Short week as NASCAR Prepares For Short Track Action

Short week as NASCAR prepares for the short track at Richmond
Sprint Cup drivers are going from the big track of Talladega to the small track of Richmond. And they don't have a lot of time to get used to it.
After Kyle Busch won his second race of the season last Sunday, he and the other drivers didn't have long before they had to start thinking about the short track at Richmond International Raceway where they will be racing on Saturday.
Here's the official stats, it is less than a mile around Richmond while it is almost 2 1/2 miles around Talladega. Basically, two and a half laps around Richmond just about equals one full lap at Talladega.
Restrictor plates were on the cars at Talladega. They won't be on the cars at Richmond.
So who is the favorite? Jimmie Johnson's name has to be top of the list. The defending 2007 champion swept both events at the track last year. And since this was the track where Dale Earnhardt Jr. got his last win in 2006, I think he should be someone to watch out for.
You'd be a fool if you didn't think Kyle Busch would be up there along with his teammates Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart. And Carl Edwards, who has won three races this season, should also be up toward the front looking to win.
And I guess you shouldn't count out Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch or Kasey Kahne since they have won and usually do well on the short tracks.
Honestly, it seems like I use the same names every week when I pick who I think could decide or be the winners of the race. But these guys are the hot right now. Unless something happens, they are the ones leading the charge.
This week NASCAR will be racing on Saturday. Of course last year rain forced them to move the race to Sunday. I like seeing the race under the lights. This is usually when teams come out with special paint schemes and the cars just look so good at night.
Check it out and see what I mean. I'll be back on Monday to talk about the race.