He may be slumping, but Busch the pick at Bristol

We return to the foothills of East Tennessee this weekend as the Cup Series will resume Saturday night racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. The high-banked half-mile oval hosts two races each season, but it is this event that garners the prestige. Saturday night racing under the lights on the bullring of Bristol harkens back to the roots of NASCAR and the dirt-track racing on local tracks upon which the sport was founded.

While BMS isn't a dirt track, and it's not even like the short track it used to be, it's still short track racing at its best. Five-hundred laps in the mixing bowl brings out the best in these road warriors, and it's a very exciting brand of racing. This season's Food City 500 may have been raced in March, but the results are still fresh on our minds.

We have a small group of drivers that have dominated at the half-mile oval since the resurfacing a couple seasons ago. It's those drivers that everyone needs to watch closely Saturday night, because they will likely play a major role in the outcome of this event. The following is our weekly power ranking for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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1. Kyle Busch
While the last several weeks have been a tremendous struggle for the No. 18 team, we can't see anyone beyond Busch as the prime contender for Saturday night's race at Bristol. The two-time BMS winner has dominated at this small track the last couple seasons. Busch has led close to 800 laps in the last two Bristol races alone, and collected a victory and runner-up finish in those events.

2. Carl Edwards
We keep waiting for Edwards to collect that first win of the season and this weekend could finally be it. The No. 99 Ford has been strong at Bristol Motor Speedway since the resurfacing and re-banking project at the Tennessee short track. Edwards is "king of the night" at BMS as he has won each of the last two Sharpie 500's. It would come as no surprise at all to see him sneak away with the win on Saturday night.

3. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin always has good cars when he visits Bristol Motor Speedway. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team has managed to lead close to 300 laps in seven starts at Bristol. Hamlin enters this event with three consecutive finishes of sixth-place or better at the bullring. Considering the momentum he brings this weekend, another top-five is likely.

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4. Mark Martin
Martin won the pole at Bristol in the spring during the Food City 500 -- his first race at the half-mile track since 2006. Martin went on to finish sixth after 500 laps, so the No. 5 team should bring a good notebook to this weekend's race. With a skilled veteran like Martin driving and the excellence of Hendrick Motorsports equipment, the sky is the limit in the Sharpie 500.

5. Jeff Gordon
Through the years Gordon has built a racing legacy at just this track alone. Gordon's five career wins at BMS tie him with Kurt Busch for most victories among active drivers at the short track. The No. 24 team has been steady in recent weeks, as shown by their runner-up finish last weekend at Michigan. Gordon should crack the top five like he has in his last two Bristol starts.

6. Jimmie Johnson
While Johnson is the defending Cup champion, there are weeks to lay off the No. 48 team. While this Saturday night could be one of those occasions, we still have to give a tip of the hat to the Hendrick Motorsports star. Johnson had arguably his career best Bristol performance this past March. He led 88 laps that day and tied a career best at the facility with a third-place finish.

7. Kasey Kahne
Kahne is another driver that has found the new surface and banking at Bristol to his liking. While his first seven appearances at Bristol Motor Speedway only yielded one top-10 finish, Kahne's last four starts at the half-mile oval have netted one pole and three top-10s. He makes a safe fantasy racing play in Saturday night's Sharpie 500.

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8. Greg Biffle
Carl Edwards isn't the only Roush Fenway Racing driver to watch closely at Bristol. Biffle has had his fair share of success on the high banks on both the old and new surface of the track. The No. 16 Ford qualified fourth here in the spring and looked very strong before Biffle retired to the garage early with an engine failure. He finished 10th and 11th in his last two Bristol night races, so that's more indicative of what to expect this weekend.

9. Clint Bowyer
Only two drivers have four top-fives in the last five Bristol races. One is Kyle Busch, and surprisingly the other is Bowyer. While we don't expect to see the No. 33 team in Victory Lane on Saturday night, Bowyer should make another strong and steady start at the Tennessee short track. He enters this event on a three-race top-10 streak. With the Chase looming, motivation and momentum shouldn't be an issue for Bowyer.

10. Ryan Newman
Newman has been a model of consistency at Bristol Motor Speedway in recent seasons. Three of his last five visits to the short track have yielded top-10 finishes. Newman's first start at Bristol for Stewart-Haas Racing in March resulted with an outside pole qualifying position, 25 laps led and a brilliant seventh-place finish.