Kerr, from Bensalem, Pa., is the crew chief for the No. 47 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series, driven by Australian Marcus Ambrose. His last three Cup finishes include a second (at Watkins Glen) and third (at Bristol).

"Fair dinkum" is an Australian term that Kerr has become familiar with. As Ambrose explains, it means "something that is genuine. If we're talking about Tony Stewart and you say, 'Fair dinkum, he's the best' that means he's genuinely the best in your opinion."

While Ambrose, in his first full Cup season, is not in Stewart's class yet, Kerr is thoroughly impressed by the Aussie.

"Marcus is a pleasure to be around. He's quite a talent," Kerr said. "He likes to joke around, but he's very serious at what he does. I have him racing dirt late-models and sprint cars - anything to get laps in. I tease him that he's a 13-year-old trapped in a 32-year-old's body."

Ambrose is 17th in the Cup standings. Next year, he and Kerr expect to contend for the Chase.

Kerr, 48, can give Ambrose major pointers about racing on dirt. After racing in the Mid-Atlantic area, Kerr moved to Ohio and collected four All-Star Circuit of Champion sprint-car titles in the 1990s.

"My favorite track was Eldora [now owned by Stewart]," Kerr said.

"Tony Stewart is the best race-car driver out there right now," Kerr said. "I raced against Tony. He's passionate to win. He hates to lose."

Kerr is one of four Cup series crew chiefs from the Philadelphia area, along with Pat Tryson, from Malvern (Kurt Busch); Greg Erwin, from Hatboro (Greg Biffle); and Bob Osborne, born in Chester (Carl Edwards).

"We get to see each other more now," Kerr said. "You work so hard at the racetrack and you concentrate on your car. Having time to talk to somebody is very limited. Now that we're closer in points, we can see each other."

With no Cup race this weekend, Kerr will be Ambrose's crew chief in the Nationwide race in Montreal on Sunday.

Wisely, JJ kept quiet

Johnson is glad he kept quiet Saturday night at Bristol after a problem changing a tire during a pit stop dropped him back in the pack.

"I just kept my mouth shut on the radio," he said on a Tuesday conference call. "I'm glad I did, [so] I didn't act like a jerk. If I said what was on my mind, it would tear the team down. That's where some guys make mistakes.

"In a team sport, how you act and what you say can tear apart your team. When I screw up and stick [a car] in the fence, I don't need the tire changer getting on the radio and screaming how big of an idiot I am.

"It was a tough blow. We had a real good chance at our first Bristol win. We never quit [though]. We're able to sustain our groove and rhythm and do the right things when adversity hits us."

Johnson rebounded to finish 21st, which, under the circumstances he considers reasonably satisfying. He is second in points, 34 ahead of teammate Jeff Gordon.

"We were one of the few cars that was able to pass all night long," he said.