Check out a short list of favorites for Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega, Ala.:

	Busch

Kurt Busch
After winning his first career NASCAR Winston Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway three events ago, he stayed consistent and scored his third top-10 this year with a 10th place at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday; improved another spot to sixth in the series points standings; at 23, became the youngest winner on the circuit since Jeff Gordon captured the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 as a 22-year-old; was third in this race last year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Makes no secret of his love for restrictor plate racetracks; "I'm always in a good mood at Talladega because I love the track," he said. "A lot of racing here is about attitude."; won the Winston No Bull $1 million bonus at Talladega last fall when he took the checkered flag for the Winston 500; was eighth in the Talladega 500; comes into the weekend on a hot streak of four top-five finishes in the last five races; has posted career-best finishes at Darlington, Bristol and Martinsville; has climbed to ninth in the points standings.

Bill Elliott
His record-setting qualifying mark of 212.809 mph in 1987 still stands; won a race known as the Winston 500 at the time but none since at Talladegathe; leads all drivers with four poles in this event; also won the Winston race in 1985, but was not among the top 10 in either race at the superspeedway last year

Jeff Gordon
One of five active drivers with two wins at Talladega; In the 2000 spring race, won from the 36th spot, the lowest position for any winner; his first win at Talladega also was the spring event in 1996; was in contention at Martinsville before some trouble pushed him out of the top 10 to 23rd; fell to two positions to eighth in the series standings, 201 points off Sterling Marlin's pace.

	Jarrett

Dale Jarrett
The UPS Racing team are looking to carry the momentum from the fourth-place finish at Martinsville last race to the superspeedway of Talladega; Jarrett finished runner-up at the track in both 1999 races but has not made the top 10 in four starts since; in 30 starts at Talladega, he had one win in the fall of 1998 and a total of nine top-five finishes; has earned over $1.1 million lifetime at this track.

Jimmie Johnson
A vibration problem at Martinsville was main reason for only a 35th-place finish, dropping him spots to seventh in the Winston Cup points standings; otherwise, had good runs with five straight top-10s (Las Vegas 6th, Atlanta 3rd, Darlington 6th, Bristol 7th and Texas 6th); leads Ryan Newman by 10 points in the Rookie of the Year race.

Matt Kenseth
Perhaps the most consistent racer after eight events; his two wins and six top-10s matches leader Sterling Marlin and has one more top-five finish than Marlin; trails the veteran Marlin by 27 points; finished fourth in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega last October.

Bobby Labonte
Managed to hold off a slew of drivers over the final 55 laps at Martinsville Speedway and captured his first short-track victory in 302 starts; used savvy pit strategy and had a bit of luck in avoiding some accidents; it was his first win this year and 19th of career; improved five spots to 12th in the standings; won at Talladega from the pole in the spring of 1998 and was fifth in this race last year.

Terry Labonte
A winner at Talladega in 1989 and 1997; good runs last year produces an 11th-place finish in the first race and 13th late October; recorded 21 top-10s and 13 top-fives at Talladega; 1996 Winston Cup champion.

Sterling Marlin
Drove to successive wins at Talladega in the fall of 1995 and spring of 1996; always more competitive on superspeedways; salvaged a 12th place-finish at Martinsville Speedway last week, only his second finish outside the top 10 in eight races this year; has a 27-point lead over Matt Kenseth, Marlin and Kenseth are the only two drivers with two wins in 2002; has 14 top-10 finishes in career 38 starts at Talladega; not in contention last year.

Mark Martin
Never a fan of restrictor-plate racing, his career record at Talladega Superspeedway is one of highs and lows; won the spring race twice (1995, 1997), but also has been involved in more than his share of accidents; won the 1997 Winston 500 with an all-time NASCAR Winston Cup record for the fastest race ever run, posting a caution-free average speed of 188.354 mph; covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds; had solid runs in 2001, with a fourth-place showing in April and ninth in October; having an excellent start this season, with a pair of top-fives and five top-10s, which helped him claim third place in the overall standings.

	Stewart

Tony Stewart
Performed real solid at Talladega in 2001, with runner-up postings in both races; scored his fifth top-five finish in eight races this year with a third place at Martinsville, but was disappointed after leading the most laps (152) and had the best car in the field; a stalled engine prolonged his pit stop and caused him to drop to 11th before recovering to third; moved up three more spots to fifth place in the standings, only 147 points behind Marlin.