What to expect at Texas? The need for more speed

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Marc Fein and Mike Bell break down what to expect as NASCAR returns to the intermediate tracks.
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Fantasy Preview
Mike Bell picks a driver who's on a roll in 2009, but says not to count out former winners at Texas.
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Garage Expert
Larry McReynolds hops in a cutaway car to explain how safety features have advanced in today's race cars.
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Texas isn't just rodeos, wranglers and saloons -- there's five-star eateries and shops, too.
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Although there was much movement within the top 12 of the Cup Series standings, no driver dropped out after the race at Martinsville. But the standings remain tight: 90 points separate eighth-place Carl Edwards and 16th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bill Marx of the Sporting News Wire Service breaks down the top 12:

1. Jeff Gordon, 959 points -- Wins remain elusive, but not top-five finishes. He has a series-high four, and his 5.2 average finish is a full three spots better than second-best Clint Bowyer.

No Margin for Error

Roush Fenway Racing's stable, led by three-time Texas winner Carl Edwards, will be formidable at the 1.5-mile track.

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By the Numbers

It's not often you see a guy win the first two races of the season and then fall off the face of the earth -- but that's exactly what has happened to Matt Kenseth. If he is to turn his season around, the Samsung 500 could be just the event.

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2. Clint Bowyer, 870 -- Bowyer is a surprise of the first six races -- but only because he hasn't missed a beat with an entirely new team (remember, his No. 07 team went to new teammate Casey Mears, who is 26th in the standings). Bowyer has established himself as a top-10 driver, now he needs to start challenging for wins. He has led nine laps this year.

3. Kurt Busch, 827 -- Busch couldn't cash in on his great starting position, second, and finished 18th Sunday. Handling was an issue. "It was just tight all day long, and nothing we did made it any better," he said. "I'm just glad to get out of here and not be any worse off."

4. Jimmie Johnson, 817 -- What more can you say about Johnson and Martinsville? Two consecutive wins and five in the past six races there. It was Johnson's 41st career victory. Next up on the list: 14th-place Bill Elliott with 44.

5. Denny Hamlin, 811 -- Hamlin lost the race but won fans with the way he handled himself afterward. He has finished second two weeks in a row and is frustrated with all of his close calls since his last win a year ago at Martinsville. He also has eight third-place finishes in that stretch.

6. Kyle Busch, 800 -- Even the best have bad days. Busch experienced a spin, pit-road speeding penalty and a blown right-front tire and finished 24th, two laps back. Just a blip for Busch. He'll bounce back just fine.

7. Tony Stewart, 798 -- Stewart finished third and almost picked up his first win as an owner/driver despite not leading a lap. Stewart was running third when Johnson and Hamlin made contact with 15 laps to go. Only great saves by each kept Stewart from snagging the lead. So far, so good for Stewart.

8. Carl Edwards, 750 -- Edwards suffered his worst finish of the season Sunday (26th), two laps back. He lost the laps when he cut a tire after making contact with another car just past the halfway point and had to pit under green. He can quickly put that disappointment behind him: Next up is Texas, where Edwards has three wins, including both races last year.

9. Kasey Kahne, 745 -- Kahne dropped three spots in the standings after finishing 19th Sunday. What's worse is he again wasn't a factor. In fact, he was passed more times under green (80) than any other driver. Among drivers in the top 10 in points, Kahne has led the fewest laps (one).

10. Kevin Harvick, 714 -- Harvick bounced back from a disappointing race at Bristol to finish 11th at Martinsville and move up two spots in the standings. Although he didn't lead a lap and didn't challenge for the lead, Harvick joined Hamlin, Stewart, Gordon and Bowyer as the only drivers to run all 500 laps in the top 15.

11. David Reutimann, 710 -- Reutimann finished 20th, the first car a lap down, as a dropped lug nut on a late pit stop was costly and ruined a day in which the No. 00 spent most of the race in the top 10. Even though the finish was still good enough to keep him in the top 12 for the fifth consecutive race, the No. 00 team cannot afford that kind of mistake if Reutimann is going contend for a spot in the Chase.

12. Matt Kenseth, 704 -- After Kenseth's blazing start (opening the season with consecutive wins) he is in jeopardy of falling out of the top 12. He failed to finish on the lead lap for the third time in the past four races, limping home 23rd, one lap down. What happened to this team? At least the No. 17 team has Texas to look forward to and a return to intermediate tracks, a strength of Roush Fenway Racing.

All statistical references are for Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past eight races at the track.

Top five ...

Gordon

1. Jeff Gordon, 86.9 driver rating -- Gordon has five top-10s in the season's first six races and a 13th-place finish in the sixth. Great numbers. But this is Texas, the only track on which he has finished 43rd in his Cup career -- and he has done it twice, including in this race last year. In fairness to Gordon, he did bounce back to finish second in the fall race last year.

2. Clint Bowyer, 90.8 -- Bowyer led laps in six races last year, and one of those was the fall race when he finished fourth. Steady Bowyer has finished in the top 20 in all six of his starts at Texas, three times in the top 10. Richard Childress Racing engines haven't been known for their speed, however, and that's one thing you need at Texas.

3. Kurt Busch, 88.4 -- Back-to-back short track races cooled Busch's fast start -- a win and three top-10s in the season's first four races. Busch has never won at Texas and has but one top-five in 12 starts. Last year he finished 23rd and 41st.

4. Jimmie Johnson, 104.7 -- Two years ago at Texas, Johnson crashed and finished 38th. He has eight top-10s in his other 10 starts, including one win. Even with the DNF in 2007, Johnson still has the series' best average finish at the track at 9.1.

5. Denny Hamlin, 97.4 -- Hamlin brings the momentum of second-place finishes at both short tracks to Texas, where he has five top 10s in seven races. Granted, he found the runner-up finishes frustrating, but this is the Sprint Cup Series, not Talladega Nights. Hamlin might not be first, but he's definitely not last.

Five to watch ...

Busch

6. Kyle Busch, 94.9 -- After finishing 37th in this race two years ago, Busch reeled off Texas finishes of fourth, third and sixth. In the fall race in 2007, Busch led a race-high 153 laps. Only five drivers have led more laps than Busch during the past eight races at TMS.

7. Tony Stewart, 103.1 -- Stewart has one win and eight top-10s in 14 starts. Stewart was dominant in fall 2006 when he led 278 of 334 laps en route to his victory, one of three he had in the Chase that year.

8. Carl Edwards, 102.3 -- Speaking of dominant, Edwards won both races last year, leading 123 laps in the spring and 212 in the fall. He won the fall race by a whopping 8.31 seconds over Gordon. Edwards has three top 10s at Texas, all victories.

12. Matt Kenseth, 104.2 -- Kenseth has gone from perfection to clinging to the final Chase-eligible position by seven points. And the season isn't two months old. Kenseth has a terrific record at Texas, with one win and eight top-10s in 13 starts. He finished ninth twice last year and second twice in 2007.

16. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 96.0 -- Earnhardt had seven top-10s in his first nine races, including a win in his first start at Texas in 2000. But his past four trips to Texas have been disappointing: no top-10s with one DNF and an average finish of 20.5. Earnhardt has been on the rebound since bottoming out at 35th in points after Fontana and should be able to continue his climb up the standings Sunday.

Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. ET Friday on SPEED
Cup Series Race: 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX
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