Mark Martin looked VERY fast in final practice. Bad thing is he starts 32nd. Good thing is MIS is wide, easy to pass. Also, with the double file restarts it'll be easier to the front now. His past finishes don't look that great but he was at DEI.
Carl Edwards is also fast. He starts 29th, will have to do same thing Martin is going to do. His average finish last 4 races is 4. Two were wins. He almost won last week after leading the most laps. He is long due for a win this season, tomorrow could easily be his day.
Johnson is also fast. He starts 3rd so he'll have an easier race then Edwards and Martin. Better pit selection and track position. He had a good shot at winning this race last Spring before it came down to fuel mileage and Junior won (I was there). He's been very competitive every weekend and will be a top 5 car.
Brian Vickers was also tough last Spring along with Johnson. He's also very fast this weekend. This team has been very good the last 2 season at these "cookie cutter" tracks. He starts 1st and will be top 5 all day I think. That team is very good on long runs on these tracks.
Kyle Busch only looked decent in practice but does start 2nd. Anytime you give him that track position he's dangerous.
Tony Stewart looks similar to Kyle Busch in speeds. He starts 11th and has momentum from winning last weekend, running great the last 6-8 weeks, and being points leader. He normally runs well at this track. He should be a top 5 or top 7 car easily.
Matt Kenseth looks decent this weekend and starts 16th. Their last three finishes here 5th, 3rd, 4th. Thats pretty damn good. That tells me they'll get toward the front one way or another.
I'd predict this for finishing order:
Carl Edwards
Jimmie Johnson
Brian Vickers
Tony Stewart
Matt Kenseth
Mark Martin
Kyle Busch
Casey Mears
Denny Hamlin
Kurt Busch
Greg Biffle
Ryan Newman
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Jeff Gordon
BOL to everyone!
