Johnny Benson

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is off to a tremendous start to the season with his new organization, Hendrick Motorsports, and he rates the edge to pick up his first Cup win in over a year and a half on Sunday when NASCAR's top series races 501 miles at Texas Motor Speedway.

Working in Junior’s favor
NASCAR’s most popular driver has the most top-10s in the Cup series this season (five in six races) and he’s counting on his success early on to translate into visits to Victory Lane. Those could start at Texas, a track he likes to run  and a venue where he won his first ever Cup event in 2000. Junior last scored a victory at Richmond in May of 2006.

Supporting the line of thought that Texas could be Junior's debut as a race-winner for Hendrick Motorsports is his capturing the pole for the event by running an impressively-fast lap of 190.907 mph. It's Junior's first pole in 22 races.

In addition to his win eight years ago at this intermediate track, Junior has picked up a pole, three top-fives and seven top-10s in 11 Cup starts at Texas. In those races he led for 362 laps and despite two occasions where he was not able to complete the 334 laps, his average finishing position is 12.9 while his average starting position is 9.3.

What’s certainly helped Junior in his transition from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports is having been able to make the move with some of the key members of his former DEI team, most notably his cousin and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. Working with a team he understands and which understands him and working with the vast resources Hendrick Motorsports provides has Junior racing as well as any driver on the Cup circuit.

All that glistens is indeed gold so far for Junior as he is fourth in the points standings. He hasn’t been in such a lofty perch since finishing sixth at Texas in November of 2006. And the best is likely yet to come as the No. 88 Chevrolet should only get better as the schedule rolls on.

The pressure on Junior to win from his fans is no less than it has been in years past. What is different is that season unlike last -- when he failed to reach an agreement with DEI on a deal to stay with the organization his late father started -- he does not have to cope with speculation over where he would continue his career. That load is off his shoulders, leaving him to focus solely on his racing.

Other drivers to watch
When Junior decided last year he would sign with Hendrick Motorsports there was a ripple effect as the organization had to cut ties with a driver in order to make room for its new star. Kyle Busch was the odd man out and he moved over to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he’s off to a fine start.

INTERACTIVE Samsung 500 preview Loop data, track and overall season stats for some favorites in the upcoming race in Texas.

Busch, who is fifth and right behind Junior in the points standings, had three top fives (including a March 9 win at Atlanta – a track similar to Texas) and an 11th-place result in his first four races this season. His last two times out he’s crossed the checkers 17th and 38th, but expect him to get back to running real strong at Texas.

Busch will be in the same chassis he took to Victory Lane in Atlanta last month. In four of his six Texas Cup starts the 22-year-old could manage no better than a 15th-place result, but he does have a pair of fourth-place finishes, including one in last fall’s event. Plus, he took third in qualifying for this race.

Tony Stewart usually serves up his best racing for when the weather turns hot, but he should bring a lot of heat at Texas on Sunday. Racing at this oval suits the two-time Cup champion very well. Besides a win at Texas in the fall of 2006, Stewart’s 12 Lone-Star starts have also produced three top-fives, and seven top-10s.

In sixth place in the points standings, Stewart’s right on the tail of his first-year teammate Kyle Busch, whose impressive break from the gate has provided added incentive for Stewart and his crew chief Greg Zipadelli to battle even harder to remain the top dog at Joe Gibbs Racing.

And while talking about JGR, its other Cup driver, Denny Hamlin, is fresh off a win last week at the short track at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Hamlin had some late-race trouble in California, but this season he has already shown he should be a major player on mile-and-a-half tracks.

With a third-place finish last week at Martinsville and a win two weeks ago at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Jeff Burton has used his success at the short tracks to take over the lead in the points standings. Burton’s not had a finish outside the top 13 all season.

The Richard Childress Racing veteran is the only Cup driver to win twice at Texas, making it to Victory Lane last April and also in 1997 in the first-ever Cup race at this oval. In 14 races at Texas, there have been 13 different winners, but Burton’s been in the Lone-Star hunt for victories more often than most drivers with six top-10s and three top-fives to go along with his two wins.

Despite being 14th in the points standings, Carl Edwards has two wins this season, and both victories (at California and at Las Vegas) have come on intermediate tracks like Texas. The Roush-Fenway Racing driver won at this oval in 2005 and he could well do so again on Sunday.