What Lincoln is Thinkin’ - Driver Terrific 13 going into Darlington

What Lincoln is Thinkin' - Driver Terrific 13 before Darlington

1. Jeff Gordon - Gordo came back after being involved in the big one at 'Dega and losing the top spot in the points standings, and finished with another top 10 in Richmond. He has more top 5's and more top 10's then any other driver and he leads in points. That's why he's at the top of the list.
2. Kyle Busch - Wild Thing is out to prove 2008 was not a fluke. He has three wins so far, more than any other driver, and with a Richmond sweep showed he might be ready for another stretch run like last year where he dominated the sport.
3. Kurt Busch - Older brother has had an impressive year. For someone who's been plagued with inconsistency over the years, Busch has been remarkably efficient in 2009. He's the only driver to have only one finish outside the top 20.
4. Tony Stewart - The new owner has had a very successful year. But for anyone wanting the best story for this weekend, how about Smoke having his first win as an owner being his first win at Darlington? I like it.
5. Jeff Burton - After a slow start, Burton is getting hot. He's had 8 straight finishes in the top 15. Burton may be the best historian of any of the active drivers, and therefore, loves winning at Darlington as much as anyone.
6. Denny Hamlin - There's something to say about being a solid driver. But Hamlin is incredibly unspectacular in his driving style. You can just about guarantee that he will contend, but not win, this weekend.
7. Ryan Newman - The other Stewart-Haas driver has turned it up with two straight top 5's. He had a ridiculously tough start (remember how he wrecked or blew up 3 cars in Daytona) but now he seems to be settling in, and is racing more consistently then he did under Penske.
8. Jimmie Johnson - A ho-hum regular season so far. There have been a few races this year where he hasn't been a factor at all. He's like the Detroit Pistons of a few years ago - just resting up for the palyoffs.
9. Carl Edwards - I wonder how many times he gets in a car until he stops thinking about the wreck in Talladega.
10. Greg Biffle - It was not that long ago that Biff won two straight races at Darlington. He's had five top ten's this year, and has as much of a chance as anyone to win this weekend.
11. Clint Bowyer - That quick start is soon becoming a distant memory. Bowyer has had his worst four finishes of the year come in his last four races.
12. Mark Martin - Here comes the old guy. Five top 7's in the last six races, Martin would be safely in the chase if it was not for a few really bad finishes.
13. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth is NASCAR's most unassuming good driver. It's partly his personality, and partly his production, but the man has won a Cup title, won a Daytona 500, but seems to disappear from contention for weeks on end. He won the first two races of the year, but my bet is that he does not make the chase.

Who do you think should be number one in my Terrific 13?

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