On the right tracks: from the DEI duo in Daytona to Jeff Gordon's success on the road, here is our look at the best drivers on each type of Winston Cup track - Dale Earnhardt, Inc

Auto Racing Digest, June-July, 2003 by Barry Wilner

IN SOME WAYS, THE WINSTON CUP circuit is very much like the PGA Tour. No, there is no Tiger Woods--not even Jeff Gordon in his prime has been that dominant--but the course on which a golf tournament is played often has an impact on who will contend for honors, and the same goes for NASCAR's premier series. Cup teams compete on six types of tracks. Some, like a heavily laden par-3 course, are short Others seem like par-6 holes to get around.

AUTO RACING DIGEST wondered who were the best current Cup drivers at each of these vastly different locales. We grouped the racetracks into the following categories: restrictor plate, superspeedways without plates, intermediates, one-mile tracks, short tracks, and road courses. Here's what we found:

Restrictor-Plate Tracks

Daytona and Talladega

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: It seems as if the top two DEI cars could switch drivers and they would still finish ahead of the pack. Junior dominated Daytona during Speed Week--winning just about everything this year except the 500. He had the best car, but electrical problems foiled his effort to win the biggest NASCAR event.

Still Earnhardt Jr. is the king of the restrictor plates, just as his father had been. "Little E" swept the races at Talladega in 2002, his only victories, and he certainly knows his way around the huge Florida facility.

2. Michael Waltrip: He has three career victories--all at Daytona and all since he joined DEI. Waltrip also chaperoned Little E home in the July 2001 Pepsi 400, finishing second. Waltrip is pretty formidable at Talladega, too, although Daytona has become his second home.

3. Dale Jarrett: A three-time winner of the Daytona 500, Jarrett has does it every which way: from the front, with a big move, and under caution. "DJ" also has fashioned a win and five seconds at Talladega. Put him near the front in the final 10 laps and he is difficult to beat.

4. Jeff Gordon: Although he's made some late errors that cost him positions--and perhaps victories--in restrictor-plate races, Gordon still knows his way around and in front of a draft. He has two Talladega victories, two Daytona 500 wins, and two July Pepsi 400 triumphs.

5. Sterling Marlin: He might be best known for getting out of his car during a red flag and pulling at the damaged fender (Daytona 2001), but Marlin is a threat at both restrictor-plate tracks. He has two Daytona 500 wins, two Talladega victories, and won at both places in 1995.

Superspeedways

Atlanta, California, Indianapolis, Michigan, Pocono

1. Dale Jarrett: Jarrett is a threat to win nearly everywhere, but these are the places where he is at his best. Although he has nothing to show at California in six years of Cup racing, he has four wins at Michigan--probably his favorite track--and three at Pocono.

And Jarrett is no slouch at Indy, where he has won twice. He probably should have three victories, but a foolish fuel decision cost him dearly in 1998. Atlanta's not a bad place for the veteran, either: a victory in '97, plus a consistent record of top-five finishes.

2. Jeff Gordon: The guy loves Indianapolis Motor Speedway--he has three Brickyard 400 victories. California also has been nice to him, with two victories. Oddly, those are the two states where Gordon spent his formative years.

Gordon knows how to dig in and get a feel for the right line at these big tracks. He's won three times at Atlanta, twice at Michigan, and three times at Pocono. It's almost a tossup for the top spot, but Jarrett gets the nod because of his wins at Pocono and Michigan last year.

3. Bobby Labonte: Labonte is the main main at Atlanta, where he has won six times--including a streak of four consecutive years (1996 through 1999). You could put him in a dune buggy there and he'd challenge. He also has won at the Brickyard and has three victories each at Pocono and Michigan.

4. Ricky Rudd: His recent career revival has included some nice performances at these tracks, with his most impressive work coming at Pocono, where he broke a two-year winless drought. Rudd also has wins at Atlanta, Michigan, and Indy.

5. Rusty Wallace: Although he's best known for wins on road courses and short tracks, Wallace--like Gordon--has won at each of these tracks, as well. He's done his best at Michigan (five wins) and he has four firsts at Pocono.

Intermediate

Lowe's, Chicagoland, Darlington, Homestead-Miami, Kansas, Las Vegas, Texas

1. Tony Stewart: En route to the 2002 Cup title, Stewart didn't win on any of these tracks, but he is a threat each week on all of them.

On intermediates, Stewart knows how to nurse his car early and then come on to blow away the field in the final laps. He has two wins at Homestead and figures to add plenty more trips to Victory Lane on these tracks in the next few years.

2. Kevin Harvick: He is a hard charger who has dominated at Chicagoland, winning both of the Cup races there. Harvick's sometimes reckless style works better on these tracks than in lighter quarters. After his difficult 2002 season, he should once again excel on these circuits.