MICAH ROBERTS’ SPRINT CUP DRIVER RATINGS

All-Star Challenge

Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.

Coverage begins at 2 p.m. today on Speed (329)

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualifying* Atlanta Finish** Texas Finish**

1. Jimmie Johnson 9/2 1st 7th 12th 2nd
Two-time winner of All-Star race; 6.0 average finish leads all active drivers

2. Jeff Gordon 5/1 4th 8th 18th 31st
Tied for all-time lead with three All-Star wins; best overall car on similar tracks in 2010

3. Kurt Busch 12/1 7th 1st 1st 4th
Best All-Star finish of second in ’03; finished third in ’09; using winning ’09 Texas chassis

4. Mark Martin 15/1 5th 15th 33rd 6th
Two wins in 21 All-Star starts; using chassis that won at Darlington and Chicago in ’09

5. Kyle Busch 9/2 2nd 5th 25th 3rd
Best All-Star finish of seventh in 2009; a Joe Gibbs driver has never won the event

6. Kasey Kahne 15/1 11th 16th 4th 5th
Got into ’08 event by fan vote and won; his lone ’10 quality finishes are on 1.5-mile tracks

7. Kevin Harvick 15/1 6th 13th 9th 7th
Won event in 2007, the same year he won his last points race before Talladega this year

8. Denny Hamlin 8/1 15th 12th 21st 1st
Best All-Star finish of fourth last year; using 10th-place Michigan chassis from ’09

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 25/1 9th 18th 15th 8th
Won as rookie in 2000; using ’10 Las Vegas chassis that started fourth and finished 16th

10. Ryan Newman 25/1 3rd 10th 17th 11th
Won as rookie in 2002; 8.9 career average finish in eights starts; finished 18th last year

* Qualifying rained out; starting position set by the qualifying draw (not points, like in regular season).

** Atlanta and Texas results from 2010; banking and configuration of the two sister tracks are similar to Charlotte.

Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He writes for various publications covering all sports. He can be reached at MM.Roberts@7Gmail.com. For more of Roberts’ insight on the All-Star race, go to lvrj.com/motorsports.