Check out a short list of favorites for Sunday's Pepsi 400 at Brooklyn, Mich.

	Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Michigan Speedway is one of Dale Jr.'s favorites although finishes have not been quite up to par; was on pole in 2000 when he set a track record; his best finish was 12th last August while this past June he came home 22nd; season struggles continued with a 35th-place finish at Watkins Glen; in the last 11 races he has scored only two top-10s; won the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, one of his top-five results this year.

Bill Elliott
Leads active drivers with six poles and seven wins at Michigan Speedway; owns 17 top five finishes and 29 top-10s in 49 Winston Cup starts at the track; swept both events at Michigan in 1985 and 1986 and won six of eight between 1984-1987; won at Michigan from the pole position three times in his career, most recently in the second race of 1988; the 21st place finish at Watkins Glen cost him two positions in the very close Winston Cup points race; sits eighth 188 points out of first place; "The points race is so close, you can't get bogged down in thinking about it," he said. "You really have to just take it a race at a time and that's what I've said all along. If we focus on our stuff and not worry about everyone else, we'll be fine." Elliott qualified fourth and finished 11th in the June race at Michigan.

Jeff Gordon
Enters the Pepsi 400 fifth in the points standings, 106 behind Sterling Marlin; in the June race at Michigan, Gordon fought back from a lap down to finish fifth and went into the next race 110 points down to Marlin; in seven races since, he has only two top-10 results, yet he gained points on Marlin during that span; "We've had some opportunities to gain a bunch of points and haven't," he said. "Sterling hasn't been burning up the track with great finishes recently, but nobody else has either." In 19 events at the 2-mile speedway, Gordon has two wins, three poles, 13 top-fives and 15 top-10s, with only one finish outside the top 15. If Gordon finishes the race Sunday, he will set a modern-era record (1972-present) for consecutive finishes without a DNF (did not finish). He has been running at the finish of 53 consecutive races, tying him with the late Dale Earnhardt. His last DNF was at Darlington in March 2001.

	Jarrett

Dale Jarrett
Despite some good finishes recently, is still unable to break into the top 10 of the points standings; 59 points behind 10th place Matt Kenseth who won the Michigan race in June, while Jarrett was second; won this race in 1996 and also placed in the top five five straight times until last year; recorded first career NASCAR victory at Michigan Speedway in this race on August 18, 1991.

Jimmie Johnson
Another 115 points earned with the 16th place finish at Watkins Glen kept the rookie driver in contention for the Winston Cup championship; fell to third place, but is only three poins behind Mark Martin and 56 behind Sterling Marlin; scored five top-five finishes and 13 top-10s; has been the highest finishing rookie 11 times this year; was 14th in the June race at Michigan.

Bobby Labonte
When he left Michigan Speedway on June 16 after the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 he was not a happy driver; finished 24th after starting 18th and fighting with an ill-handling car for most of the day; this time around, the veteran hopes for a little better luck and getting back to the good runs that were common for him at the 2-mile oval; "We have always been athreat up there," he said. "Yet the last three races (2001 and 2002) have been everything but good for us. We are used to running up front and that is our goal this weekend." Swept both Winston Cup races at Michigan in 1995 (was the seventh time a driver swept both races in a year at the Michigan track); also won the Pepsi 400 in 1999.

	Marlin

Sterling Marlin
In 34 starts at Michigan (since 1983), the veteran driver has four top-five and nine top-10 finishes; never won the pole, with best starting position of third in June 1995; one win at the track was AUgust last year; a dismal 30th place finish at Watkins Glen made the points race even more tight heading down the stretch; Marlin is 53 points in front of Mark Martin; but the good news is, he comes back to the race where he is defending champion, although he did not fare so well in the June race at Michigan (21st); finished outside the top 25 the past two races; won two races this year and finished 11 times in the top-10.

Mark Martin
Third among active drivers with four victories at Michigan Speedway, three coming in the Pepsi 400; posted 22 top-10 finishes in the last 25 races at Michigan where he has led in 20 of the events for total of 795 laps; his 22nd top-10 result recorded at the track was the ninth place on June 16 in the Sirius Satellite Radio 400; was eighth in this event last year; "Handling is very important and a lot is in the hands of the racer," he said. "I consider it one of my favorite tracks and we've been pretty good there in the past." Comes off his 14th top-10 finish of the year, a 10th place at Watkins Glen in New York; had a total of 15 top 10s all of last year.

Ricky Rudd
Winner at Michigan Speedway in 1993 and has recorded eight top-fives overall; was eighth in the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 in June; also finished second in both races at Michigan in 2000; checkered flag at Sonoma in June was the 23rd of his career; one of 14 winners on the circuit this year; owns nine top-10 finishes this season including the fifth place at Watkins Glen last Sunday; seventh in the standings, 150 points out of first place.

	Stewart

Tony Stewart
Michigan Speedway has provided mixed results for him; recorded three top-10 finishes in seven career starts at the two-mile oval; top effort was third in the 1999 Pepsi 400; for the third time this season and 15th career, Stewart wheeled his Pontiac to victory lane at Watkins Glen last Sunday; the win was that more satisfying following a week of repercussions of an incident in which he punched a photographer, was fined by NASCAR and The Home Depot and was placed on probation for the rest of the year; vaulted from seventh to fourth place in the championship standings, 104 points behind Sterling Marlin; the fourth place is his highest position in the standings this year.

Rusty Wallace
Five of his 54 career victories have come at Michigan Speedway, most recently the Pepsi 400 in 2000; without a checkered flag in 2002, but has been runner-up in two of the last six races; the veteran driver also is involved in the championship race in sixth place, just 132 points out of first place; the top eight drivers are separated by just 188 points.