MotorRacingNetwork.com
1. Jimmie Johnson: Winner of the 2006 spring race; Finished second in both races in 2007; Leads all drivers that have competed in the five races with the COT, with an average finish of 12.0; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 574) that was scheduled to race in the Daytona 500 before getting in a practice crash.
2. Matt Kenseth: 24.7 average finish in last six starts; Last of six top 10s came in the 2006 Fall race; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 690) in the Aaron's 499.
3. Greg Biffle: Coming off two consecutive top 10s; Finishes were first top 10s in 14 starts; Fourth-place finish last fall was first top five; 15.2 average finish in five races with the COT; Piloting brand-new chassis No. 689.
5. Jeff Gordon: Leads all active drivers with six wins and laps led (817); Swept both races in 2007; Won first race with the COT at the track; Has posted an average finish of 28.5 in last four starts.
6. Kyle Busch: Won the 2008 spring race; Has led 79 laps in the five races with the COT; Led 42 laps and finished 25th in this event last year; 21.0 average finish in 21 starts on restrictor-plate tracks; Bringing chassis No. 152, which made its debut in last year's fall Talladega race to an 18th-place finish.
8. Jeff Burton: Has finished in the top 10 in last three starts; Fifth-place finish last fall was fifth top 10 in 11 starts with Richard Childress Racing; 14.8 in the five races with the COT; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 240) that finished 11th in the Daytona 500.
9. Kurt Busch: 14.5 average finish in eight starts with Penske Racing; Overall average finish (13.1) ranks first among drivers with three or more starts; Sixth-place finish in this event last year was 12th top 10 in 18 overall starts; 15.4 average finish in 37 starts on restrictor-plate tracks; Piloting chassis No. PRS-632 which debuted to a fourth-place finish in his Duel race at Daytona and finished 23rd in the Daytona 500.
11. Denny Hamlin: Best driver rating among drivers that have competed in more than two races; Tied for the most laps led in the five races with the COT; Led 28 laps in this event last year en route to a 22nd-place finish; Last of two top 10s (third) came in this event in 2008; Chassis No. 233 will be used for the third consecutive time at Talladega.
12. Joey Logano: Finished in the top 10 in both races in 2009; 18.8 average finish in five starts on restrictor-plate tracks; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 245) that finished third last fall at Talladega.
13. Tony Stewart: Won the 2008 fall race in last track start with Joe Gibbs Racing; Posted six second-place finishes in previous 18 starts with JGR; Finished 23rd and 35th, respectively, in first two track starts with Stewart-Haas in 2009; Only one of his 124 laps led with the COT have come with SHR; Bringing chassis No. 565 which finished second in his Duel race and 22nd in the Daytona 500.
15. Carl Edwards: 27.2 average finish in last six starts; crashes have taken him out of two of the last three races; Three top 10s in 11 starts came in the 2005 fall race through the 2006 fall race; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 650) that finished ninth in the Daytona 500.
16. Ryan Newman: Finished third in first track start with Stewart-Haas in this event last year; Finish was seventh top 10 in 16 overall starts; Posted fifth DNF last fall after a crash took him out of contention; 19.0 average finish in five races with the COT; Debuting a brand-new chassis No. 596.
17. Martin Truex Jr.: Has posted a DNF in eight of his 10 starts; Last top 10 (10th) came in the 2007 spring race; 24.2 average finish in 20 starts on restrictor-plate tracks; Will make track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing.
18. Paul Menard: Finished second in the 2008 fall race with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Finish is only top 10 in seven starts; Will make third track start in a Ford; Finished 13th in first restrictor-plate start with Richard Petty Motorsports at Daytona this year; 24.5 average finish in 13 restrictor-plate starts.
19. Brian Vickers: Won 2006 fall race with Hendrick Motorsports; 20.0 average finish in five starts with Team Red Bull; Finished eighth in this event last year; 19.4 average finish in 23 restrictor-plate starts.
21. Jamie McMurray: Coming off third win on a restrictor-plate track with a victory in the Daytona 500; Won the fall event last year; Win lowered finishing average in five starts with the COT to 25.8; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 1009) in the Aaron's 499.
22. Kasey Kahne: Equaled best finish in 12 starts last fall in second; Finished lowered average finish in the five races with the COT to 22.6; Will make track debut in a Ford.
23. AJ Allmendinger: 32.7 average finish in three starts; Finished 35th and 33rd in last two starts with Richard Petty Motorsports; Will make track debut in a Ford.
24. Juan Montoya: Defending event pole winner; Runner-up finish in the 2008 spring race is only top 10 in six starts; Finished 20th and 19th, respectively, in last two starts in a Chevrolet; 20.5 average finish in 13 restrictor-plate starts; Will pilot chassis No. 902, which finished 10th in season opening Daytona 500.
26. Marcos Ambrose: Finished fourth in track debut last year in this event; 34th-place finish last fall helped raise his average finish in five restrictor-plate starts to 20.4.
27. David Ragan: 9.0 average finish in his last four starts; Finished in the top five in both races in 2008; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 649) that finished 16th in the Daytona 500.
28. Elliott Sadler: Finished ninth in first track start in a Richard Petty Motorsports Ford last fall; Finish was fourth top 10 in 21 starts; Finished 19th in this event last year.
29. Sam Hornish Jr.: 36.3 average finish in three starts; Has posted DNFs in last two starts.
30. David Reutimann: Has yet to post a finish inside the top 20 in six starts; Best finish came in the 2008 spring race in 20th.
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