Last year Matt Kenseth had the second-best ranking on intermediate tracks. The Roush-Fenway driver had three wins, seven top-fives, and 10 top-10s while leading for 618 laps. He placed second to Kahne in this event a year ago.

Third in last year's rankings on the intermediate tracks was Dale Earnhardt Jr., with seven top-fives and 11 top-10s. That was a huge jump from 2005 when Junior was 20th on these types of venues. He'll be bidding for a top-10 on Sunday.

My darkhorse is Dave Blaney, who is driving for Bill Davis Racing. He's not in the top 35 in owner points, so he will have to qualify, but he's run good all season despite some disappointing results. A top-12 finish is within reach for Blaney.

Keys to success at Texas
Since opening a decade ago Texas Motor Speedway has undergone some changes that have kept drivers and teams from getting a real good handle on what works best at this track.

One thing is for sure, Texas is fast, and it will probably be the fastest track in qualifying this year in the Cup series.

New pavement was put down in 2001 so the grip is good and the pace doesn't slow down. Tires will be watched carefully since the quick pace is hard on them.

Although every track is different, Texas is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

At Texas, teams won't be able to use exactly the same set-up as they do at Atlanta or Charlotte, but at least they have a very good starting point in their effort to hit on what works best. The same drivers who have success at Atlanta and Charlotte also for the most part do well at Texas.

The second groove kind of disappeared after the surface was repaved, but it's coming back and will only get better as time goes on. But the car or cars set up to run the bottom the best will have a decided edge.

The transition coming off Turn 2, which is banked at 24 degrees, to the straightaway is abrupt, and we could see some cars having difficulty getting off that corner. To be able to come off the tightness of Turn 2 and maintain momentum coming down the backstretch is quite a challenge.

There was a dip or bump in Turn 2, but it has been removed and that should tighten up the field as there should be smoother transitions to the backstretch. Also, aerodynamics and handling are crucial at Texas as is correctly calculating use of the smaller 18-gallon fuel cell.

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