Which NASCAR driver is MOST likely to win the Nextel cup?

Out of the 10 drivers in the chase for the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup....
Who REALLY is the shoe-in? Or is there one?

Could Jimmie Johnson finally do it this year?
But what about Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman?

Chances are, whomever gets to be the top dog on Sunday, November 20th, will be the one with the last laugh.

Granted, NASCAR has fiddled with the rule book once or twice...

snicker, snicker

...but the odds are that the driver who wins the cup, will not necessarily BE the best driver. Changes in NASCAR rules every now and again make it difficult for drivers to just go out and RACE.

Instead, they are in their beast-of-burden vehicles...

Have you really ever been inside one of these?

... thinking not only about driving...

They are also expected to do a balancing act

...but about various other things associated with the race that day.

"Is my tire pressure low?"
"Can I really see out of this windshield like this for the next 50 laps?"
"Is my vehicle within the height guidelines?"
"Is that Mark Martin behind me?"
"Is the pavement around turn number 2 really that much hotter than the rest of the track?"
"Is Kurt Busch going to win the Nextel Cup for the 2nd year in a row?"

You're supposed to say 'yes' here

"Why can't these other non-chase drivers get out of my way?"
"Did I leave the coffee pot on in the trailer?"

Now, this COULD happen...

"How the heck do I know how fast 35 miles per hour is going down pit row?

after going 145 MPH

"What rule can I get around or bend so that NASCAR doesn't know?"
"When I win this race, what can I NOT say in the press televised interview that would be misconstrued as offensive or profanity?"

All of these things and many more are what drivers think about...

I'm guessing

...instead of just plain good old-fashioned racing.

What is this restrictor plate stuff? Is it really all that necessary? Doesn't NASCAR think that regular racing would be just as entertaining to the fans?

My gracious, what on earth did Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and AJ Foyt do? Drivers like these greats of the past didn't have to contend all that much with changes in the rules....

Something to think about.