Gentlemen, start your engines! NASCAR makes its yearly visit to the Mecca of Motorsports this weekend with the 15th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Over the years, this race has climbed the NASCAR prestige ladder, and rightly so...IT'S INDY! What can we expect to see this weekend? Well, just about anything can and WILL happen, that I'll guarantee. However, some things are better bets than others.

There are 3 former winners currently in the Chase for the Cup who are winless so far in 2008. Look for all of them to be threats this Sunday. Jeff Gordon is the first, winner of the inaugural Brickyard 400 back in 1994 and the winningest active driver at Indy with 4 victories. Also in the Chase is the 2003 winner Kevin Harvick, who is the only winless RCR driver this season, yet he's coming off a 3rd-place finish in Chicago where he nearly won the thing. Then there's Tony Stewart...winless in '08, but the defending winner of this race. All 3 of these guys are ones to watch this weekend.

An obvious favorite is Kyle Busch. He has 7 wins and leads by 261 points over his next closest competitor. He's a threat to win every week, but will he be able to pull it off? He's run 3 races at Indy, and each year he's improved his finishing position by 3, from 10th to 7th to 4th.

What about that idea that winning the Brickyard is a ticket to the championship? Well it's happened 6 times in the past 10 years. Jeff Gordon did it twice, Dale Jarrett in 1999, Bobby Labonte in 2000, Tony Stewart in 2005, and Jimmie Johnson in 2006. As a matter of fact, all but 2 of the 14 races at Indy have been won by drivers who are now Winston/Nextel Cup Champions. 2003 winner Kevin Harvick and 1997 winner Ricky Rudd are the only 2 who won the Brickyard 400 but not the Cup.

What about a some other drivers who have never won this race, but are currently in the Chase? Both Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are winless as well in 2008, and Kenseth's best finish is 2nd back in his championship season of 2003. Biffle has had some of the worst luck this year, but runs well every week until something goes kablooey.

How about the 4 guys behind points leader Kyle Busch? Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had an excellent season to this point, yet Lady Luck hasn't always been kind to him at Indy. Jeff Burton has never won here, but the new Iceman has what it takes. Carl Edwards can't be left out of the equation either. With 3 backflips in the Cup Series already this year, Cousin Carl is definitely a driver to keep your eye on. Jimmie Johnson won this race in 2006, but he's only had 1 other top-10 finish back in his rookie year of 2002. He's got an 18th place finish and 3 DNF's in his other 4 races here. Jimmie certainly isn't what I consider a legitimate threat at the Brickyard.

On we go to the former open-wheelers who have won here before. Sam Hornish won the 2006 Indy 500 over Marco Andretti in the closest finish in Indy 500 history. Hornish has been getting better as the year has progressed, but I don't think a win comes this weekend. If one of these guys is going to win, it'll be Juan Pablo Montoya. He did finish 2nd to Tony Stewart here last year, and never fell out of the top 15 all day. Montoya would become the first driver to win both the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400.

My Pick: Tony Stewart...no wins so far this year, but he's won 2 of the last 3 races run at Indy. Look for Smoke to return to victory lane for the 3rd time at this prestigious track. The defending race winner is looking to solidify his spot in the Chase for the Cup, and a win on Sunday will be just what he needs.

Dark Horse: Brian Vickers...This man has been on a roll since the Coke 600, and who knows what could've been had you not picked a fine time to leave him, loose wheel. Since then he's had 3 top-10s, and his lowest finish is 16th at Loudon. If he could get something to go his way, he may be out in front by a couple seconds on lap 158 at Indy instead of lap 58.

Enjoy the race everyone and be sure to tune in for Sunday's live thread.