Johnny Benson

Kyle Busch has a short but sterling Cup resume at Richmond International Raceway. In six starts only once has he finished out of the top five.

And come Saturday night when the Sprint Cup Series visits the Virginia .75-mile oval for the first time this year NASCAR's hottest driver is my pick to make it to Victory Lane.

Working in Busch's favor
He comes off a win last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It wasn't without drama. He fell a lap down halfway through the race but managed to work his way back onto the lead lap and into contention. He then made a terrific save to keep from causing a big wreck, a turn of fate which paved the way for him to get to Victory Lane.

Busch has been almost surreal this year. The Talladega win was his second Cup victory of the season and his seventh win spanning all three of NASCAR's top series. No matter where he races -- a superspeedway, an intermediate track, a short track or a road course -- Busch has found a way to get to Victory Lane in 2008. And even more impressive is that such success has come to him in his first year with a new organization -- Joe Gibbs Racing-- which Busch joined after being dropped last year by Hendrick Motorsports.

Although Busch hasn't yet won at Richmond it hasn't been for a lack of competitiveness -- he's twice come home second. It seems a given that he'll again run real strong and he's ready to win after several near misses at the Virginia venue, including a real heartbreaker when Kevin Harvick passed him with just two laps to go in 2006 to take the checkers.

Busch, who is second in the points standings and just 22 markers from the top spot, has an average start of 14.5 and average finish of 6.2 at Richmond. He has completed all of a possible 2,400 laps around this oval, leading 292 of those laps. Drivers have certain tracks they remain hot at for an extended period of time. In his relatively brief Cup career, which began with six races in 2004, Busch has been a blast furnace at Richmond.

Busch comes into this race with momentum as he's on a roll and has a great feel for the new car on the Cup circuit. He has a lot of talent and the move to JGR appears a perfect fit. While at Hendrick Motorsports, Busch felt out of place. He feels at home at JGR and he has a great relationship with his crew chief Steve Addington, which is a huge plus.

Other drivers to watch
Denny Hamlin, the 2006 Rookie of the Year who like Kyle Busch drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing, has been running extremely well this year. Hamlin's hometown is Chesterfield, Va. so he has deep racing roots in the Richmond area that go back almost twenty years. No question racing at this track -- his home track -- is quite special to him. He badly wants to win in front of family and friends.

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Hamlin's been in a great groove since picking up a win at the end of March at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway -- which like Richmond is a short track. He has followed that victory with finishes of fifth, third and third. Last year at Richmond he was third in this event and sixth in the September race. He'll be in the same chassis that he took to Victory Lane at Martinsville, looking for lightning to strike.

A third JGR driver, Tony Stewart, has tasted success at Richmond. The two-time Cup champion has three wins at the Virginia oval. In addition to his trips to Victory Lane, Stewart's Richmond Cup resume is also highlighted by six top-fives and 12 top-10s in 18 starts.

Jimmie Johnson is coming off a sweep last year at Richmond. Expect him to make a strong bid for a three-peat. In 12 Cup starts at Richmond, the two-time defending Cup champion has three top-five finishes and two poles. He'll be piloting the chassis that he won in last year at Martinsville and Phoenix.

INTERACTIVE Crown Royal Presents preview Loop data, track and overall season stats for some favorites in the upcoming race in Richmond.

Richmond is a track that points leader Jeff Burton likes to run. The Richard Childress Racing driver gets around this oval very well. Burton has made 27 Cup starts at Richmond posting one win, one pole, seven top-fives, and 12 top-10s. On top in the standings, the veteran is very motivated to stay in the Cup penthouse. He's best ever points finish was third in 2000 when he drove for Jack Roush.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won this event in 2006, one of his three victories at Richmond, the others coming in 2004 and 2000. To go with his three wins at this oval, Junior has seven top-fives and nine top-10s. In his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, Junior is third in points and just needs to get over the hump and get his first win for his new organization.

One of Junior's teammates at HM, Jeff Gordon, has had a tremendous amount of success at Richmond, where he is the top all-time money winner. The four-time Cup champion has been up and down this year, but there's no denying he can make things happen at this oval where he has two wins, 12 top-fives and 16 top-10s in 30 starts.