The Look Of A Champ

THE HARD ROAD AHEAD
THE SCHEDULE FOR THE 2008 CUP RUNNETH OVER 36 WEEKS IN 22 CITIES ACROSS THE USA
2/17	DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Daytona Beach , Fla.
2/24	CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY	Fontana , Calif.
3/02	LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Las Vegas, Nev.
3/09	ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Hampton, Ga.
3/16	BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Bristol, Tenn.
3/30	MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY	Martinsville , Va.
4/06	TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Fort Worth , Texas
4/12	PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY	Avondale , Ariz.
4/27	TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY	Talladega , Ala.
5/03	RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY	Richmond , Va.
5/10	DARLINGTON RACEWAY	Darlington , S.C.
5/25	LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Concord, N.C.
6/01	DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Dover, Del.
6/08	POCONO RACEWAY	Long Pond, Pa.
6/15	MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Brooklyn , Mich.
6/22	INFINEON RACEWAY	Sonoma , Calif.
6/29	NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Loudon, N.H.
7/05	DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Daytona Beach , Fla.
7/12	CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY	Joliet, Ill.
7/27	INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Indianapolis , Ind.
8/03	POCONO RACEWAY	Long Pond, Pa.
8/10	WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL	Watkins Glen , N.Y.
8/17	MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Brooklyn , Mich.
8/23	BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Bristol, Tenn.
8/31	CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY	Fontana , Calif.
9/06	RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY	Richmond , Va.
9/14	NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Loudon, N.H.
9/21	DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY	Dover, Del.
9/28	KANSAS SPEEDWAY	Kansas City , Kans.
10/05	TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY	Talladega , Ala.
10/11	LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Concord, N.C.
10/19	MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY	Martinsville , Va.
10/26	ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Hampton, Ga.
11/02	TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY	Fort Worth , Texas
11/09	PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY	Avondale , Ariz.
11/16	HOMESTEAD- MIAMI SPEEDWAY	Homestead, Fla.

1 Jimmie JOHNSON

2007 FINISH:
1st place; 10 wins; 24 top 10s
NO DRIVER since Cale Yarborough in 1978 has won three straight titles, but Johnson is primed for a three-peat. He returns the key personnel on his team—most significantly, Chad Knaus , who must now be regarded as one of the top crew chiefs in NASCAR history—and he's as fast in the CoT, the full-time car of today in '08, as any driver on the circuit. One potential pitfall: Johnson won't have many friends on the track next season because no one likes getting whipped all the time.

2 Dale EARNHARDT JR.

2007 FINISH:
16th place; 0 wins; 12 top 10s
IN THE number 88 Hendrick Chevy in '08 Junior will have the best car, personnel and resources of his Cup career. Longtime crew chief Tony Eury Jr. is moving with him from DEI, easing the transition. The key to the season? A fast start. Struggle early, and the question of why he's not winning will arise.

3 Matt KENSETH

2007 FINISH:
4th place; 2 wins; 22 top 10s
HE WAS oddly inconsistent last year and as a result wound up playing second fiddle to teammate Carl Edwards for much of the season. But a strong Chase finish (five top fives in his last six starts) and Roush Fenway's improving CoT program make the '03 champ a title threat once again.

4 Jeff GORDON

2007 FINISH:
2nd place; 6 wins; 30 top 10s
WHAT does Gordon , the '07 regular-season points leader, have to do to win a fifth Cup? First, peak in October, not in June, as he did this season. Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte should do more to use the first 26 races to prepare for the Chase—just as Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus do.

5 Tony STEWART

2007 FINISH:
6th place; 3 wins; 23 top 10s
STEWART struggled at the end of the regular season and was never a title contender. But with a determined Toyota now pouring its money and resources into Joe Gibbs Racing , the two-time champion could be the '08 X factor. When Smoke heats up, he can be nearly unstoppable.