On his ARCA victory being his first career racing win on any level: "I think I (once) won a Monopoly game."