Haven't had a real favorite since Bobby (and then Davey) Allison. That's a long time ago. I kind of followed Ward Burton for a while, and then McMurray, but I haven't really rooted for any one driver since Davey died.

(Continued: On How to Pick Your Favorite Driver)

List of the top 35 Drivers

16. TREVOR BAYNE: If you want to be among the first to pull for this promising rookie, you could reap the rewards down the line. There's few things more satisfying than rooting for a team or athlete before they've achieved anything of note, then tag along for the ride to the top. Bayne is a polite young guy with a load of potential (and is vocal about his religion, for those of you who are into that). He'll drive a partial Cup schedule this season. (** I read that Trevor is planning to drive 17 Cup races for the Wood Brothers this season – though he could drive more if they find sponsorship. He's been recognized throughout the garage as a very talented rookie driver. Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick among others have reached out to him. I'm not sure -- but I think Trevor drives for Roush Fenway in Nationwide -- I could be wrong)

17. DAVID REUTIMANN: This is a strange case – Reutimann is 40 years old, but still in the early part of his Cup career (he got a late start). Full of self-deprecating humor and having fought hard to reach NASCAR's top level, Reutimann comes across as the ultimate underdog. The only issue is there's no guarantee he'll ever topple the sport's bigger names, and the clock is ticking.

18. JEFF BURTON: There's nothing wrong with being a Jeff Burton fan. He's a future politician and a media favorite who always offers incredible perspective on the sport through his long, detailed answers. But though Burton is capable of winning races and making the Chase (as he did last year), the veteran is 43 years old and probably only has a few years left.

19. RYAN NEWMAN: Do you have a sarcastic sense of humor? If so, you'll certainly identify with Newman. Though the "Rocket Man" missed the Chase last year, he did win a race. Overall, though, Newman can be a bit dry.

20. MATT KENSETH: Just here to race. Same as last week. Same as next week. You can't get excited about Kenseth, because he's not exciting. He's about as neutral as they come. He does win sometimes though, so that's exciting. I guess.

21. DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Dude, everyone roots for Dale Jr. already. He's a great guy, but do you really think he needs any more fans? This is your pick if you want to follow the crowd and join the masses.

22. TONY STEWART: As with Busch, you must be willing to overlook certain negatives to be a Tony Stewart fan. In Stewart's case: 1) He can be a jerk; 2) He might not sign your autograph; 3) He can be a jerk. But when he feels like it, he can also be one of the most engaging, personable drivers in NASCAR. And his peers say he's the most talented. It's up to you whether you can overlook the bad parts.

(Continued: On How to Pick Your Favorite Driver)

List of the top 35 Drivers

23. KEVIN HARVICK: The man known as "Happy" can be very difficult to like or very easy to like depending on how he's running, so it was hard to figure out where to put him on this list. The best answer is if you're a tough person wanting to root for a scrappy driver who can win races – despite being as cuddly as a cactus at times – the prickly Harvick is for you.

24. ROBBY GORDON: This is the ultimate against-the-grain pick. With an independent team and an independent mind, the outspoken driver/owner is about as different as they come. In a vanilla garage, Gordon has always been rocky road. But his days of being competitive are seemingly behind him, so rooting for him is a tough sell.


25. REGAN SMITH: Nice guy, but doesn't run up front enough.

26. CASEY MEARS: Nice guy, but doesn't run up front enough.

27. DAVID GILLILAND: Nice guy, but doesn't run up front enough.

28. TRAVIS KVAPIL: Nice guy, but doesn't run up front enough.

29. BOBBY LABONTE: Former Cup champ at tail end of his career has looked disinterested in recent years, but new ride at JTG Daugherty Racing has a chance to restore his enthusiasm.

30. MARK MARTIN: Martin, one of the classiest and most beloved drivers in NASCAR, is only near the bottom of this list for one reason: This might be his last full-time season. So if you're going to invest your fan passion in a driver, try someone who will be around a little longer.

31. KURT BUSCH: Few see the real Kurt Busch, or even know who he is. Publicly, there's the Kurt who appears in interviews with the tight, forced smile and speak-in-circles answers. Then there's the Kurt who is a hard-edged, winning racer but displays a frightening volume of anger on the team radio. We want to like him, but both Kurts are hard to embrace – and we have little indication what he's really like.

32. PAUL MENARD: It's not just because Menard's Cup ride exists due to his billionaire family's money – his quiet personality and lack of on-track success also contribute to this low ranking.

33. BILL ELLIOTT: With a partial schedule in an uncompetitive car, this 16-time winner of the Most Popular Driver award has long been a non-factor. The 55-year-old last recorded a top-10 finish in 2004.

34. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: He doesn't care whether you like him or not, and thus does little that is likable. His most common response to any questions seems to be a shrug of the shoulders and an "I don't care." Because of that, we don't care, either.

35. JIMMIE JOHNSON: Disclaimer – Johnson is one of the nicest people in NASCAR; he's friendly, funny and extremely down to Earth. But starting to root for Johnson now would make you the ultimate bandwagon fan. The guy has just won five straight championships. He doesn't need your help, nor do the true Johnson fans need a frontrunner in their ranks.

http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/...-root-for-2011

I know that Davey Allison died when the helicopter he was flying crashed at Talladega -- mid 90's?

I also remember reading that Bobby died at the dreadful Pocono Raceway...

I'll read up on their style of racing. I'm curious.

Bobby Allison isn't dead.

:(

Davey's brother Clifford died in a race car a year before Davey's own death, about four years after Bobby's nasty crash at Pocono. Wasn't a good time for that family.

Oh ok. Thanks -- Sorry. I'm happy to hear he survived the wreck. It was a pretty bad accident, right?


Bobby Allison Website: Great site: http://www.bobbyallison.com/

About as bad as it gets, short of being fatal. T-boned right into the driver's door, and he had massive head injuries that took years of recovery. Car looked like a wrecking ball hit it.

The Daytona 500 he won in '88, when Davey finished right behind him? To this day, he can't remember it. The memory of it's just gone.

Bobby Allison's Career Ending Crash @ Pocono

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/l6dGO2aCJ04" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Bobby Allison hits fence and goes airborne at Talladega 1987

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wySxP-tWZQU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This same type of crash happens at Talladega every year.

http://ovalscreams.files.wordpress.c...pg?w=475&h=192

Talladega 2010: 8 Fans injured from flying debris.

Really wonder if NASCAR will make any other rule changes before Sunday to limit the two car drafts.

Whatever changes they made didn't do much to curb them today.

It's really weird watching this. There have always been two car breakaways, but the pack invariably ran them down. This year, there is no pack.

I really just can't get into it all TBH.

The second duel was better because the cars got more condensed at the end and we saw our typical back and forth racing.

This tag team stuff is just irritating...hopefully the finish wont be anticlimactic.

Turn on Speed

Live Truck Series race at Daytona

Speeds 198 mph