Week 6 -- Martinsville
This weekend we get more short-trackin' action with the shortest track on the Nextel Cup circuit, Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. This place doesn't have the allure of Bristol, but the half-mile "paperclip" nonetheless offers plenty of challenges. We will remember that this was the race where Rusty Wallace snapped his three-year winless streak, and the track's poor condition took its toll on Jeff Gordon's car when a loose piece of concrete bounded up and pulverized one of Jeff's front fenders. The track was repaired after that race, and now is in superb shape.
Scott Riggs snapped up his first career pole here on Friday. But who will prevail at the end of the Advance Auto Parts 500?
GLENN'S TEN:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- I believe in Jeff, despite the fact he's starting 16th. If he can avoid the kind of bad luck he had at Bristol last week (cutting a tire with about five laps to go) he should find a way to the front at a track that has been very kind to him over the years.
THE REST OF THE TOP 10 (in no particular order):
* Jimmie Johnson -- It just doesn't make sense to pick against Mr. Consistency.
* Bobby Labonte -- He won the truck race Saturday. His Cup success hasn't been good so far this year, but this is a track where that could easily change. He's starting 6th, ahead of teammate Tony Stewart. A good omen.
* Dale Jarrett -- Starts 32nd, but he has been showing his old ability to stay out of trouble and move toward the front. This is a track that favors veterans and rewards patience.
* Kurt Busch -- Like Jimmie Johnson, he's finding ways to get the job done. He has a knack for short tracks and will be looking to bounce back after being taken out in a crash at Bristol.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Has to dig himself out of a 26th-place starting spot, but he's good on these short tracks. Needs another run like Bristol to make a move in the points.
* Ryan Newman -- Barely missed the pole. Which Ryan will show up this week? The one who runs up front all day or the one who loses a couple laps early due to something stupid like cut tires and spends half the race trying to dig himself out? I'm hoping the former.
* Carl Edwards -- Starting 36th. Maybe the short tracks aren't his forté, but I'm gambling that he'll have a good race to make up for last week's early woes.
* Rusty Wallace -- Defending race champion has to be motivated. Something will happen to screw him out of the win, however. Trust me on this. Still, I think he'll sneak into the top 10.
* Mark Martin -- Giving yet another nod to experience.
ALSO WATCHING: Tony Stewart (starts 7th and may make me sorry I didn't pick him)... Kevin Harvick (showed last week that he knows how to win. Can he make it two in a row?)
