Inverted start

Before qualification, drivers believed this would be a wild race and the results in qualification will magnify that feeling.

The first seven cars leading the field to the green will be driven by the go-or-go-home drivers. The eighth fastest qualifier, Dale Jarrett was also one that was required to start on time although he will have to go to the back of the pack because he takes the position of the unused past-champions provisional.

Meanwhile, the ninth, 10th and 11th fastest qualifiers will be heading to the house. AJ Allmendinger, Boris Said and Scott Riggs had some of the fastest cars on the track, but they are outside the top 35 in points and load up early.

Michael Waltrip earned the pole with a speed of 189.070 miles per hour and he insists that neither he, nor teammates David Reutimann (who qualified fifth) or Jarrett sacrificed their car to qualification trim, but only time will tell. It is certainly more than just a coincidence that the front of the field is filled by these drivers.

The smart money still should be placed on drivers well inside the top 35 in the standings, although the impending "Big One" crash can shuffle the standings in the blink of an eye.

Despite the fact that the go-or-go-home drivers might be a poor value this week, there is still a lot of buzz surrounding the first NASCAR Nextel Cup start for Jacques Villeneuve. Almost to a man, the Chase contenders are suffering through a lot of anxiety about him being in the field, but he will most likely be a non-factor in the race. Villeneuve is a cautious driver by nature and will likely find the most comfortable spot in the draft to ride. Then again, if a big crash occurs and he survives it, he could wind up in the front of the pack.

Bobby Labonte was the fastest among those drivers in race trim. He posted the 12th-best time, but when the non-qualifiers and Jarrett are dropped from the grid, he will line up on the outside of the fourth row in eighth. That might make him a good value on Sunday given his modest salary cap in most games, but he unfortunately has terrible luck on the plate tracks.

Kasey Kahne was the second-best driver from among the top 35 in owner points, and that is a good omen. Gillett Evernham Motorsports has been getting progressively stronger on the plate tracks and those races have actually been the shining moments of a cloudy season. The driver of the No. 9 finished seventh in the Daytona 500 and has swept the top 12 on the big tracks this year. Luck is not predictable, but Kahne seems to have a knack for staying out of trouble on these courses this year.

It comes as no huge surprise, therefore, that his teammate Elliott Sadler will line up alongside him on row five. He has also been strong on the plate tracks, although his finishing results don't reveal just how much. He finished sixth in the 500 and was 15th here in the spring, but he ran afoul of Fate in the Pepsi 400 and finished outside the top 30.

Because they put so much emphasis on the race package, several favorites for the race will roll off the grid deep in the field.

Jimmie Johnson qualified 19th, Matt Kenseth starts 25th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts 26th and Jeff Gordon starts way back in the pack in 34th. This does not impact their odds of winning in any way because on the restrictor-plate superspeedways, the last often shall be first and vice versa.

Another of the favorites, Kurt Busch falls to the back for a different reason. He posted the 25th quickest time, which would have placed him a little further up the grid than Johnson, but he failed post-qualification inspection for the second time in three weeks. His Dodge was too low in the front. He'll be joined by David Ragan, who was one of the dark horses this week based on his sweep of the top 15.

Busch should be able to make his way toward the front, however. In Friday's practice session, he posted the quickest average speed at 187.50 during 78 laps.

Denny Hamlin was second quickest in the combined practice sessions, with a speed of 187.29 during 38 laps, which makes him a driver to watch with interest. He might not be a favorite to start, however, with an average finish of 26th in seven previous plate races.

• Mentioned Drivers:
• AJ Allmendinger