There is a little known fact about the car Earnhardt raced that day. The car is still in existence and is part of the Richard Childress Racing Museum and when you see it, it is all nice and clean and perfect unlike its appearance when Earnhardt drove it into victory lane 8 years ago with big donuts on the side of the car that scraped away his famed number 3 decal. The reason why the car has been restored is because after the race the crew back at the race shop cleaned it up, repainted it, and put it back into regular rotation, with its next race being as the back-up car for the 2001 Daytona 500. Yep, that car was at the track in the hauler when Dale died, never to be driven by him again.

Talladega is not so much about the speed as it is about the draft. Two cars running bumper to bumper can run a lot faster than a car all by itself and that is why it is important to race with other drivers that you trust because they will be hitting you in the backside, or vice-versa, in order to go faster. Crews re-enforce the front and rear bumpers at this track just for that reason.

With a NASCAR mandated restrictor plate between the carburetor and intake manifold restricting airflow in order to keep the cars less than 200 mph the cars will be fairly even, especially since the aerodynamic packages for each make of car is virtually the same.

This reduction in horsepower caused by the restrictor plate will make the cars run more closely together so look for the entire 43 car field to be separated by less than a second for most of the day. And with the cars running this close together at speeds in excess of 190 mph anything can happen, it is usually called “The Big One” when it does because when these cars wreck they not only take out themselves but many of their fellow competitors too.

The driver’s only friend out there is his spotter, but even the best of them can’t prevent The Big One when it does happen because it happens so quick that by the time the spotter keys his mic to begin talking about potential danger the cars are already wrecking.

Drivers to look out for here are any of the Hendrick cars (Earnhardt 88, Gordon 24, Johnson 48, and even Mears 5), Kurt Busch (2), Tony Stewart (20), Kyle Busch (18), Kevin Harvick (29), and any of the Roush/Fenway cars (Edwards 99, Biffle 16, Kenseth 17, McMurray 26, and Ragan 6).

With that being said, there are just too many variables at Talladega to clearly pick a winner and if I were a Chase contender I would consider myself a winner if I left there with a finish in the top 15.

Biffle is unbeaten in two strait races and is headed to a track in Kansas that he won at last year.

Speaking of Biffle, did you see the racing between him and the two other Roush/Fenway owned cars of Edwards (99) and Kenseth (17) at the end of the race last week? That was some very good racing let me tell you. Even 49 year-old Mark Martin in the DEI owned car (8) was able to run with them until his tires faded – that was nice to see.

This weekend’s race should prove to be just as good as last week’s because the track in Kansas has ‘weathered’ into a multi-grooved racing surface where drivers can run both the hi-line and the low with ease – providing they have their cars set-up properly.

Kansas is a 1.5 mile D-shaped oval with 15 degrees of banking in the corners. The spots to watch on the track are going into turn 1 where it has become more bumpy over the last few years, and the exits of turns 2 and 4 where the car tends to push towards the wall because the speeds that they carry coming out of the corners.

My prediction for this race is that it might turn into a fuel mileage event with few caution periods and if a team does not get the set-up right for long runs look for drivers to start running higher and higher on the track as the car will push more and more. The team that gets the set-up right for the long run should finish better than those who do better in the short runs, unless of course there is a late race caution that would set up a sprint for the finish.

Drivers to watch for at this track include Biffle, who won this race last year, Kansas native Clint Bowyer (07), Jeff Gordon (24), Tony Stewart (20), and Jimmie Johnson (48) – all of who run statistically well here.

One other driver to watch this weekend is Kyle Busch, who all but threw up the white flag after last week’s blown engine seal at Dover. In just two races Busch has lost 240 points to current leader Carl Edwards.

Even though, for the time being, Busch has taken himself out of contention for the Cup I feel that he is now more dangerous than ever.

Why? Because, he has nothing to loose.

There is no more pressure of being in first. He and his crew can afford to take gambles in car set-up and pit strategy and go for the win.

This is a good time for his team to go out and re-focus on the things that got them into the Championship in the first place, like winning races.

This Joe Gibbs Racing Team is capable of doing it too as Busch won the race in July at Chicagoland Speedway, which is nearly identical to Kansas Speedway. Chicagoland and Kansas Speedway are so close in their physical features that, at first glance, they could be twins - that’s how similar they are.

There are still 8 races remaining and anything can happen to anyone at anytime, I mean Patrick Carpentier (10) almost took out Cup contender Jimmie Johnson last week when he lost control of his car right next to Johnson’s. So don’t count Busch and his team just yet.

If there were just 4 or 5 races remaining I might start nailing the lid on the coffin shut of Busch’s Championship hopes, but not right now. There’s still hope, after all Jimmie Johnson came back from a similar deficit last year and won the Championship, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

This situation has provided Kyle with a unique opportunity, to show everyone what he is made of. Now is the time for Kyle Busch to shine, and to prove to everyone how much he has matured as a person and a driver.

Hamlin’s frustration with the lack of performance from his crew and car has shown at times throughout the season and he has made no attempt to be quiet about it either.

Hamlin certainly has the potential to pull off a win in the Chase – maybe even this weekend at New Hampshire – but I don’t think his team will be able to be consistent enough to put together 10 solid races to win the Championship.

Look for Hamlin to be sitting in 10th when the final checker flag flies in Miami in November.

Clint Bowyer (07): Bowyer is the driver of the third and final Richard Childress Racing (RCR) car in the Chase. Unlike his teammate Harvick, Bowyer has won a race this season and that is why he is seeded higher than him, but if you take the 10 bonus points away Bowyer would be sitting much lower in the Chase standings.

Out of all of the drivers in the Chase I believe that Bowyer has the least odds of winning the Cup. Even though he has finished nearly 99% of laps run this year Bowyer’s consistency to finish in the top 10 has just not been there this year. Bowyer has an average finish of 15.7 this year with only 4 top 5’s to his credit. Hardly the kind of finish stats you would expect from someone who stands to win the Cup.

Bowyer also suffers from that lack of performance that all of the RCR cars seem to have this year making Bowyer’s chances slim and next to none in the hunt for the Cup. Look for Bowyer to finish 12th in the Chase this year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr (88): Since his move from Dale Earnhardt Inc (DEI) Dale Jr. has proven that his poor performance was not his fault. Earnhardt has had a respectable year drivng for Rick Hendrick this season. I know his fans this season wanted more wins than what he currently has (1), but if you look at his stats he is quietly putting together one of his best seasons ever even though it does not show in the win column.

Now that I’ve said that, I don’t think NASCAR’s most popular driver will win the Championship this year.

Wait! Don’t give me any hate mail for saying that, I’m a Jr. fan after all, but lets be realistic here even though Jr has had a good season he still lacks the consistency needed to win a Championship.

Earnhardt has made mistakes on the track, like jumping the restart a few weeks ago and being put a lap down (which he never recovered from), while his crew has made mistakes in the pits.

Unless this team can get it together and be absolutely perfect in their execution over the next 10 races Dale Jr will finish his first season for Hendrick 5th in points.

If they do manage to put it together for the last 10 races then Dale Jr may potentially be the 2008 Sprint Cup Champ.

Jimmie Johnson (48): Johnson is the only other driver besides Kenseth to participate in all of the Chase Championships since it was introduced 5 years ago.

Johnson is also the defending Cup Champion and is looking to “3-peat” this year. Only one other driver in the history of NASCAR has ever won the Championship 3 years in a row and that was Cale Yarborough. Not even the legendary 7-time Champions of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty were able to do it.

Jimmie Johnson and his Crew Chief Chad Knaus seem to be able to turn it up a notch when it counts near the end of the season. Johnson is just coming off of a two race win streak too.

Johnson has ice water in his veins at this time of year. On or off the track you never see him get emotional or on the edge. He is cool and calculating and when it counts he is not afraid to take his car anywhere on the track to get it to front.

Look for Jimmie to be holding the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship trophy at the end of it all.

Carl Edwards (99): Edwards is the driver of the last of the Jack Roush cars in the Chase. Edwards has had a good season so far - only Kyle Busch has won more races this year than him.

Edwards is a solid runner who is not afraid to ‘mix it up’ when he has too.

He also has a pretty good relationship with his Crew Chief Bob Osborne, who is no slouch with a wrench either.

All of the buzz on the Internet this past week has been that the Championship is going to come down to just three drivers; Johnson, Busch, and Edwards. I really have no problems with that, those drivers make the most sense really and Edwards certainly has all of the tools and equipment to win himself his first Cup Championship. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if her were able to do it either, but I don’t think he will.

Edwards has all of the ingredients to be a Champion, but I think he still lacks the maturity and experience to handle the pressure of the Chase format which will cause him to make mistakes. It will be those mistakes that cost him the Championship and make him finish in 3rd.

Kyle Busch (18): In an interview I did at the beginning of the season I was asked who I thought the best up and comer driver out there was and I replied Kyle Busch without hesitation and look at what he has done this season. He has destroyed the field.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has had an incredible year with 8 wins, 15 top 5’s, and 17 top 10’s. Incredible! People have won Championships with worse stats than that!

No doubt about it, this kid has had a Championship year, but the question remains, “Can he close the deal?”

Certainly having “The Coach” Joe Gibbs in your corner is a benefit. If anyone can get young talent, like Busch, focused on winning Gibbs can. But it is still Busch out there in the car by himself. Busch does not have the luxury of coming off the field in between plays to get refocused on the task at hand like you can on the football field and I’m afraid that the young Busch might just let his emotions get the better of him as he has in the past.

Busch certainly has shown more maturity this year than last, but he still has let his emotions get the better of him at times this season and with the added pressure of the Chase format all he has to do is screw up one race and he could be out of Championship contention.

Busch could, and by all counts should, win the Championship this year, but I have him finishing in 2nd place in the standings once the season is over.

There you have it, my crystal ball has spoken. The predictions are out there for your amusement – don’t laugh too hard. We’ll see how close I was to getting it right in November.

You know, no matter who wins the Championship this year it will come down to one thing; consistency.

The playing field has been reset with the top 12 qualifying drivers all within 80 points of each other.

For the record, all 12 drivers have had their point totals reset to 5,000 plus 10 bonus points for each win this season. The driver standings are then reestablished using the number of second, third, fourth, and so on place finishes as tie-breakers.

Before I give you a breakdown on all the Chase drivers and where I think they will finish – I just got my crystal ball out of the repair shop – I just want to mention a few things about this year’s Chase.

It you look close at who is in the Chase and who isn’t you’ll notice that there is not one single Dodge driver in the Chase. The most notable of Dodge drivers absent from the “Terrific Twelve” is Kasey Kahne (9). Kahne won 2 races this year and came close to making it, but a few 40th place finishes this summer did him in.

Kahne is proof positive that to make it into the Chase, and perhaps even win it, you must do more than just win races, you have to be consistent and finish as strong as you can for each and every race. You don’t win the Championship by finishing 40th, you do it by running up front each and every race, keeping yourself in the top 10.

Now let us look at the top 12 contenders for this year’s Sprint Cup starting with the 12th place seed and working my way to number 1;

Matt Kenseth (17): Kenseth is a former Sprint Cup Champion and although he has not won the Cup since the Chase format was introduced he has not missed the Chase since its inception.

I’ll be honest, Kenseth’s performance has not been great for the past few years even though he has consistently made it into the Chase – he really misses his former Crew Chief Robby Reiser turned general manger for team owner Jack Roush. Although Reiser was present at the track last week to make sure Kenseth got into the Chase I don’t expect to see him at any other races this season – not in that capacity anyway.

Kenseth has completed 97% of the laps run this year, but he would have to drastically improve his 16.0 finishing spot to even contend for the Cup and unless something really changes between him and his team I don’t see Kenseth finishing any better than 11th in the final standings.

Kevin Harvick (29): Harvick was thrust into the spotlight 7 years ago when he was selected to be the driver to replace Dale Earnhardt who died in a crash while racing in the 2001 Daytona 500. A tough task for anyone, that’s for sure. Harvick and his car owner Richard Childress eventually fought through the turmoil of Earnhardt’s death and brought Richard Childress Racing (RCR) back to the glory that it once had – well almost anyway.

Sure Harvick can mix it up with the best of them, and he has really matured into a top notch driver, but the performance of his RCR cars seems to be just a wee bit off compared to the Hendrick, Gibbs, and Roush cars.

Harvick, like Kenseth, has finished nearly 97% of the laps he has run but he too will have to improve his average finish of 13.6 in order to contend for the Cup. Harvick’s relationship with Crew Chief Todd Berrier is certainly better than that of Kenseth’s and Bolin’s, and that just might be the catalyst for him to make a run for it in these last 10 races, but unless something significant happens to those Hendrick, Gibbs, and Roush cars I don’t see Harvick finishing any higher than 7th when everything is said and done.

Jeff Gordon (24): This 4-time Cup winner is struggling this year. I know, the man is in the Chase and has won nearly 4.2 million dollars this season, but compared to what he is used to this season has been a difficult one for him.

Gordon is still winless this season, and honestly he may still be winless when the season is over. His best chance for a win is at Talladega, but only if he finds a drafting partner that will stay with him to the bitter end. Good luck with that one.

Gordon’s Crew Chief, Steve Letarte, has been under a lot of scrutiny this season from both the fans, and at times from Gordon himself. They still don’t seem to have a good enough handle on the new Car of Tomorrow (CoT) yet.

With that being said, Gordon can still drive a car and the man knows how to win races and Championships and I would never count him out of it - never ever - but unless they get a hold of the CoT fast and improve his average finish from 15.1, don’t expect him to finish any higher then 8th when the dust settles on the Championship.

Greg Biffle (16): “The Biff” is another Jack Roush driver in the Chase this year and he can drive a car too. I like the way Biffle handles a race car, he reminds me of a younger Cale Yarborough (not the UFC guy – that is spelt differently).

Biffle has had a strong car this year and if it weren’t for some bad luck in the parts department he could have very easily won a few races and have been higher in the points.

Look for Biffle to run strong at the Intermediate tracks and if he doesn’t have anymore part failures he could finish as high as 3rd or 4th in the points, but realistically I see him finishing about 6th in the standings at the end of it.

Tony Stewart (20): Stewart is the only driver to win a Championship under the old point system and under the new Chase format. Stewart is a fiery competitor and he knows how to win – the man wins in everything he does, he knows nothing else.

With that being said, he still has not won this year and the pressure is mounting. After the race last weekend in Richmond Tony blew up over the radio to his crew because he finished second.

To add to the pressure and drama, Tony is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) at the end of the season to start his own team and I know there is nothing that Tony wants more than to win the Championship one more time for JGR.

The Auto Club Speedway, as it is now called, is another D-shaped mile oval. It is most similar to Michigan International Speedway in my opinion, with one exception; it is a flatter racing surface with less banking in the corners and on the straight-aways.

The flatter racing surface combined with the higher centre of gravity of the new Car of Tomorrow (CoT), high speeds, and usually high temperatures will put a lot of stress on the front right tire of these race cars. This is the tire you don’t want to fail when you are entering the corner to turn left at nearly 200 mph as all of the weight of the car is transferred to this tire when you enter the corner.

It is for this reason that it is really important for each and every driver to make sure they enter the corners properly and not overdrive the car because that will make the car roll over onto that front tire more than it has too and if you do that one too many times you’ll be having a nice meeting with the outside wall.

Another thing about this race track is that since the corners are long and sweeping the drivers tend to stay on the throttle more, which in turn keeps the rpm’s up giving the engine no breaks during the course of running the 500 miles to complete the race. It is tracks like this that have the engine department for each team sitting on the edge of their seats the whole entire weekend. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some teams limit their practice time prior to the race to save their engines for the main event.

Like Michigan, fuel mileage may be a factor at this track. Look for some of the teams to gamble on their fuel mileage to gain those ever so valuable points, or to get the win and the bonus points that may come with it in The Chase depending on where they are in the standings at the end of the 26 race qualifying season.

After watching the antics between Kyle Busch (18) and Carl Edwards (99) last weekend I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of give and take between these two this weekend, especially since they both run very well here.

As an aside, I think Kyle’s post-race actions at Bristol last week selfish and uncalled for. If you have ever read my blog (NASCAR Ranting and Raving) you would know that I’m not a Carl Edwards fan by any means, but I’m on his side on this one. Busch would have done the same to Edwards if the roles were reversed, without a doubt – heck if I were in that race I even would have done it.

Other drivers to watch out for at Fontana are Jimmie Johnson (48), Matt Kenseth (17), and Clint Bowyer (07). I would also expect a good run out of David Ragan (6) as he is steadily gaining momentum and edging his way into the Chase.

If you want to see a ton of close racing with some beatin’ and bangin’ then this is the track for you.

Bristol is a ½-mile concrete oval with variable banking in the turns (24 – 30 degrees). Since the track was repaved with this variable banking the racing groove has widened a bit, it is now almost two full lanes wide. Prior to the addition of the new banking, Bristol was pretty much a one groove track where the only way to really pass was to put your front bumper up against the rear bumper of the car in front of you and ‘gently move’ the guy out of the way.

One thing the crews and drivers don’t have to worry about too much is the way the track will change during the course of the race. Since it is made out of concrete the track temperatures don’t change too much, which means that the race teams won’t be fighting significant handling problems as a result of drastic temperature changes in the racing surface like they do at asphalt tracks.

What the teams have to worry about is keeping their car out of trouble on the track. One way to do that is having a good qualifying effort to put the car up front where the chances of getting caught up in a wreck are less than running back in the pack where anything can happen.

Also, if you get a good qualifying spot then you get a better pit stall - and trust me you want a good pit stall - preferably the first one leaving pit road where no one can block you in as the pit stalls at Bristol are not as long as at other tracks, making it tighter for drivers to get in and out.

After the huge penalties, fines, and suspensions handed out by NASCAR to the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) organization for what NASCAR analyst and former Cup Champ Darryl Waltrip calls “reverse cheating” on his blog it will be interesting to see how JGR responds to the unwanted media attention. Even though the penalty infraction happened in the Nationwide Series, I can’t see that the Cup side of the organization isn’t affected somehow because everything those guys do, whether it is Nationwide or Sprint Cup, will be watched under a microscope now by NASCAR, the media, and the fans.

With JGR trying to keep their drivers in the hunt for the Chase with just 3 races remaining this is a distraction that drivers Kyle Busch (18) Denny Hamlin (11) and Tony Stewart (20) and their crews don’t need right now.

The drivers to watch out for at this track are any of the JGR drivers (11, 18, 20) - if they can handle the extra attention they’re getting; Greg Biffle (16); Kevin Harvick (29); Jeff Burton (31); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88); and the still-winless-this-season Jeff Gordon (24).

Something else of note is that current NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champ, Andrew Ranger, will drive in seven of the remaining Ten Nationwide Series races, including Bristol, for Fitz Motorsports in the number 22 car.

If Ranger can just finish the race on the lead lap without wrecking his car, or anyone else’s, I would consider that to be a victory and it would further solidify his new position at Fitz Motorsports.

Ranger is a talented driver and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the Sprint Cup Series one day and he must look at this 7 race deal as an audition for future rides in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series’.

That is why it is important for Ranger to run well, consistently, and without incident so he can better his chances for a future in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

No, I don’t foresee a lot of crashes, spins, or collisions. What I do see is some creative race strategies by some teams as races at Michigan usually turn into fuel mileage marathons and how teams handle it depends on where they are in the points.

Obviously a team that is trying to stay in the top 12 in points so they can be in The Chase will probably not stretch out their fuel mileage to try and win the race because if they run out of gas with just a few laps left they will finish low in the order – probably no better than 20th place which would hurt them greatly in the points race, after all the higher you finish, the more points you get.

While on the other hand, you might find some teams willing to gamble and roll the dice on their fuel mileage. Those teams trying to get into the top 35 in points so they can get those guaranteed starting spots for each race may try to stay out for the win because if they win they will get 3-4 times the amount of points they usually do for finishing well in the pack like they usually do.

Keeping those sponsorship dollars, and in some cases your job, by guaranteeing your starting spot for the next race is well worth the risk at this point in the season, just ask Michael McDowell (00) who caused a huge wreck last week at Watkins Glen trying to gain more positions on the track so he could get his team in the top 35 and keep his job. McDowell eventually finished 25th, but did not get his team in the top 35 and has been ‘temporarily’ replaced for the next three races by veteran driver Mike Skinner.

Watch Skinner this weekend in that double zero car, as he races well at Michigan and if he feels he has a chance to get his first points win at the Sprint Cup level you know he would wreck his own mother to do it. I remember listening to Skinner’s radio frequency at this race in 1999 when he was Dale Earnhardt’s teammate at Richard Childress Racing. Skinner was in turns 3 and 4 with his car literally sideways when he keyed the mic and yelled, “Yehaaaaw” over the radio. He then got the car pointed in the right direction, kept on going, and didn’t even loose a spot. He won himself a new fan that day that’s for sure.

Another person who might stay out and gamble that they did their fuel calculations right is current point leader Kyle Busch (18). Why would he do that you ask? Simple, the 10 bonus points for winning that he gets headed into The Chase.

When The Chase starts the top 12 drivers point totals are effectively wiped out, and they start all over again even for the last 10 races, except for the bonus points they have earned for any wins they might have had in the previous 26 races.

Kyle Busch (18) already has 8 wins, so that means he already has 80 points more than everyone else who hasn’t won any races yet like Jeff Gordon (24) or Tony Stewart (20). If Busch gets another win or two before The Chase he will begin it with a huge lead, and that is why he might gamble with his fuel mileage this weekend – he wants to win that Championship and those bonus points just might prove to be the thing that does it for him.

Also, watch out for any car that comes from the Roush-Fenway organization (6, 16, 16, and 99) as they have traditionally run well at Michigan, and have been getting pretty good gas mileage this season. This might even be the race that David Ragan (6) gets his first win at, as he finished 8th here back in June.

All of this is depended on the weather of course. It rained so bad last year that they had to run the race on Tuesday - two days after it was scheduled – and with all of the rain we’ve been having this year I’m glad I didn’t get tickets for this year’s event.