Check out a short list of favorites for Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead, Fla.

Kurt Busch

	Busch

Winner of three races this season, including two in a row at Martinsville and Atlanta; led in the last two races at North Carolina Speedway and Phoenix before finishes of third and sixth, respectively; has recorded 11 top-fives and 19 top-10 finishes this year; finished 23rd at Homestead as a rookie last year; improved to third place in the standings, 230 points behind leader Tony Stewart.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Despite a well-documented midseason slump, enjoying his most productive season of his three-year Winston Cup career; his team has equaled or surpassed last season's numbers with 11 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s, 1022 laps led, 21 races led, two poles and 18 top-10 starts; has fond memories of Homestead where he celebrated both his Busch Grand National series championships; best start at track was 12th in 2000 and his best finish was 13th the same year; was 15th last year.

Jeff Gordon
Nowhere near the position he was last year to win the Winston Cup championship; 239 points out of first place driver Tony Stewart; and did not have the best of races at Homestead last year when he placed 28th; one of four drivers with three victories this season (Matt Kenseth leads the circuit with five wins). Jimmie Johnson
Three straight finishes outside the top 10 have dropped him from second in the points standings to fourth; is 238 points out of first place; still enjoying a tremendous rookie season with three wins and 20 top-10s (fellow rookie Ryan Newman is tied with Tony Stewart and Mark Martin for the series lead at 21 each); trails Newman by 20 points in the Rookie of the Year race due to eight fewer top-five finishes.

Matt Kenseth
Leads all Winston Cup drivers with five wins this season; led the final 52 laps in Phoenix to capture the Checker Auto Parts 500; the difference was Kenseth took two tires while other leaders took four on the final pit stop; it was his 19th top-10 finish this season; finished 27th at Homestead last year; eighth in the points standings.

Mark Martin
Gained 23 points on Tony Stewart for the Winston Cup title chase by finishing fourth and Phoenix and leading for a lap; trails Stewart by 89 points coming to this final race of the year; can make up as many as 151 points by leading the most laps and winning the Ford 400; was penalized 25 points after failing a post-race inspection at Rockingham two weeks ago; held points lead after New Hampshire race; only victory this year was the Coca-Cola 600 in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway; has averaged a ninth place finish at this track in three starts; was fourth and third in the first two years and 24th last year; the 20-year veteran is looking for his first series championship; has finished second in points three times and third four times.

Ryan Newman
Leader in the Rookie of the Year battle, 20 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson; won three poles in the last four races; finished in the top-10 in eight of the last 11 races; won the New Hampshire 300 for his first career Winston Cup checkered flag; one of three drivers with 21 top-10 finishes this year, and the others are championship contenders Tony Stewart and Mark Martin; finished among the first five 14 times, one race less than points leader Stewart.

Tony Stewart
In seeking his first NASCAR Winston Cup championship in four seasons in the series, he enters the last race with an 89-point lead over 20-year veteran Mark Martin; was runner-up to Jeff Gordon in last year's championship; can clinch the title by finishing 22nd or better and not leading a lap; finishing 24th or better and leading one lap; or finishing 25th or better and leading the most laps; has enjoyed success at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he won the first two Winston Cup races in 1999-2000; last year he finished 19th; since winning at Watkins Glen in mid-August, the former IRL champion has scored six top-five and 10 top-10s for an average finish of eighth; in the process, he has improved from fourth to first in the standings; took the points lead after a runner-up showing in early October at Talladega; tops the series with 15 top-fives and has 21 top-10s.

Rusty Wallace
This is his final chance to extend his streak of winning at least one race to 17 seasons; is tied with Ricky Rudd for the modern-era record with a 16-year run; remains the only driver among the top 11 in the standings without a victory; was runner-up at Checker Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix last Sunday; fifth in the standings.