| 1 |
1 |
 |
Jeff Gordon |
In 1994, he celebrated Brian Vickers’ 11th birthday by winning the Brickyard 400. |
| 2 |
2 |
 |
Tony Stewart |
He’s really been a man of few words this season. And wins. |
| 3 |
3 |
 |
Ryan Newman |
He likes wearing a hat about as much as Matt Kenseth likes not wearing one. |
| 4 |
4 |
 |
Jimmie Johnson |
When he qualifies well, he runs well. Which means he does not drive for Roush. |
| 5 |
7 |
 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Valley of the Sun? More like Valley of the Son! |
| 6 |
9 |
 |
Matt Kenseth |
The papaarazi are already swarming the future Winston Cup champion. Word has it that a tabloid is offering $100,000 for any picture of him without a hat on. |
| 7 |
6 |
 |
Kevin Harvick |
Well, it’s definitely over now. But he can still finish with more wins than the champ. |
| 8 |
8 |
 |
Jamie McMurray |
He pretty much has the rookie title in the bag. Which would make him the shortest rookie of the year since Jeff Gordon in 1993. |
| 9 |
5 |
 |
Bill Elliott |
Grab retirement by the horns? Never! |
| 10 |
17 |
 |
Kurt Busch |
So NASCAR took away his hard card to make things inconvenient for him. Heck, they could have let him keep the hard card. Make him go grocery shopping with Jimmy Spencer. |
| 11 |
11 |
 |
Bobby Labonte |
The Rock is probably his second-best track, although few realize it. |
| 12 |
10 |
 |
Jeremy Mayfield |
It’s him versus Ricky Rudd for the coveted 20th spot in the standings. |
| 13 |
12 |
 |
Terry Labonte |
In 1984, he celebrated Brian Vickers’ first birthday by winning his first Winston Cup championship. |
| 14 |
14 |
 |
Dale Jarrett |
At one point at Phoenix, he was bringing up the rear of the field. And he didn’t change engines or miss the driver’s meeting. |
| 15 |
16 |
 |
Mark Martin |
His all-white hair is a welcome addition to the Busch Series in 2004. It’ll match the paint schemes of most of the cars. |
| 16 |
13 |
 |
Rusty Wallace |
He pretty much ran over Tony Stewart there in Turn 2, costing him a shot to win. Stewart, not Wallace. |
| 17 |
20 |
 |
Jeff Burton |
He had a sure top-five car before that tire went down. |
| 18 |
15 |
 |
Greg Biffle |
He’s stopped dyeing his hair as much and it’s getting darker and darker. Kind of like his Rookie of the Year hopes. |
| 19 |
23 |
 |
Michael Waltrip |
Bidding to become the tallest driver ever to finish in the top 10 in the standings. |
| 20 |
NR |
 |
Brian Vickers |
He jumped from high school straight into the pros. Except he’s not sullen, whining about signing bonuses or failing to live up to the hype. |
| 21 |
NR |
 |
Sterling Marlin |
What! Sports Illustrated ran their profile of the state of Tennessee and didn’t mention Sterling? That’s crazy! |
| 22 |
24 |
 |
Elliott Sadler |
It’s almost muzzle-loader season. Thank God. |
| 23 |
19 |
 |
Ricky Rudd |
So he’s getting a crew chief that served under Kurt Busch and Mark Martin. No word on whether Rudd will lose his hard card and enter some Busch Series races. |
| 24 |
22 |
 |
Robby Gordon |
He brought his Baja car out to Phoenix and showed it off by driving through the garage. At a speed faster than he qualified. |
| 25 |
NR |
 |
John Andretti |
DEI’s the first team in Winston Cup history to have a driver that is five feet tall (Andretti) six feet tall (Earnhardt Jr.) and seven feet tall (Waltrip). |
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