Stewart seems unbeatable as drivers head to Pocono

Having combined to win both races during the Cup's Midwest swing, crew chief Greg Zipadelli and Tony Stewart are back in the title hunt after a disappointing start to '07.

Here are five drivers to watch this Sunday at Pocono.

1. Tony Stewart

When Stewart and his crew are operating at the height of their powers, as they are right now, the No. 20 team is as untouchable as the Colts are when Peyton Manning is clicking on all cylinders, or the Spurs are when Tim Duncan is playing his best basketball. Stewart and his crew chief Greg Zipadelli have been together longer than any other driver crew chief combo in the garage -- eight years -- and when they get on a roll, they're extremely difficult to beat. They've won two championships together and it's starting to look like they're on their way to a third.

Stewart has won the last two races in dominating fashion, and he's got to be considered the favorite at Pocono, where his average finish in his last three starts is fifth. While it's true that momentum is a fickle thing in NASCAR, Stewart and Zipadelli certainly have it on their side right now. And remember: When Stewart won the title in 2005, he went on a sizzling last summer run -- he won five races over a stretch of seven starts in the summer -- and that momentum carried him all the way to season-finale in Homestead.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After finishing 34th at Indy last weekend, Little E heads to Pocono clinging to 12th place in the standings. He holds a 13-point lead over the surging Kurt Busch for the final Chase spot. On the bright side for Earnhardt, his cars over the last month have been as good as they've been in the last two years. At Indy, for instance, Junior dominated the early part of the race, leading 33 laps, before he blowing an engine and suffering his fourth DNF of the season.

Junior also has this going for him: he and his DEI teammate Martin Truex Jr. should experience some immediate benefits from DEI's merger with Ginn Racing, which occurred on July 25th. As I mentioned in the magazine this week, DEI's resources essentially doubled overnight and the team now owns a seven-post shaker rig, which allows the crew chiefs to test the cars in racing conditions while in the shop. Add it all up and I think Junior and Truex, who's currently 11th in the points, will both make the Chase. And once they're in, Truex will be a wild card. Because over the last month, Stewart is the only driver who's been consistently faster than Truex and his No. 1 team.

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