We'll see how the new car does in its first race at Texas Motor Speedway. Drivers complained the tires were too hard during the Atlanta race March 9, but that wasn't a problem in practice at TMS. That's a good sign. But will the new car produce the same side-by-side racing and fantastic finishes that fans saw last season at TMS? Greg Biffle says yes and thinks three-wide racing will happen today. Jimmie Johnson said he isn't so sure. "It's going to be a while before we see the side-by-side racing on these bigger tracks," he said. "The car's a bigger vehicle, it punches a bigger hole in the air, tires have less and less grip, and we have less down force. Everything makes these cars harder to drive."

He won the first race on a 1.5-mile oval in the new car (Las Vegas) and was leading at the other one (Atlanta) with 50 laps to go before a blown engine ended his day. He had the fastest car in practice here, so look out. A 100-point penalty assessed at Las Vegas is the only thing keeping Edwards from a spot in the top 12. He said he's confident on intermediate tracks such as Texas. "I feel like our cars are second to none, so when we come to these places where the car is really huge, the car is an integral part of it more than other places," he said.

Can the dominant organization in 2007 get its first win of 2008? No question Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the favorites. NASCAR's fan favorite is on the pole and can get his first Cup win in nearly two years. But Jimmie Johnson was fast in practice and, after testing the last few weeks, may have a setup that works on 1.5-mile ovals. Texas is one of only two tracks where Jeff Gordon hasn't won, but he has contended here often. "I feel like we have been competitive every weekend," he said. "It doesn't always show up in the results."

Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are first and second in the Cup standings. Burton is the only two-time Cup winner at TMS and is comfortable on the track, though he'll start near the rear of the field. Both wins came when he started in the top five. Harvick, who has four Nationwide wins but no Cup wins at Texas, said he is pleased with his results in the first six races of 2008. "The only thing we did right at the beginning of last year was to win the Daytona 500," he said. "That was about it. This year we've been fortunate to run consistently week in and week out, and that's what you have to have to win the championship."

Watch the drivers hoping to jump into – or stay in – the top 35 of the owner points. Those are the drivers and teams that know they are in the show no matter what they do in qualifying. It's a close race for those final few spots. Sam Hornish Jr. is No. 36 but starts today's race in the ninth row after a good qualifying effort. He's three points behind Regan Smith, who is 35th in owner points. Two Toyotas could jump into guaranteed positions. David Reutimann, 37th in owner points, qualified sixth Friday in his Toyota Camry and had a top-10 car in practice. Dave Blaney also had good speeds in practice and starts 29th.