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| Busch Brothers look to be very strong at Texas this week |
1. Jimmie Johnson: Winner of the fall race in 2007; Finished second in last three spring events; Led 39 laps in April; Only finishes outside the top 15 in 14 starts is a pair of 38th-place finishes, one of which came in this event last year; 11.8 average finish in the five races with the COT; Leads all drivers with a 10.6 average finish in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 623) that he finished third with at Charlotte last month.
2. Denny Hamlin: Winner of the spring race; Win was second consecutive top five and seventh top 10 in 10 starts; Second-best average finish (7.4) in the five races with the COT; 15.8 average finish and 122 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 291) in the AAA Texas 500.
3. Kevin Harvick: Coming off seventh top 10 with a seventh-place finish in April; Has only led four laps in 15 starts; Sixth-best average finish (11.4) in the five races with the COT; Fifth-best average finish (13.7) in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 318) that he posted respective finishes of third and eighth at Kansas and Charlotte.
4. Jeff Gordon: Led a race-high 124 laps in the spring before a crash relegated him to a 31st-place finish; Last of nine top 10s was a win in the 2009 spring race; Won the pole and finished 13th in this event last year; Leads all drivers with 429 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; 14.6 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks this season.
5. Kyle Busch: Equaled best finish in 11 starts in the spring in third; 8.2 average finish and 286 laps led in five starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Third in average finish (11.4) and fourth in laps led (276) in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 283) that he finished ninth with at New Hampshire in September.
6. Carl Edwards: Three-time winner; Leads all drivers in wins (2) and laps led (344) in the five races with the COT; Crashes in the last two events have raised his finishing average to 17.5 in 11 starts; Sixth-best average finish (13.8) in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 705) that he finished fifth with at Dover in September.
7. Tony Stewart: Won the pole and led 74 laps in the spring until a crash took him out of contention; 32nd-place finish raised his finishing average to 14.0 in three starts with Stewart-Haas; Posted one win and eight top 10s in previous 14 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; 19.8 average finish and 334 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 564) that he most recently won the Auto Club race with last month.
8. Matt Kenseth: 20th-place finish in the spring snapped a streak of six consecutive top 10s; 9.2 average finish and 123 laps led in the five races with the COT; Winner of the 2002 race; Second-best average finish (11.1) in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 707) that he finished 30th with at Auto Club last month.
9. Kurt Busch: Defending race winner; Finished fourth in the spring for third consecutive top 10; Eighth-best average finish (14.5) and second in laps led (393) in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 728) that he led 252 laps with en route to the win in the Coca-Cola 600.
10. Jeff Burton: Winner of the inaugural and 2007 spring race; Has posted six top 10s with Richard Childress Racing; Fifth-best average finish (9.8) in the five races with the COT; Fourth-best average finish (13.7) in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 329) in the AAA Texas 500.
11. Greg Biffle: Coming off fourth consecutive top 10; Winner of the 2005 spring race; 388 laps led in 13 starts; 21.9 average finish and 78 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 696) that he won with at Pocono.
12. Clint Bowyer: Finished 36th in the spring after a crash took him out of contention; Finished seventh in this event last year for his fourth top 10 in nine starts; 14.6 average finish and 12 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 324) that he led 40 laps and finished second with at Auto Club last month.
13. Jamie McMurray: Last of six top 10s (third) came in the 2008 fall race with Roush Racing; Finished 30th in the spring in first track start in a Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevrolet; Best finish (second) came in the 2005 spring race in a Ganassi Dodge; Latest winner on a 1.5-mile track after winning at Charlotte; 14.9 average finish and 183 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1016) that he most recently won the pole and finished 17th with at Auto Club.
14. Mark Martin: 5.3 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Sixth-place finish in the spring was 11th top 10 in 19 starts; Won the 1998 race with Roush Racing; Leads all drivers with a 7.2 average finish in the five races with the COT; Leads all drivers with a 7.2 average finish in the five races with the COT; 13.9 average finish and 9 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 624) in the AAA Texas 500.
15. Ryan Newman: 12.7 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Haas; Posted one win and three top 10s in previous 11 starts with Penske Racing; 16.3 average finish and 20 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 609) that he most recently finished fifth with at Auto Club last month.
16. Juan Pablo Montoya: 24.7 average finish in seven starts; Last top 10 came in the 2009 spring race; 22.1 average finish and 8 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will be in chassis No. 1003 for the fifth time this season; This car saw its best finish come at Atlanta in ninth.
17. Joey Logano: Best finish in four starts came in this event last year in 19th; 29.2 average finish; 19.0 average finish and 2 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will shoot for first top 10 in the same car (chassis No. 287) that he finished seventh with at Charlotte last month.
18. David Reutimann: Won the pole for the 2009 spring race; Engine problems in three races have raised his finishing average to 26.3 in six starts; Best finish came in the 2008 fall race in 10th; 19.5 average finish and 55 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will return in the same car that he won with at Chicagoland.
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Won the 2000 race for first of seven top 10s with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Has one pole and an average finish of 17.0 in five starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Eighth-place finish in April was first top 10 with Hendrick; 19.6 average finish and 56 laps led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 625) in the AAA Texas 500.
20. Martin Truex Jr.: Finished ninth in April in first track start with Michael Waltrip Racing; Four previous top 10s came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc; 17.1 average finish and one lap led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010.
20. Martin Truex Jr.: Finished ninth in April in first track start with Michael Waltrip Racing; Four previous top 10s came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc; 17.1 average finish and one lap led in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2010.
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