Check out a short list of favorites for Friday's Funai 250 at Richmond International Raceway:

David Green:
Still trying to catch up to points leader Scott Riggs for the last five races; 19 points behind with nine races left; finished 14th last Saturday at Darlington; tied for series lead with 15 top-10 results and is second to Riggs with nine top fives; went winless from 1996 until April 12 at Nashville; also made it to victory lane at Loudon on July 19; started from the pole twice this year.

Bobby Hamilton Jr.:
Fourth-place finish at Darlington was his sixth in the first five this year; but lost pace with the main contenders due to some recent bad results, 321 points out in sixth place; winner of two impressive races this year at Chicagoland and Kentucky Speedway; in Chicago, led all but 14 of 200 laps to win a lopsided race by more than four seconds over Matt Kenseth; placed in the top 10 in 14 races this season.

Shane Hmiel:
North Carolina native could not follow fourth place effort at Bristol with another positive result; engine failure after 127 laps ended race at Darlington; maintained seventh position in the standings; recorded nine top 10s, with four times in the first five; won first pole of season in August at Indianapolis Raceway Park, where he led 153 of 200 laps before placing fourth.

Ron Hornaday:
Two-time Craftsman Truck series champion lost two positions in the championship even though 11th place at Darlington was respectable result; now 79 points out of first, but still one of five drivers in contention; lone win this season came in May at Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania where led 148 of 200 laps; at Pikes Peak, led three different times for most laps (80) before finishing seventh; owns six top-five finishes and 13 top-10s this year.

Jason Keller:
In the title chase, 70 points behind top runner Riggs; has one win, a pole and 13 top-10s; victory came at The Milwaukee Mile this year to bring career total to 10; one of five drivers with 300 or more career Busch Series starts, joining Tommy Houston, Elton Sawyer, Randy LaJoie and Dale Jarrett; tops all-time money list with over $7 million; finished in the top three in points in each of the past three seasons.

Scott Riggs:
The championship leader by 19 points over David Green even though finished three positions down behind in 17th; also circuit leader with 10 efforts among the top five finishers; also tops list in money earned with $876,420; has been at it with Green since June 7 at Nashville, a span of 10 races, with Riggs in the points lead seven times and Green on three occasions; largest lead was 46 points and smallest was two; one of three Busch Series regulars with two victories this season (Green, Hamilton); won at Gateway and Nashville, giving him four career titles in two years.

Johnny Sauter:
Efforts of top five finishes were set at races in Bristol (March), Nashville, Daytona and Pikes Peak; drives No. 21 Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress, split with Winston Cup driver Kevin Harvick; Sauter drove it in 15 races, while Harvick in 10; combined they have put Childress in first place in the owner standings; up to eighth in standings.

Brian Vickers:
Nineteen-year-old scored second career victory Saturday at Darlington; first triumph came two races earlier at the Kroger 200 after a side-by-side battle with 23-year-old Shane Hmiel over the last 30 laps; recorded top-10 finishes in nine of last 11 races; made move of two slots to third place, only 67 points behind leader Riggs; owns eight top-five finishes and 15 top-10s this season; other quality results were runners-up at Nazareth and Milwaukee; World Karting Association national champion from 1994-97.

Scott Wimmer:
The ninth place finish in this race last year was one of 17 top-10s in his breakthrough season; also won four races in 2002; this year, led final 23 laps to win Pikes Peak race; finished no lower than 19th in 14 of last 15 starts, including five top-10s; was fifth in the first stop at Richmond this year; ninth in the standings, a distant 478 points out of first.