Welcome to Gaia! ::

Four races through and there has already been a few shockers. Well, maybe not, these are very skilled drivers I'm talking about.

First is Matt Kenseth. After being one of the many drivers winless in '08, Kenseth re-bounded to win the Daytona 500 and the Fontana race. I'm pretty sure you're all sick of hearing that news since it was all that NASCAR had to talk about from Daytona through Las Vegas, so I'll move on for the sake of your attention.

Another eye-opener is Mr. Jeff Gordon. Perhaps the one of the biggest shockers of 2008 was this 4-time champ going winless along with Kenseth. In interviews, he claimed he slacked off last year after his daughter was born in '07, and he was upset with himself for that reason. But now, he is determined and has his eyes locked on a 5th championship. He is already on a head start while he has a comfortable lead in points.

Kurt Busch, who won last year at New Hampshire by fuel strategy, is showing strong points, too. He sits second in points; his Atlanta win boosted him up some positions. This is a real big comeback already; he finished 20th or so in points last season.

Tony Stewart is having a surprisingly great run with his new Stewart-Haas Racing. Consistency has been the key so far for Stewart, with three 8th place finishes. He sits 6th in points with a team that otherwise was a losing, struggling team last year that should have been taken down by the economy by now. Tony Stewart has saved the whole Haas CNC Racing organization. And a major plus, he is well still in this and in championship contention.

Clint Bowyer is also a bit of a surprise. About the only thing this year that is the same as last year is the equipment, number and manufacture. Last year as you all know Bowyer was moved to the #33 team to make room for Casey Mears in the 07 car. Bowyer seems to be working very hard with his team and crew chief, though. Before you know it he'll probably be back to winnning some races.

Many also suspected Mark Martin to be a huge threat. Dont get me wrong, he's a great driver. But he isn't performing like a great driver so far this season. Obviously you can bet that when a driver like Martin moves to a powerhouse like Hendrick Motorsports, sparks are going to fly. But if Martin doesnt get a grip on the wheel soon, he may find himself hanging out of the top 35 and out of Chase contention if he isn't already.

Then there is David Gilliland. Gilliland was released from Yates Racing when Yates could not find any sponsorship for the #38 machine. He was chosen to drive the number 71 car for TRG Motorsports, a team that was formed last-minute before the season. And yet, with such a low-class team, Gilliland is performing exceptionally well. He is well in the top 35 in points. Yates Racing really missed out in my opinion; just think how well he'd be if he still was with the better Yates equipment.

ya ur right ill add them idk how i forgot about them i guess i was just thinking about the more dominant drivers or something