Those whom I also believe will be in the thick of the battle for a win include Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Both are winless this season and both have mixed some impressive results with some disappointing finishes.

Johnson, the two-time defending Cup champion, won at Texas last fall and besides that victory he has four top-fives and seven top-10s at this venue. For Gordon, Texas is one of only two tracks on the Cup schedule he has never won at – Homestead-Miami Speedway being the other. But he has competed very hard and very well on the Lone-Star layout, garnering a pole, five top-fives, and seven top-10s in 14 Cup starts in the state where big is big, but best is still the best – and best is what Gordon seeks to be at the end of racing on Sunday.

Richard Childress Racing has more than Burton going for it when it comes to drivers who are top contenders at Texas. Kevin Harvick, second in points to Burton (he’s 39 back of the leader), has a solid season underway with no finish worse than 14th in the first six races. Given how well he’s running, write him down as one to keep a very close eye on.

Intermediate tracks are venues where Greg Biffle runs some of his best races so fans would be well advised not to count him out of the group that ends up bidding for a win.

My darkhorse is Brian Vickers, who has had a finish of 12th or better in half of his six races this season.

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.

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

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’ll have a good starting point in their effort to hit on what works best. The same drivers who have success at Atlanta and Charlotte for the most part should also 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 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. Now that the teams are getting more acclimated with the 18-gallon fuel cell, they are better able to balance fuel mileage to tire wear. Of course, saying that is based on what type of tire Goodyear brings to Texas.

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