Texas picks, y'all

Before we get to the actual predictions, I've felt all this week that I should say something about the Robby Gordon debacle from Atlanta, but, honestly, I really don't care all that much. Though I think that Robby should really have hired whoever's doing Ted Haggard's PR: "Well, I removed the roll-bar padding, but I never threw it. Every race car driver must confront temptation, you see." Also, semantically problematic line of the week, courtesy of NASCAR press flack Kerry Tharp: "It is a very serious matter when a team attempts to manipulate the outcome of a race." Very serious. Uh, Kerry, isn't the act of competing in a race technically an attempt to manipulate its' outcome? Specifically, by attempting to make the outcome a victory for yourself?

But no matter. What matters is that tomorrow, forty three drivers will attempt to manipulate the outcome of the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Brian Vickers and his strawberry-scented car are on the pole. Our first prediction is this: 3 races left in the Chase + very fast track + tight points situation + the general atmosphere of simmering resentment and vengeance that the circuit has been in for most of the season = insanity and death. Look for these things to happen: 1) one of the Chasers still in contention having his season definitively and spectacularly ended, probably Burton but maybe Junior 2) unnecessary chances being taken all day long by people who really should know better and 3) a big wreck as a result of something stupid, a la the 18 and the 6 at Charlotte or the 9 and the 40 at Atlanta. As for actual track position - I don't know, take the usual 1.5 mile suspects, toss 'em in a bag, account for variables (Martin crashed in practice, is running the backup car; Kenseth is starting way the hell down in the grid, all the way at 36th) and pull five out at random:

5. Kyle Busch
4. Stewart
3. Earnhardt, Jr.
2. Johnson
1. Kahne

See y'all on Sunday.