 |
| Stewart using his Spring Bristol & Dover chassis this week |
2. Kurt Busch: Coming off 12th top-10 in 20 starts; Ninth-place finish last summer was third consecutive top-10; One win and five top-10s in 10 starts with Penske Racing; Four other wins came with Roush Racing; Sixth-best average finish (11.5) in the eight races with the COT; Fifth-best driver rating in the last 12 races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 739) that finished 18th at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season.
3. Carl Edwards: Finished sixth in this event last year for fifth top-10 in 13 starts; Winner of the 2007 and 2008 summer races; Third-best average finish (9.9) in the eight races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 709) that he won with at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season.
4. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off second top-10 in eight starts; 16.8 average finish in four races driving an Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet; 18.8 average finish in the eight races with the COT; Only laps led (29) came in this event last year; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1003) that he last finished 28th with in the second race at Texas Motor Speedway.
5. Ryan Newman: 8.8 average finish in four starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Sixth-place finish last summer was 10th top-10 in 18 starts; Only top five finish (second) came in the 2004 summer race with Penske Racing.
6. Paul Menard: 22.9 average finish in seven starts; Best finish (16th) came in the 2008 night race; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 326) in the Jeff Byrd 500.
7. Martin Truex Jr: Has yet to score a top-10 finish and lead a lap in 10 starts; Finished 12th in this event last year in track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing; 22.9 average finish in the eight races with the COT.
8. Denny Hamlin: Coming off worst finish (34th) in 10 starts; Last of five top-10s (fifth) came in the 2009 summer race after starting at the back of the field and going a lap down; 15.8 average finish in the eight races with the COT.
9. AJ Allmendinger: Has yet to score a top-10 finish and lead a lap in seven starts; Finished 17th in this event last year; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 710) in the Jeff Byrd 500.
 |
| Gordon hand-me-downs may work for Dale Jr. |
11. Mark Martin: Won both poles and posted an average finish of 4.0 in first two starts with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009; Finished 35th and 23rd, respectively, in 2010; Previous 21 top 10s came with Roush Racing; Last of two victories came in 1998; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 625) in the Jeff Byrd 500.
12. Jimmie Johnson: Scored first win in 18 starts in this event last year; 35th-place finish last summer ended a streak of three consecutive top-10s; Has combined to lead 454 laps in the last four races; 16.9 average finish in the eight races with the COT; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 592) that he drove to a runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway last fall.
13. Kasey Kahne: Will make first track start with Team Red Bull; Coming off fifth top-10 (fifth) in 14 starts; Led 305 laps en route to a runner-up finish in 2007 summer race; 17.5 average finish in the eight races with the COT.
14. Kyle Busch: Coming off fourth win in 12 starts; Swept both races in 2009; Leads all drivers in average finish (5.1) and laps led (1,183) in the eight races with the COT; 5.2 average finish in six starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 277) that he last finished fourth with at Martinsville Speedway last fall.
15. Bobby Labonte: 20.4 average finish in 36 starts; Last of 10 top-10s came in the 2007 summer race with Petty Enterprises in eighth; Will make first track start in a JTG-Daugherty Racing Toyota.
16. Matt Kenseth: Coming off 14th top-10, and third consecutive, in 22 starts; Winner of the 2005 and 2006 summer races; 15.9 average finish in the eight races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 704) that he last raced to a ninth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2010.
17. Marcos Ambrose: 16.5 average finish in four starts; Finished in the top-10 in both races in 2009; Will make first track start in a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.
18. Clint Bowyer: Finished fourth last summer for fifth top-10 in 10 starts; Recorded four-straight top-10s from 2007 to 2008; Finished 40th in this event last year due to an engine failure; Seventh-best average finish (12.4) in the eight races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 310) that he finished in the top-10 with at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
19. Jeff Gordon: Five-time winner; Fifth-best average finish (11.2) in the eight races with the COT; Third-best driver rating in the last 12 races; Started fifth and finished 14th in this event last year; Leads all drivers with 2,440 laps led.
 |
| Harvick won at Bristol in spring of 2005 |
Notable Drivers Outside the Top 20
Brad Keselowski: Led 26 laps and finished 13th in this event last year; 16.0 average finish in two starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 747) in the Jeff Byrd 500.
Brian Vickers: Has yet to finish in the top-10 in 12 starts; 21.7 average finish in six starts with Team Red Bull; Finished 15th in this event last year.
David Reutimann: Coming off first top-10 with a runner-up finish; Led 25 of his 26 totals laps led last summer; 19.0 average finish six starts; Finished 38th in this event last year after an engine failure.
David Ragan: Only top-10 (10th) came in the 2008 summer race; Has yet to lead a lap in eight starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 711) that he finished 20th with at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2010.
Regan Smith: 26.3 average finish in six starts; has yet to lead a lap; Best finish came in the 2008 summer race in 14th.
Jamie McMurray: Finished in the top-10 in both races last season; Five of his six top-10s have come with Chip Ganassi; Led laps (11) for the first time in the last 12 races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1006) that he scored one win (Charlotte) and three poles with in 2010.
Joey Logano: 29.3 average finish in four starts; Won the pole and finished 27th last year in this even; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 278) that he most recently finished sixth with at Martinsville Speedway last fall.
Greg Biffle: Coming off third consecutive top-10; Eighth-place finish was 10th top-10 in 16 starts; Has combined to lead 154 laps in two of his last three starts; Fourth-best average finish (10.6) in the eight races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 700) that he finished 33rd with at Martinsville last fall.
Jeff Burton: Winner of the 2008 spring race; Scored seventh top 10 in 13 starts with Richard Childress Racing in this event last year; Eight-best average finish (13.6) in the eight races with the COT; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 317) that he most recently finished 23rd with at Auto Club Speedway last fall.
compiled by Jeff Wackerlin, MotorRacingNetwork.com
No comments:
Post a Comment