When it comes to restrictor-plate racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc. rules the Cup series. Two tracks, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, mandate the use of these devices to slow down cars and make the racing safer. In the last 24 races at these two venues, DEI has 11 wins, so a key question for the upcoming Daytona 500 as well as for the 2005 season is can this DEI dominance be broken?

Warning
signs
In preseason testing at Daytona, neither Dale Earnhardt Jr. or his DEI teammate Michael Waltrip had the kind of performance that could be called encouraging, but I think they are okay and purposely did not show a lot of speed.

But at the testing, teammates Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs were very, very good.

And Nemechek tested the same car he used to win the pole at Talladega last fall, a race in which he led a lap and finished seventh.

I think come the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 both the veteran Nemechek, and the second-year Cup driver Riggs will have good cars, and that opens the door for them to be in the hunt to steal a restrictor-plate race win away from DEI.

Another driver who appears to have a very good shot to win at Daytona is Jeff Gordon.

Gordon's car looked good and caught attention at the Daytona testing.

The four-time Cup champion must be considered a strong threat to keep Junior and Waltrip out of Victory Lane come the Daytona 500.

Ready to win
Unlike Riggs, Nemechek has a significant amount of Daytona 500 experience, having been on the Cup circuit for 11 full seasons.

In last year's Daytona 500, he qualified 14th and came home sixth.

He backed that up with a 10th-place finish at the Florida track in the Pepsi 400 in July.

Nemechek's coming off a good season in which he cracked the top 20, placing 19th in the championship standings, and recording nine top-10 results.

If he has a car that is fast enough, and he gets into position, I certainly think he could win at Daytona.

I think when it comes to restrictor-plate racing, Nemechek's confidence has grown over the years, especially after he captured the poll at Talladega last October.

Nemechek won at Kansas Speedway last fall, an impressive performance in which he also had the pole.

And while that victory was at a track that does not require restrictor plates, the win itself makes both the driver and his team that much more ready to visit Victory Lane again.

Lacking seat time
In his rookie season last year, Riggs made 35 starts with only three-top 10 finishes.

Only once did he crack the top five.

So even if his car is running in top-notch fashion at the Daytona 500, his limited Cup experience will certainly not be a plus for him in the race that is the Super Bowl of NASCAR's top series.

His inexperience and small amount of seat time in a Cup ride could work against him in a race of this magnitude.

The biggest problem young drivers have in big events is that they get so pumped up they try to win the race in 100 miles instead of 500 miles.

They try and put their car in front right away, while the veterans realize to win you don't have to lead the race in the first 100 miles, but rather in the last 100 miles.

Riggs must be smart enough to avoid that trap.

Getting some advice
If I were in Riggs' shoes, I would be asking my veteran teammate Nemechek what the pitfalls are that I will run across between now and the morning of the Daytona 500.

What are the biggest obstacles that I have to overcome?

If Riggs comes to Daytona and qualifies in the front row, then he is going to become a much sought after interview by the large media group covering the race.

That could drive him crazy, so I think listening to Nemechek might help him go down that road a lot easier should such a scenario come about.

Riggs' first Cup season was a learning experience for him and his crew, but the driver will have to be a quick study should he find himself in the glare of Daytona's spotlight.

And while he's getting to know all he can about driving in stock car racing's premier event, he can't fall prey to putting too much self-imposed pressure on himself.

If he does that, he'll hurt his chances despite being in a good car.

Gordon looms large
Next to the DEI drivers, Jeff Gordon has established himself as a driver who can get it done at restrictor-plate tracks.

In his career, Gordon has five wins at Daytona, and three victories at Talladega.

Two of those wins were last season, in April at Talladega, and in July at Daytona.

Gordon is one of the top drivers in performing under pressure, and that is what the Daytona 500 is all about.

Gordon not only knows how to win at restrictor-plate tracks, with Hendrick Motorsports he has the resources to do so.

With eight restrictor-plate wins in his career, Gordon gets quite a bit of an edge over any drivers outside the DEI teammates, who end up having cars looking like they are good enough to take the checkered flag at Daytona.

With as good a driver as Gordon is, the pressure to win at not only restrictor-plate tracks but at all types of venues is pretty much taken off of him and put on his crew chief and team, who know they can't blame their driver for a poor showing.

Different approaches?
Gordon's top teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson, can't be ruled out as one of the top threats to win the Daytona 500 as he posted a pair of top fives at the track last season.

But I think the mentality at Hendrick Motorsports as far as the Daytona 500 is concerned is for each his own, where as at DEI it's more of all for one.

Maybe I wrong, but I just see Gordon and Johnson going into the Daytona 500 each thinking they are going to win, as opposed to Junior and Waltrip, whose outlook might be more along the lines of getting one of their cars to Victory Lane, and not concerning themselves over whether that car is the No. 8 Chevrolet or the No. 15 Chevrolet.

I'm not saying this is definitely the case, but it's a thought that goes through my mind, and a scenario to consider.

The DEI cars are still the ones to beat at restrictor-plate races until some driver proves differently.