... and other thoughts as the Cup heads to Richmond

	Clint Bowyer has been the best of the rookie class this year. US Presswire

Now that we're a quarter of the way through the 2006 NASCAR season, here are nine thoughts on the first nine races of the season:

1. The most compelling finish occurred Monday at the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. The two-man battle between Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart offered a stirring preview of what will surely be a season-long slugfest between the two most dominant drivers of the 2006 season. Johnson edged Stewart at 'Dega by less than a second, but right now most of the rank-and-file in the garage think Stewart's Home Depot team is the one to beat. A notoriously slow starter, Stewart is the only driver to have led at least one lap in every race this season and, if he'd had a little more luck, he could be sitting on four wins right now instead of one. If he heats up this summer like he did a year ago, he could go on an unprecedented roll.

2. The biggest surprise has been Kasey Kahne. Last year Kahne, like most of the Dodge drivers, struggled with the new Dodge Charger. The car didn't handle well in traffic and, as a consequence, Kahne was a non-factor for most of 2005. In the offseason Kahne's owner, Ray Evernham, rebuilt the body of the Charger to Kahne's liking and now Kahne is consistently running with the leaders. (Meanwhile, Kahne's teammate Jeremy Mayfield, who has qualified for the Chase the last two years, can't drive the re-designed Charger to save his life.) Kahne is fourth in the points and looks like a safe bet to make the Chase.

3. The second biggest surprise has been the performance of Richard Childress Racing. Childress has never put a driver in the Chase, but this year he has an excellent shot with Kevin Harvick, who's seventh in the points. The other drivers in the Childress stable -- Jeff Burton and rookie Clint Bowyer -- also have shown promise.

4. Speaking of Bowyer, he has emerged as the front-runner to win rookie of the year honors. Despite getting caught up in an early big wreck at Talladega and finishing 40th, Bowyer is 18th in the points (tops among rookies) and has been as consistent as any of the first-year drivers. One of the high-profile rookies --Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. or J.J. Yeley -- is going to win a race before the green flag drops on the Chase.