Check out a short list of favorites for Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.

	Burton

Ward Burton:
Won the New England 300 last week for his first victory since the Daytona 500; he won at New Hampshire Speedway by staying out of trouble on the new surfaced track and conserving fuel toward the end thanks to some caution flags; it was his fifth career Winston Cup victory and just the first top-five finish since the Daytona race in February; has not performed well at Pocono Raceway in the June race (33rd) or this event last year (38th).

Jeff Burton:
It has been a rather disappointing season after 19 races, with his top finishes a pair of thirds at the Pontiac Excitement 400 and the MBNA Platinum 400; has not made into the top 10 since his sixth-place finish in the Pocono 500 at this track on June 9; that is a span of five races, including four finishes of 20th or lower; had a solid run in this race two years ago when he was .126 seconds behind winner Rusty Wallace.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
Ran a tough battle with Bobby Labonte over the final laps of this race last year, finishing second in the end; made his charge in the final three laps, but ran out of time; led twice for 31 laps to post his best finish at Pocono in five starts; considers the track tough to get a perfect setup on the car due to its three different turns; finished 12th on June 9 at the track.

	Elliott

Bill Elliott:
Along with Rusty Wallace, tops the win chart at Pocono with five victories apiece; four of his wins were recorded in this race; only one top-five finish this year and four top-10s; stands 16th in the points standings; having a good year with two top-fives and eight top-10s which puts him 10th in the series points standings.

Jeff Gordon:
His winless streak reached 27 races, the longest of his career between victories; but Pocono Raceway is a track he has always performed very well; was fifth in the Pocono 500 in June and eighth in last year's Pennsylvania 500; took third in this race in 2000 and finished first or second in eight of the last 14 races at Pocono; some struggles in three of the last four races, with results lower than 22nd excluding a runner-up in Chicago; trails series leader Sterling Marlin by 140 points.

Dale Jarrett:
Another driver with success at the Pocono Raceway; most recently he took the checkered flag in June's Pocono 500; winner of this race in 1995 and 1997; although he did not finish last year's Pennsylvania 500 due to a crash on lap 152, he was fourth in 2000 and second the previous year; with 17 races remaining he is 11th in the championship standings, 320 points off the Sterling Marlin's pace.

Jimmie Johnson:
The third-place finish at the Pocono 500 in June was a promising debut at the track for the leading Rookie of the Year contender; that is an indication he may be up for another strong run at the venue to add to his already impressive two wins and 12 top-10 finishes; those efforts leaves him just 92 points behind first place Sterling Marlin in the championship chase.

Bobby Labonte:
As the defending champion of the Pennsylvania 500 he is looking for a repeat performance; a good run Sunday is important to boost results for the remainder of the season; while mired back in 20th position in the Winston Cup points standings, he realizes that a string of good results could bring him back towards the top-10; said he has not given up on the season yet and feels things can still be turned around; In 1999 he became the first racer to sweep both races at Pocono since Tim Richmond in 1986.

	Labonte

Terry Labonte:
Winner of two races at Pocono Raceway, taking the Pocono 500 in 1995 and 1989; his win in 1995 came from the 27th starting position, the farthest back of any wins at Pocono; has one top-five and three top-10s this year.

Sterling Marlin:
Remained the Winston Cup points leader for the 18th straight race despite a 14th-place finish at Loudon last Sunday; added six points to his lead to extend it to 55 over Mark Martin; is the only driver to remain in the top 10 in the points since the Daytona 500 in 2001; at this stage of the season last year he was fifth in the standings; notched 15 top-15 finishes and 10 top-10s in 19 races this season; finished fourth at Pocono in June after starting from the pole for his third fourth-place finish in the last spring race at Pocono; started 10th and finished 16th in the Pennsylvania 500 last year.

Mark Martin:
This will be his 30th appearance at Pocono where he continues to look for his first win; came close in June before settling for second behind Dale Jarrett; last year was in contention in this event but came across seventh; perhaps the most consistent driver this year as he finished outside the top-20 in just four races; tops the division with 13 top-10s and is 55 points behind Sterling Marlin in he standings.

Jeremy Mayfield:
In 1998 won his first career Winston Cup race at Pocono Raceway; in June 2000 he won the Pocono 500; this season is one he'd like to forget; only two top fives to talk about -- 2nd in Las Vegas and fifth at Richmond, Virginia; 11 other races he has not made higher than 23rd.

	Rudd

Ricky Rudd:
Victory of the Pocono 500 at this track in June 2001 ended his winless streak of 88 races; in the second visit to Pocono last July he missed a top-10 in 11th place; last month he was stuck in the middle of the field in 17th; Rudd is one of 13 winners on the circuit this year; his 23rd career checkered flag came at the road course of Sears Point in Sonoma; has not finished higher than 15th in the three races since; is 218 points out of first place pace-setter Sterling Marlin.

Tony Stewart:
In seven previous starts at Pocono Raceway he has finished outside the top-10 only once; that was a 26th place result in the 2000 Pennsylvania 500; his average finish at the triangular 2 1/2-mile track is fifth; in the Pocono 500 on June 9 he finished seventh after starting in the same position; last year in this race he finished third from starting 13th; has two wins and a pole on the season, with eight top-fives and 10 top-10s; those positive results have been countered with five DNFs (did not finish) and a total of eight finishes of 15th or worse; the kind of roller coaster ride he would like to have stopped; the most recent outing was 39th place finish at New Hampshire due to an accident on lap 121; that dropped him to seventh in the standings, 227 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Rusty Wallace:
His fourth-place finish at Loudon last Sunday was the second top-five of the year and second in his last three races; made of jump of two slots to fourth place in the championship, now just 127 points out of first place; won the Pennsylvania 500 in 2000 and four of his 54 career victories were recorded at Pocono Raceway; is one of two active drivers with four wins at Pocono (Bill Elliott); finished seventh in the Winston Cup standings in each of the last two years and has been in the top 10 every year since finishing 13th in 1992.