rpm.espn.com: Drivers to Watch

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Wednesday, March 14
Drivers to Watch
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Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Darlington.

Johnny Benson
Third in the Winston Cup points standings following his third consecutive top-seven finish at Atlanta last Sunday; highest ranking in six years in Winston Cup; was fourth in Las Vegas and sixth at Rockingham; co-owns the Valvoline-sponsored car.

Jeff Burton
Has finished 37th and lower in last three races but heads to the "Track Too Tough To Tame" anticipating a turnaround to his fortunes; has been so good at Darlington in last four years, finishing fifth or better; swept both races in 1999, with this event shortened by rain; had four victories last year and finished third in the Winston Cup standings; highlight of 2000 was start-to-finish victory at New Hampshire in September.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Taken out of contention while running third with five laps to go when debris hit his Chevrolet, causing a flat right front tire; tire change pushed him back to 15th; was second at Daytona 500, in which his father died.

Bill Elliott
Leads all active drivers with five poles at Darlington; has posted 18 top-fives, including five wins at the track during his career; sixth in the standings with 495 points.

Jeff Gordon
Finished in the top 10 in both races here last year (eighth in spring, fourth in fall); winner of this event in 1996; finishes of first, second and third in the last three races have propelled him to the top of the Winston Cup standings with 613 points; won in Las Vegas for his 53rd career triumph.

Kevin Harvick
Proving that he has earned the opportunity to move up to the Winston Cup circuit one year ahead of schedule; won the Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his first checkered flag in just his third start, an emotional win as the rookie drove the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of the late Dale Earnhardt to a photo finish victory of .006 of a second over Jeff Gordon.

Dale Jarrett
Another racer who performs well at Darlington, finishing in the top five in both events last year; was second to Ward Burton in this race and fifth in the Pepsi Southern 500; won the race in 1997 and 1998; results of second and fourth in Las Vegas and Atlanta, respectively, vaulted him to second behind Jeff Gordon in the standings; captured his first Winston Cup championship in 1999.

Bobby Labonte
Looks to tame NASCAR's oldest track; last September, luck and good teamwork in the pits helped him to his first checkered flag at Darlington; finished 13th in this race last spring; finished 25th or lower in three of the four races this year; second at the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway.

Mark Martin
One of several drivers who do well at Darlington; has 19 top-10s in 30 career starts and won the Southern 500 in 1993; was ninth in this race last year; best effort early in the season was sixth at Las Vegas two races ago.

Ricky Rudd
The 44-year-old veteran will make his 700th career Winston Cup start, which began on March 2, 1975 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham; becomes only the fifth driver to reach the milestone, joining Richard Petty (1,177), Dave Marcis (878), Bobby Allison (717) and Darrell Waltrip (809); "That's a lot of races," Rudd said. "I'm really happy to be sitting where I'm sitting for my 700th start."; Rudd enters Sunday's race ninth in the points standings following a sixth-place finish in Atlanta.

Tony Stewart
In four career starts at Darlington Raceway, he has three top-10 finishes, with fourth last year his best; his average finish is eighth at the 1.36-mile oval; in third season in Winston Cup, with nine wins and four poles.

Rusty Wallace
After finishes of third at Daytona and seventh at Rockingham, fell out of the top 10 in Las Vegas and Atlanta; looks to get back to better results at Darlington, where he had good runs in 1998 with third in the spring and seventh in the fall race; led series with nine poles last year and posted four wins for a career total of 53, leaving him tied with Jeff Gordon for eighth; won at least one race in 15 consecutive seasons.

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