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%% DRIVER NO. CAR
John Andretti 14 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: First full-time ride since firing by Petty Enterprises
in 2003
Greg Biffle 16 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Finished ’04 strong, winning Homestead to help teammate
Kurt Busch clinch title
Dave Blaney 07 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: At age 42 has best team, best sponsor and best
opportunity to be a winner at last
Mike Bliss 0 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Won’t have much easier time than the guy he replaced,
Ward Burton
Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Joined RCR midseason ’04, now could return to his
Winning ways of 1997-2001
Kurt Busch 97 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Defending Cup champion will have to climb over soaring
Jimmie Johnson to repeat
Kyle Busch 5 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Kurt’s younger brother, just 19, youngest full-time
driver on the tour
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Championship depends on how well complete flip-flop
of crews pans out
Carl Edwards 99 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Looked very promising last fall as late replacement
for Jeff Burton
Bill Elliott 91 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Still loves it so much, he’s running a partial
schedule
Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: 4-time champ may be greatest threat to teammate Jimmie
Johnson for the Cup
Robby Gordon 7 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Maybe he’ll do better on his own than being bossed
by anyone
Jeff Green 43 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Aggressive style makes struggling Petty team look
better–or worse–than it is
Bobby Hamilton Jr. 32 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Little “Stump” has gusto to revive on-and-off PPI
Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Winless last year, could benefit just from change
to more mature teammates this time
Dale Jarrett 88 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: 3-time Daytona 500 winner and 1999 Cup champ believes
he’s on comeback surge
Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Favored to win just about anything and everything
this year except the Daytona 500
Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Well overdue for multiple wins in this, his
sophomore season
Matt Kenseth 17 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: ’03 champion wore himself down with excessive
Testing during Chase last year
Travis Kvapil 77 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Roger Penske’s stamp is resume enough for
this youngster
Bobby Labonte 18 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: ’00 champion trying to pull out of long, slippery
slope downward
Terry Labonte 44 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Will skip Daytona 500 in scaled-back, 10-race
schedule this year
Jason Leffler 11 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: After bouncing around early in career, now has
prime backing from Gibbs and FedEx
Sterling Marlin 40 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Daytona will tell much about whether the veteran,
winless last year, can rebound
Mark Martin 6 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: After nine near misses at championship, don’t count
him out in his last full season
Jeremy Mayfield 19 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Must run hard to keep from being upstaged as teammate
Kahne blooms in full
Jamie McMurray 42 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Regular-season problems kept him out of Chase;
should be there this year
Casey Mears 41 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Showed flashes of improvement last year, could be
dark-horse contender this time
Paul Menard 33 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Son of Indy car magnate John Menard brings needed
funding to Petree
Joe Nemechek 01 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: So strong at end of last season he’s a dark-horse
threat to make the Chase
Ryan Newman 12 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Reticent “Rocket Man” still has tense relationship
with teammate Rusty Wallace
Kyle Petty 45 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Still struggling along, except on rare good days
Scott Riggs 10 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Will learn from veteran teammate Joe Nemechek, who’s
with the branch called MB2
Ricky Rudd 21 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Team moved from storied Stuart, Va. home to
Charlotte, just to get Fatback on board
Greg Sacks 13 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Aging Long Island journeyman still hoping, 20
years after last win
Elliott Sadler 38 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Unless he stumbles early, has good shot to make
the Chase again
Hermie Sadler 02 TBA
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: This is the closest Elliott Sadler’s older
brother, 35, has come to a full-time Cup ride
Boris Said 36 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Veteran road racer moving to ovals, very popular
with other Cup drivers
Johnny Sauter 09 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Car owner James Finch fields solid part-time team
Ken Schrader 49 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Keeps on plugging for the love of it, long past
his prime
Kirk Shelmerdine 72 Ford
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Dale Earnhardt’s crew chief from the glory days
clings to dream of winning as driver
Tony Stewart 20 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: `Tony and Zippy’ show (crew chief Greg Zipadelli)
in 7th year, longest active pairing
Martin Truex Jr. 1 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Busch champ in part-time Cup schedule, full-time
next year
Brian Vickers 25 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Seeking to redeem himself after falling short of
rookie expectations in ’04
Kenny Wallace 00 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Still searching at 41 for consistent ride, and
this still may not be it
Rusty Wallace 2 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Would dearly love to win Daytona 500 at last in
this, his final full season
Michael Waltrip 15 Chevrolet
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Job, even career may hinge on how flip-flop of crew
chiefs with Earnhardt Jr. works
Scott Wimmer 22 Dodge
ED HINTON’S QUICK HIT: Finished dismal 27th in points after owner fell out
of favor with Dodge
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