2007 Nextel Cup Championship Preview...Part 3

After a brief delay to get over a nasty case of Nascar fever, here's Part 3 of our preview, spots 21-30:

21. 19 Elliott Sadler
Prediction: Elliott will continue the great heritage of the 19 car, following in the footsteps of such legends as Jeremy Mayfield, Casey Atwood, and all those guys at Blair Motorsports.
Bold Prediction: Elliott will shock his fans with an unsurprising, completely ground-level race at Talladega.
Fun Fact: Elliott himself is unaware of the irony that he once raced for M&M’s, despite Reese’s Pieces appearing in the move ET.

22. 16 Greg Biffle
Prediction: Greg will put on 50 pounds this year. Damn you Jared Fogle!
Bold Prediction: Just to “spice things up”, Jack Roush will take to following Greg around the pits in a grim reaper uniform.
Fun Fact: Greg has taken a recent interest in fishing, much like several other drivers. “So Biff wants to be a buff?”

23. 10 Scott Riggs
Prediction: Scott will capture his first Nextel Cup win this year. Afterwards, he’ll have his picture taken with it, then release it into the wild.
Bold Prediction: Scott will be constantly referred to by TV commentators as “the driver who did NOT miss the Daytona 500”.
Fun Fact: Just like Mark Martin before him, Scott is a workout buff. So THAT’S why Johnny Benson had so much trouble.

24. 96 Tony Raines
Prediction: Tony will finish highest amongst single car teams in the points standings, and challenge for several wins. Really.
Bold Prediction: Tony will be fired following the season for violating Nascar’s “anyone over the age of 35 is too old” policy.
Fun Fact: Tony Raines, formerly of the 74 car, is now driving for one of the fastest-growing teams in Nextel Cup. How is this possible? It’s the mirrors.

25. 88 Ricky Rudd
Prediction: Ricky has considered naming this season the “Ricky Don’t Lose That Number” tour.
Bold Prediction: Apparently Tony Kornheiser was unwilling to transfer the rights to Ricky’s original choice, “I’m Back for More Cash”.
Fun Fact: Snickers isn’t just a sponsor. Its what Ricky will hear when he says he’s gunning for the Nextel Cup.

26. 41 Reed Sorenson
Prediction: Reed will team with David Stremme to push Ganassi Racing back to its rightful spot ABOVE Ginn but BELOW Evernham.
Bold Prediction: Reed will become the first driver since Ted Musgrave to back off on a chance to win a race.
Fun Fact: When asked why, Reed will explain that naming his associate sponsors in Victory Lane would take “…at least 40 minutes.”

27. 18 J.J. Yeley
Prediction: JJ will compete as the odds-on favorite for the 2007 Most Irrelevant Driver award.
Bold Prediction: Part of JJ’s lack of early success stems from his inability to give up the power slide.
Fun Fact: JJ STILL doesn’t know why everybody at University of Maryland hates him.

28. 40 David Stremme
Prediction: To spice up his image, he’ll start going by “Dave” around Bristol time.
Bold Prediction: Race fans who’ve eaten at Lone Star Steakhouse will understand why they’re now associated with Tums.
Fun Fact: Every time David Stremme is shown on television, Tim Fedewa cries.

29. 22 Dave Blaney
Prediction: To spice up his image, he’ll start going by “David” around Bristol time.
Bold Prediction: Toyota will finally reward Bill Davis for sticking with them through all the tough times with a free undercoat on a 2008 Camry.
Fun Fact: If Erin Crocker defected to BDR and ran this car, wouldn’t that make her the CAT-woman?

30. 01**Mark Martin/Regan Smith (**--multiple drivers)
Prediction: All the attention goes to Mark, while most people barely know Regan is with the team. Kinda like the government’s views on Iraq and Afghanistan, eh?
Bold Prediction: Mark will run (amongst all three series), a Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Dodge, Pontiac, Edsel, and Tucker.
Fun Fact: Mispronunciations on TV of the name Ginn: 2.5 per race weekend.

(Part 4 next)