Restrictor plates will make their Nextel Cup Chase Series debut on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway while NASCAR showcases the Car of Tomorrow which should guarantee fans a nose-to-tail drafting experience while also ripping out the soul of a handful of Chase contenders as well as taking out a few bystanders along the way.

That is Talladega's personality. It's a giant 2.6-mile oval paved with teeth and it's known almost more for the spectacular crashes than for the drivers who win there. Throw in the funky Car of Tomorrow, restrictor plates, 12 really desperate drivers and a few precious points, and my Sunday watching Talladega on the 42" flat screen is just about enough excitement for one beer-guzzling gambler to swallow.

Last week I watched, on my 32" tube television, Greg Biffle win his first race of the season at Kansas. The race that was stopped twice for rain delays and was shortened 85 miles due to darkness. It ended under caution and saw seven Chase drivers finish in 29th place or worse. In fact, only two drivers in the Chase did well other than Johnson; Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer.

What surprised me at Kansas was not that defending Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson miraculously took over the Chase points lead by coming in third, but perhaps how well Clint Bowyer has raced of late. Bowyer's second place at Kansas means he is now only nine points behind Johnson. In his last three Chase races Bowyer has finished in the top two twice, a feat he did not accomplish in 64 previous races. Talk about a great time to peak!

The biggest news in NASCAR this week that got Jeff Gordon "fired up" and Kyle Busch saying "Holy cow" was that legendary Formula 1 champ and Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to make his Nextel Cup debut at the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega. While Villeneuve (Canadian) isn't necessarily Jean Girard (French) from Talladega Nights, the similarities between the movie and what is happening at Talladega this weekend are too weird not to make the comparison. Before this can actually happen, though, Villeneuve will have to qualify on speed since his team doesn't have owner's points.

Despite the almost welcome distraction of the Villeneuve announcement, NASCAR hopes the star of the race is the Car of Tomorrow itself. Its comically large rear wing and enormous, horizontal aerodynamic splitter that extends beneath the front bumper makes the car look like a very fast vacuum cleaner but it is actually there to cool air for the radiator. And in for those who just can't get enough of the noise; the COT exhaust exits toward the grandstands on the passenger side. It could be exciting, or it could be like watching a bunch of UPS trucks with spoilers and supercharged engines crashing all over the place. We'll see.

Who will win the UAW-FORD 500?

Tony Stewart had some bad luck at Kansas. He led the race when the race was stopped due to rain. Bad luck for Tony and I just as it looked like the race would be called and he'd be named the winner. Certainly, luck wasn't involved when the fender gouging his tire, smoking at every turn, blew into a million little pieces. Stewart and his crew played it like riverboat gamblers and lost. At lap 176 his blow-out caused him to wreck. Stewart started the day two points out of the lead in the Chase, but finished 39th and dropped to fourth -- 117 points out. This, in turn, cost me my bet.

What I really look for at Talladega is which driver does well in restrictor plate races. The top four drivers are Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.and Jimmie Johnson. I think we'll see these four battle it out for first, especially if the weather holds and there aren't too many cautions -- which may be asking for too much.

Throw a dart at those four and you'll probably have as much a chance as picking a winner as me. My dart goes to Junior, though, who has two wins in 10 plate races and has finished in the top five six times, notching a total of seven top ten finishes. Looking at his performance on restrictor plate tracks I look for Earnhardt, Jr., another non-Chase driver, to win at Talladega.

Pick! Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (8/1)

NASCAR - UAW-FORD 500 - Odds to Finish in the Top 3

As Ricky Bobby reminds us in "Talladega Nights," "You can't have two number ones." And Cal Naughton, Jr. responds, "yeah, 'cause that would be eleven." Of course, for our purposes No. 11 is Denny Hamlin who sits comfortably in 12th place in the Chase for the Cup standings and is most likely out of contention.

If the Chase has taught us anything this year it's to expect the unexpected. However, I think it would be really unexpected to see Hamlin come in the top three, let alone win at Talladega in a Car of Tomorrow. Again, I think at Talladega you have to throw your dart at the drivers that do best at restrictor plate races.

I like Tony Stewart in this spot due to his prodigious dominance in restrictor plate races. In 10 restrictor plate races he has notched one win, seven top five and nine top 10 finishes. His average start position is 12.60 while his average finish is 5.40 which I think makes him a great bet to finish in the top three at Talladega.

Pick! Tony Stewart (3/2)
Pick! Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (12/5)

Tony Stewart (3/2)
Jeff Gordon (3/2)
Jimmie Johnson (9/5)
Dale Earnhardt Jr (12/5)
Kurt Busch (3/1)
Kyle Busch (3/1)
Carl Edwards (9/2)
Matt Kenseth (9/2)
Kevin Harvick (9/2)
Denny Hamlin (5 /1)
Martin Truex Jr (6/1)
Clint Bowyer (15/2)
Jeff Burton (15/2)
Jamie McMurray (9/1)
Casey Mears (9/1)
Ryan Newman (9/1)
Greg Biffle (12/1)
Kasey Kahne (12/1)
Field (Any Other Driver) (15/1)
Juan Pablo Montoya (15/1)
Reed Sorenson (18/1)
Dave Blaney (30/1)
Robby Gordon (30/1)
Elliott Sadler (30/1)
David Stremme (30/1)
Bobby Labonte (30/1)
Paul Menard (30/1)
Sterling Marlin (30/1)
David Ragan (30/1)
David Gilliland (30/1)
Boris Said (30/1)
JJ Yeley (30/1)
Jeff Green (30/1)
Michael Waltrip (30/1)

*odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com

NASCAR - UAW FORD 500

Tony Stewart (5/1)
Jeff Gordon (5/1)
Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
Dale Earnhardt Jr (8/1)
Kurt Busch (10/1)
Kyle Busch (10/1)
Matt Kenseth (15/1)
Carl Edwards (15/1)
Kevin Harvick (15/1)
Denny Hamlin (18/1)
Martin Truex Jr (20/1)
Clint Bowyer (25/1)
Jeff Burton (25/1)
Jamie McMurray (30/1)
Ryan Newman (30/1)
Casey Mears (30/1)
Greg Biffle (40/1)
Kasey Kahne (40/1)
zx Field (Any Other Driver) (50/1)
Juan Pablo Montoya (50/1)
Reed Sorenson (60/1)
Elliott Sadler (100/1)
Robby Gordon (100/1)
Dave Blaney (100/1)
JJ Yeley (100/1)
Jeff Green (100/1)
Michael Waltrip (100/1)
Boris Said (100/1)
David Gilliland (100/1)
Sterling Marlin (100/1)
David Stremme (100/1)
Bobby Labonte (100/1)
Paul Menard (100/1)
David Ragan (100/1)

*Odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com