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2008 NASCAR Tickets & NASCAR Schedule

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By Bill Marx,Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

In honor of last Sunday's Sprint Cup race in Las Vegas, this week's theme for 12 Gauge is gambling. All race and performance references for the top 12 drivers in the Sprint Cup Series points standings are from the UAW-Dodge 400.

1. Carl Edwards, 491 points. Edwards became the first driver this year to double down. Now it's on to Atlanta where he won his first Cup race on the way to sweeping both races in 2005.

--(Cont'd From Front Page)-- 2. Kyle Busch, 470. Even though Busch finished 11th, you can hardly call him a bust. He led 56 laps, trailing only Edwards (86) and Matt Kenseth (70).

3. Ryan Newman, 450. The last time Newman was in the top 10 in points for three consecutive races was two years ago when his run of 12 consecutive races in the top 10 ended after the third race of the season. Odds are he'll make it four weeks in a row after Atlanta, where he has won seven poles in 12 races.

4. Kasey Kahne, 444. Trips to open: Kahne is the only driver with top 10s in the first three races.

5. Kevin Harvick, 428. After winning five races in 2006, Harvick was a chalk pick for 2007. He responded by winning the Daytona 500, but he hasn't won since. If he doesn't win at Atlanta, he'll run his winless streak to 39 races, the third-longest drought in his Cup career.

6. Greg Biffle, 427. Biffle may love dogs, but he has been no dog this season. He is one of four drivers who has been in the top 10 each week through the first three races. The other three: Busch, Kahne and Newman. 

7. Jeff Burton, 421. It's better than even money you'll find Burton racing -- and finishing -- in the top 15. No one can top his current streak of nine consecutive top-15 finishes in the Cup Series.

8. Martin Truex Jr., 371. The top card of DEI is filling his role nicely. He is tied for third in the closers category - positions improved in the last 10 percent of each race. He is hoping for better luck at Atlanta, where he led a race-high 135 laps last October but ran into the back of Denny Hamlin with two laps to go when Hamlin ran out of gas on a restart.

9. Elliott Sadler, 368. Sadler is early money. Very early. Since Sadler became a full-time Cup driver in 1999, he has been in the top 10 after three races four times, but only once did he stay in the top 10 after the fourth race, and that was in 2004 when he was in the top 10 throughout the season and qualified for the Chase. His record in Atlanta? Not very good. Three top 10s in 18 races.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 361. Junior is the only Hendrick driver in the top 12 after three races. Would you have gone all-in on this bet in the preseason? I didn't think so.

11. Tony Stewart, 355. If ever there was a driver who is a halftime bet, it's Stewart. Nineteen of his 32 career Cup wins have come in the second half of the season. Only two have come in the first 10 races.

12. Brian Vickers and Kurt Busch, 348. Technically, Busch is ahead of Vickers because he has a top-10 finish and Vickers doesn't. But a push is a push in our book. Vickers is the long shot of the top 12. He didn't even qualify for the first and third races last year. Now, he is two races from being in the coveted top 35 in owner points. Tires don't fail me now.

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NOTE: I'm a one man show, not supported by anyone. If you wish to donate to help offset expense, it would be appreciated:

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