Look to Atlanta, Vegas for strong drivers at Texas

After consecutive weeks of short-track racing, we head west this week to Texas Motor Speedway for the first of two races on this 1.5-mile oval. The break from the bull rings will be a welcome change for many teams. Some drivers are barely able to get a handle on racing in the mixing bowls of Bristol and Martinsville. Texas is similar to most of the intermediate ovals on the circuit. In fact, it has many similarities with both the Atlanta and Las Vegas tracks that the series raced on just a few weeks ago. Texas' trademark "D" shaped oval has 24 degree banking and that generates some very high speeds. We can look at the history of TMS to a certain extent, but we'll also visit the recent numbers at Atlanta and Las Vegas for clues as to which teams will unload fast race cars this weekend. The following is our weekly power ranking for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX).

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1. Jimmie Johnson
Johnson owns one win and a pair of top-fives in his last four visits to Texas. Not only does he finish well at the 1.5-mile oval, but he also tends to be one of the better qualifiers at the track. We get the sense that Johnson is heating up and his hard-fought top-10 at Atlanta a few weeks ago could be a precursor of better finishes ahead on these style tracks.

2. Kyle Busch
A contender to win any time the series hits the track. Busch has visited the top five twice in his last four visits to Fort Worth. He's already captured one win on an intermediate oval this season (Las Vegas) and will be looking to add more hardware to his trophy case this weekend.

3. Carl Edwards
We're waiting for Edwards to really turn it on and get hot. Until then, we have to respect him at his favorite tracks and watch closely. Edwards swept both Texas events last season in dominating performances, and it's no secret that he loves to race on these style tracks. The Roush Fenway star will aim to get back to Victory Lane on Sunday.

Fantasy Report

Carl Edwards swept Texas last season but his '09 struggles have Mike Bell leaning another direction.

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4. Jeff Gordon
Texas Motor Speedway is one of two tracks on the Cup circuit that Gordon has never won. Still, his consistency here has been amazing over the years. Gordon has led more than 200 laps and visited the top 10 in three of his last four visits. He's an outside shot to win, but he should deliver a dependable fantasy racing start on Sunday.

5. Jeff Burton
Burton and Texas go together like peas and carrots. He won this event in 2007, his second career victory at this facility. In the last four races at TMS, Burton has cracked the top 10 on three occasions. Leading up to this race he has looked good on the intermediate ovals, so it's a good time to ride the No. 31 Chevrolet.

6. Clint Bowyer
The Richard Childress Racing stable should look pretty solid this weekend. Between Bowyer and Burton, the camp should be well represented. Bowyer is one of only three drivers in the series to post a pair of top-10s already this season at both Las Vegas and Atlanta, so the team's intermediate oval program is hitting on all cylinders. His knack for finishing in the top 10 at Fort Worth is a steady stat to lean on this weekend.

7. Brian Vickers
Vickers is one of the other two drivers to log a pair of top-10s already this season at Atlanta and Las Vegas. The No. 83 team unloads fast cars at these ovals. Vickers' career numbers at Texas leave something to be desired, but we believe it's justifiable to take a leap of faith on this occasion.

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8. Kurt Busch
The No. 2 Dodge was wicked-fast at Atlanta a few weeks ago. Busch's Penske Racing team appears to be on top of things early this season. He is another driver with lackluster TMS stats, but we believe the current performance of this team trumps anything Busch has done in the past at Fort Worth.

9. Jamie McMurray
McMurray is the perfect combination of solid Texas record and current performance. He boasts ninth- and 15th-place finishes at Las Vegas and Atlanta this year, and he also has three top-10 finishes in his last four Texas races. McMurray is sure to put up a solid performance on Sunday.

10. Matt Kenseth
Normally we would rank Kenseth much higher in our Texas rankings. However, his recent struggles are concerning heading into this race. Kenseth has a pair of top-fives and four top-10s in his last four races at Fort Worth, but we have to reign in our expectations just a bit. He did struggle to a 12th-place finish at Atlanta a few weeks ago, so we could be in store for a similar performance from this No. 17 team in the Samsung 500.