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

	See, he shows emotion. Every time he wins. Which is pretty often.

Biggest surprise: A couple of the U.S. Nationals champs. Tim Wilkerson and Reggie Showers both stepped up at Indy and turned plenty of heads. Probably gave them whiplash, actually.

Biggest non-surprise: Ho-hum, Ryan Newman wins again.

Biggest disappointment: Helio Castroneves. Well, disappointment for him, but not for the rest of the IndyCar title contenders.

And Mike Skinner. What an odd weekend.

Gutsy move: Sam Hornish Jr. going three-wide (though it would have been boneheaded had someone wrecked) on Bryan Herta and Roger Yasukawa -- and then Hornish edging Herta and Scott Dixon in another crazy Chicagoland finish. Good stuff.

Boneheaded move: Where to begin ... To start, Ricky Rudd and Jeff Burton were at fault in wrecking Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon (though neither wreck was intentional), thus earning boneheaded mentions of their own. But ... Harvick and to a lesser extent Gordon were so inexplicably and unbelievably out of line in their responses and reactions, it's no wonder both have reputations for being hotheaded. And for Gordon to call Burton immature? Laughable. And let's not even get started on Harvick's pit crew. What a headache Richard Childress must have right now. For a more detailed breakdown and analysis of RCR's Saturday night theatrics, check out Scott Symmes' NASCAR Insider column.

Also, how angry and sarcastic is Bobby Hamilton? Check out his post-Richmond rants and actions (hitting Brendan Gaughan's truck after the Richmond race). NASCAR did -- and Hamilton was fined $10,000 and placed on probation for the remainder of the 2003 season.

Redemption: Jeremy Mayfield. He's notched three consecutive top-10s and is showing signs of life. We've questioned Ray Evernham's choice of employing Mayfield, so it's only fair to recognize when the team gets the job done. Here's to proving us wrong ...

Random stat: 418. That's Matt Kenseth's points lead. You want a championship race? Try Busch, Trucks, F1, CART, IRL ...

As usual, Kenseth survived the elements -- this time a spin -- to finish in the top-10. The guy's more charmed than Alyssa Milano.

Random thought: Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon have eached proved that they belong in Winston Cup. After the sudden spotlight of 2001 and the disappointment and (watchful eye) of 2002, this season has been more, well, normal for Harvick -- and he's responded by performing brilliantly, especially as of late. Gordon, meanwhile, has flirted with the top-10 for much of this season and has long outgrown his reputation as only being a road course specialist. So what's with the chips on their respective shoulders? For each measure of success Gordon and Harvick earn on track they lose when they open their mouths. Shut up and drive -- and just maybe you both will someday come remotely close to enjoying the same respect currently afforded to guys like Ricky Rudd and Jeff Burton.

General amazement: Neil Hodgson. His superbike dominance this year was Michael Schumacher in '02-esque.

Quote: "Just absolutely absurd. ... What happened after the race is absolutely uncalled for. I haven't seen anything like it in 28 years of racing." -- Rudd on Harvick and his team's post-race actions.

Photo: Check out the photo of the week. Worth another look.

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

 
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