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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Five To Watch
Here are the five favorites for this Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted March 06, 2009   Harrisburg, NC
This could be Edwards breakout weekend with a victory lane visit in Atlanta. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Matt Kenseth got a cold shot of reality last week at Las Vegas when his Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion lost an engine on Lap 7 of the Shelby 427, putting a very premature end to his hopes of becoming the first driver in history to open a NASCAR Sprint Cup season with three consecutive victories.

This week, Kenseth and the rest of the Cup regulars head back east for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the fastest track on the circuit. Measuring 1.54 miles in length, AMS is a track drivers like because it has multiple grooves and because tires tend to wear quickly.

Those two factors give drivers a better sense of control of their own destiny and they also make for much easier passing, two things drivers are very much in favor of. The weather forecast this weekend is for beautiful afternoons with high temperatures near 80 degrees, perfect for going racing.

Here are the five favorites for this Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500, race No. 4 of 36 on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season:

1. CARL EDWARDS — Let’s be real blunt about this: So far in the still young 2009 season, Carl Edwards has had a hugely disappointing campaign, with a best finish of just seventh in three races. This from the consensus pre-season favorite to win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship and the man who won three of the final four races last season.

Well, guess what? One of those late-season victories last year was right here at AMS, where Cousin Carl tears it up with regularity. In nine career Cup starts here, Edwards has three victories, finishes of second and third and seven top-10 finishes.

Yes, Edwards has been slow getting out of the gate this season, but this could be his breakout weekend, where he puts his Roush Fenway Ford into victory lane for the first time in 2009. And if he doesn’t, any one of his four Roush Fenway teammates — Kenseth, Greg Biffle, David Ragan and Jamie McMurray — just might.

2. KYLE BUSCH — Hmm … this one is pretty much a no-brainer. Defending race winner? Check. Last week’s race winner? Check. Had fast cars in all three races so far this year? Check. Yes, without question, Busch and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will be one of the favorites this weekend.

Then again, pretty much anywhere he shows up these days, in any series, Busch is a legitimate threat to win. It would surprise absolutely no one if he swept the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday and the Cup race on Sunday.

3. JIMMIE JOHNSON — Like Edwards, his closest competitor in last year’s title hunt, Johnson and the all-conquering No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team have gotten off to a slow start this season. And like Edwards, Johnson loves to march through Atlanta.

In his last five races here, Johnson has two victories and two runner-up finishes. Overall, in 15 Cup starts at AMS, he has earned three victories, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. And as he showed last season, it doesn’t matter how long Johnson struggles — all it takes is one race for him to get untracked and turn up the heat.

4. BOBBY LABONTE — That’s right, folks, Bobby Labonte. No active driver has more AMS victories than Labonte, who has triumphed six times here, including a memorable victory in 1996, when he won the final race of the season and brother Terry clinched the Sprint Cup championship.

No one expected much out of the alliance of Labonte, Hall of Fame Racing and Yates Racing — certainly not this early in the season — but Labonte already has scored a fifth-place finish at Las Vegas, and combined with his history here, that makes him very dangerous this weekend.

5. JEFF GORDON — Although it’s still very early into the 2009 schedule, a lot of signs are starting to point to a stellar season for the four-time Cup champion. Already, he won his Daytona qualifier, finished second in California and leads the points. It’s only a matter of time until he wins his next race.

Given that he’s won four races at AMS and posted 13 top fives here, he just might get it done again this weekend.

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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