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| Who will team up with who? That may be the biggest key (Getty) |
2. Kyle Busch: Finished ninth in this event last year for second top 10 in 12 starts; Other top 10 was a win in the 2008 spring race; Fourth in laps led in the seven races with the COT with 121; Eighth-best average finish (18.3) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 292) that he finished eighth with in the Daytona 500.
3. Matt Kenseth: Coming off best finish (16th) in his last seven starts; Finish lowered average in the races with the COT to 25.4; Last of six top-10s came in the 2006 Fall race; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 713) that he finished 34th with in the Daytona 500.
4. Jimmie Johnson: Coming off eighth top 10 (seventh) in 18 starts: Recorded seventh DNF in this event last year in 31st; Won the 2006 spring race; Finished second in both races in 2007; Fourth-best average finish (14.0) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 628) that he finished 27th with at Daytona International Speedway.
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| Kurt Busch is using strong Bud Shootout car (Getty) |
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Five-time winner; Second-place finish in the 2009 spring race is best in six starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Recorded worst finish with Hendrick last fall in 39th; 696 laps led in 22 starts.
7. Ryan Newman: Finished third in first track start with Stewart-Haas in the 2009 spring race; Finish was seventh top 10 in 18 starts; 31.3 average finish in last three starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 606) that he finished 23rd with at Talladega Superspeedway last fall.
8. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished third in both events last year; Best finish came in this event in 2008 in second; Seventh-best driver rating in the past 12 races; Seventh-best average finish (17.9) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1101) that he finished sixth with in the Daytona 500.
9. Kevin Harvick: Defending race winner; Finished second last fall for ninth top 10 in 20 starts; Eighth-best average finish (18.0) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Fourth-best average finish (15.9) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 343) that he led 22 laps with in the Daytona 500 before the engine expired.
10. Tony Stewart: 26.3 average finish in four starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Won the 2008 fall race in last track start with Joe Gibbs Racing; Posted six second-place finishes in previous 18 starts with JGR; Only two of his 125 laps led with the COT have come with SHR; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 634) that he finished 13th with in the Daytona 500.
11. Paul Menard: Only top 10 in nine starts came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in the 2008 fall race; Finished 25th and 13th, respectively, in 2010 with Richard Petty Motorsports; Will make track debut with Richard Childress Racing driving a new car (chassis No. 338) in the Aaron's 499.
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| Bowyer using a proven winner this week (Getty) |
13. AJ Allmendinger: Has yet to finish inside the top 15 in four starts; Finished 19th in this event last year in track debut in a Ford; 26.4 average finish in 11 starts on restrictor-plate tracks; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 722) that he finished 11th with in the Daytona 500.
14. Jeff Gordon: Leads all active drivers with six wins and laps led (822); 24.0 average finish since sweeping both events in 2007; Eighth-place finish last fall was 17th top 10 in 36 starts.
15. Mark Martin: Posted a 8.0 average finish in 2010; Fifth-place finish in this event last year was 23rd top 10 in 46 starts; 21.8 average finish in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Posted two wins and 20 top 10s in previous 38 starts with Roush Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 632) that he finished 10th with in the Daytona 500 after coming back from three laps down.
16. Kasey Kahne: Finished 26th last fall in first track start with Team Red Bull; Two runner-up finishes are only top-10s in previous 13 starts; Sixth-best average finish (17.8) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races).
17. David Ragan: Best track on the circuit based on 14.2 average finish; Third-best average finish (13.9) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Third-best average finish (15.6) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 723) that he finished 14th with in the Daytona 500.
18. Greg Biffle: Fourth-place finish in the 2009 fall race is best in 16 starts; Only other top 10 came in the 2009 spring race; Fifth-best average finish (16.0) among the drivers that have competed in all seven races with the COT; Ninth-best average finish (18.9) among all drivers that have competed in all restrictor-plate races in the last five years (17 races); Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 689) that he finished fifth with in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.
19. Marcos Ambrose: Only top 10 (fourth) in four starts came in this event in 2009; 35.0 average finish in last three starts; Will make first track start with Richard Petty Motorsports driving the same car (chassis No. 715) that he finished 37th with in the Daytona 500.
20. Denny Hamlin: Coming off fourth top 10 (ninth) in 10 starts; Led 17 laps and finished fourth in this event last year; Leads all drivers with a 93.0 driver rating; Second in laps led (146) in the seven races with the COT.
compiled by Jeff Wackerlin, MotorRacingNetwork.com
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