Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings

Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.

11 a.m. PDT today, ESPN (30)

Rating, Driver, Odds, Practice 1, Practice 2, Qualified, Talladega 1*

1. Kevin Harvick 10/1 17th DNP 13th 5th 2010 winner with two other plate wins at Daytona; tandem racing with Paul Menard

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1 21st 6th 6th 4th Five-time winner, the last time in 2004, runner-up in 2009; in tandem with Jimmie Johnson

3. Jeff Gordon 12/1 4th 10th 5th 3rd Six-time winner, last in 2007, inches from win in April; in tandem with Mark Martin

4. Jimmie Johnson 12/1 22nd 5th 2nd 1st Two-time winner, never been so desperate for points in fall; using April winning car.

5. Clint Bowyer 20/1 13th DNP 3rd 2nd 2010 fall winner is using teammate Paul Menard’s chassis; in tandem with Jeff Burton

6. Kurt Busch 12/1 12th 15th 14th 18th Winless in points plate races; driving Bud Shootout winner; in tandem with Regan Smith

7. Kyle Busch 12/1 26th 4th 34th 35th 2008 winner, his only top-five finish; debuts new chassis; in tandem with Joey Logano

8. Mark Martin 30/1 3rd 9th 1st 8th Two-time winner, last in 1997; solid candidate because of owner and tandem partner

9. David Ragan 20/1 15th 12th 8th 39th Using winning Daytona chassis from July; will have same driver (Matt Kenseth) pushing him

10. Matt Kenseth 20/1 16th 11th 11th 36th No top-10s since 2006, but using same chassis that pushed David Ragan to win at Daytona

* Results from April 17 Talladega race. This is fourth and final restrictor-plate race of the season.

Note: The fastest path in restrictor-plate races this season has been for drivers to team in two-car drafting trains. Most drivers already know who they’ll be tandem racing with today.

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. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.