After the week off and allowing Nationwide Series to enjoy the spotlight the Sprint Cup Series is back in action at the largest track on the schedule, the 2.66 mile Talladega Superspeedway. The likelihood of the big one taking out contenders, picking who will win is difficult, but I'm going to try.

1. Jeff Burton

Came from a low starting position and a mid-race spin to finish 6th, continuing his run of consistency. He looks as though he could be a driver to beat for the championship this year.






2. Carl Edwards

He recovered from a pit road penalty to finish 4th at Phoenix, showing he can perform on all the tracks, not just the 1.5 milers. Talladega isn't Edwards' best track, however, as he has an average finish of 21.7 and has only led 9 laps in his 7 career starts.






3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He was competing with Mark Martin for the win late at Phoenix before finishing 7th after pit stops, as he inches closer and closer to his long awaited first win of 2008. And there is no better place than Talladega, where he has 5 wins, thanks in large part to what he learned from his father, who won 10 races at the track.





4. Kyle Busch

Busch had another top-10 at Phoenix, then went on to win his third strait Nationwide Series race at Mexico. If that success is going to continue at Talladega, Busch is going to have to do something he seldom does at the Alabama track: finish. In six starts, he has run all 188 laps only once, back in 2006 when he finished 11th, his best finish at the track.





5. Greg Biffle

Biffle bounced back from poor runs at Texas and Martinsville to finish 9th at Phoenix. However, Talladega could spell more trouble for the Biff, where in ten starts he has never finished in the top-10.

6. Kevin Harvick

Harvick's finish at Phoenix was lower than he deserved, as Happy Harvick had run in the top-10 all night long before running out of gas in the final laps. Harvick should be back out front at Talladega, however, where he has an average finish of 13.3.

7. Tony Stewart

Stewart's finish was also lower than it should have been at Phoenix after stalling on pit road in the final laps. However, he should be a threat to win at Talladega, though he has never won in 14 cup starts. However he has finished 2nd not once, not twice, but 6 times. Doesn't hurt that he earned his first victory at the track in the Nationwide Series this weekend.






8. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin finished 3rd at Phoenix for his 4th strait finish of 6th or better. In four starts at Talladega he has only 1 top-10, but he runs out front often, especially last year when he led 88 laps in the two races run.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson earned Hendrick Motorsports it's first victory of the 2008 season, and he could make it back-to-back at Talladega, where he finished 2nd in both races last year and won here in 2006.

10. Clint Bowyer

He continues to impress after finishing 2nd at Phoenix thanks to fuel strategy. However, his average finish at Talladega is outside the top 30.








Other Notables:

11. Jeff Gordon- managed a top-15 at Phoenix after his miserable at Texas, and he is a favorite for the Talladega race, with 6 career wins at the track including both races last year.

12. David Gilliland- All of a sudden, this young driver has three top-15's in the past four races, and Yates has always had a strong plate program, which could lead to more success for David.

13. Michael Walrtip- All four of his career Cup victories have come on plate tracks, Waltrip could have a strong run at 'Dega.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- Earned just his second top-10 of the season at Phoenix, but could get his third at Talladega has run up front, thanks to lessons learned from former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

15. David Stremme- Will fill in for the injured Dario Franchitti at Talladega. Stremme had driven for Ganassi before being released in place for Franchitti, could be an opportunity to show that move was a mistake.