1. Jeff Burton, 79.3 driver rating. There are myriad statistics that support Burton's lack of success at
Talladega. But we will err on the side of brevity: Burton is winless in 28 starts, and he finished 31st
and 43rd in last year's races. A victory, or even his third top five, would be a considerable
breakthrough.
2. Kyle Busch, 67.3. Speaking of lack of success ... if Busch finishes Sunday's race, that will be a
breakthrough. He crashed in both races last year and has four DNFs in six races. His 31.7 average finish
is better than only his 33.0 at Homestead among the 22 Cup tracks on which he has raced. They also are
the only two tracks on which he hasn't had a top-10 finish.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 81.2. The Earnhardt name is synonymous with Talladega. Junior has five wins,
behind only Jeff Gordon (six) and his dad (10). The auto racing world is waiting for Junior to end his
70-race winless streak. Doing it at Talladega would make it that much more special.
4. Jimmie Johnson, 89.8. Johnson finished second in both races last year and won this race in 2006.
Here's an interesting Johnson statistic: Of Johnson's 24 career DNFs, five have been at Talladega (in 12
races). He has yet to be running at the finish of three consecutive Talladega races.
5. Kevin Harvick, 76.3. Unlike Johnson, Harvick doesn't have a win at Talladega, but unlike Johnson, he
has avoided trouble. He has completed all but 11 laps in his 14 starts with no DNFs. He has seven top
10s.
Five to watch:
6. Denny Hamlin, 89.8. Although winless in four races with only one top 10, Hamlin has the sixth-highest
driver rating. He has led at least one lap in each race, and he finished fourth last fall for his first
top 10 in nine restrictor-plate races.
7. Tony Stewart, 93.1. Smoke also is winless, but that is more fluke than anything. He has the
third-highest driver rating and 11 top 10s in 18 races. He has finished second six times. His future with
Joe Gibbs Racing is the No. 1 topic at the track. It'll be interesting to see what impact, if any, it'll
have on Stewart come Sunday.
9. Carl Edwards, 73.0. Edwards has an uneven record at Talladega with three top 10s and two DNFs for
engine failure in seven races. A Jack Roush Ford hasn't won at Talladega since May 1997. Edwards is the
series wins leader with three, and you would expect him to be in the mix Sunday, regardless of history.
13. Jeff Gordon, 98.5. Gordon has done everything at Talladega, from leading 139 laps and winning (May
2005) to leading one lap and winning (last fall). Besides his six wins, he has 13 top fives and 16 top
10s. He has led at least one lap in 24 of his 30 races. He swept both races last year. What's next for
Gordon? To join Buddy Baker (three in a row) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (four straight) as the only drivers
at Talladega to win more than two in a row.
16. Kurt Busch, 95.0. Busch has a terrific record at Talladega -- 11 top 10s in 14 races -- but no wins.
His driver rating is second to Gordon's, and his 890 laps in the top 15 over the past six Talladega races
are tops as are his average finish (5.8) and average running position (11.3). In short, just like
Stewart, Busch has done everything at Talladega but win.
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