1. Jeff Gordon  Are the “crazy old man’s” crazy old setups working for the 24 or have things just clicked?

2. Kyle Busch  Pout, stomp, spit and cuss all you want after losing a race you should have won, Kyle. That’s the passion this sport often lacks these days.

3. Clint Bowyer  Talk about instant chemistry … Bowyer and his new team sit third in points, having finished in the top 20 of every event this season.

4. Kurt Busch  Nursed a crumpled can of Miller Lite home for a respectable 11th at Bristol. That was actually one fine piece of driving, considering.

5. Jimmie Johnson  If he finally figures out Bristol, there'll be no stopping him.

6. Carl Edwards  Roush president Geoff Smith says Aflac is looking for some sponsor help to offset some of its costs with the 99. If Roush is having problems with Carl’s sponsorship, this sport may be in bigger trouble than we thought.

7. Kasey Kahne  Since his at 29th at Daytona, Kahne has four top-12 finishes and no Allstate cougars aggressively pursuing him.

8. Denny Hamlin  Bristol runner-up could very well advance his finishing position this week at Martinsville.

9. Matt Kenseth  Since back-to-back wins at the outset of the season, Kenseth has slumped to finishes of 43rd, 12th and 33rd. My, how the racing gods are fickle.

10. Tony Stewart  Stay the course, Tony. A new team is going to have off weekends every now and then.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Three straight top-15 showings prove this bunch is at least headed in the right direction. I guess.

12. Brian Vickers  Already looking forward to getting back to the intermediates.

13. Jeff Burton  Burton and crew are rebounding well since a rocky start to the season.

14. Kevin Harvick  Just put that Bristol weekend behind you, Kevin. Better times are ahead. And make no mistake, that Bristol weekend was a real stinker.

15. Mark Martin  See, when the engine and tires hold up, Martin is still about as good as anyone out there. Anyone not named Kyle Busch, that is.

Just off the lead pack: AJ Allmendinger, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Ragan, David Reutimann

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