Dustin Off the Next Race: SHOWTIME Southern 500 at Darlington

For old-school NASCAR fans, the Southern 500 means tradition. For the drivers, it represents a legacy.

But for everyone involved, it means that it is time to race at the "Lady in Black." Under the lights on Saturday night, the Darlington Raceway will add another chapter into the history books.

As could be seen in practice and in qualifying, teams are not afraid to get close to the wall in order to run fast. But, get too close and the drivers earn the infamous "Darlington Stripe."

Some teams made repairs, while others rolled out back-up cars. In any case, when the race is over, the entire field will have red and white paint scraped across the right side.

Allow me to dust off the Southern 500 at the track that is simply "Too Tough to Tame."

FAVORITES

Jeff Gordon

He has no wins, is frustrated by finishing second, and tired of playing second fiddle to his teammate. So, why do I have Gordon as the top favorite for this race?

The answer is simple, Gordon is excellent at Darlington. Seven wins, 17 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes are undeniable statistics for the four-time champion. Four of those seven wins came in the Southern 500.

The last time he won at this track, water was spraying out the overflow like Old Faithful, and yet the engine lasted to the end.

He is my pick, because this is his best chance yet to win a race. The National Guard Facebook/DuPont Chevrolet starts outside pole, and will look to get out front early come Saturday.

Kyle Busch

On the flip side, here's a driver who will have to earn a win the hard way. Kyle Busch has already felt the wrath of Darlington, scraping the wall in practice and qualifying.

The team decided to go to a back-up car, meaning they will start shotgun on the field. But, I don't think that will stop him from getting to the front.

Busch only averages a finish of 20.4, but he does have one win, a top-five and two top-10 runs at Darlington. His lone win came in 2008 as he scraped the entire right side off the car. It's that kind of determination that will get him to victory, and I think he'll waste little time getting to the front.

His car may have Doublemint Gum on the car this weekend, but he'll leave a taste of burning rubber for his competitors.

Mark Martin

This race last season was a key moment in Mark Martin's run towards the Chase. He won at Phoenix a few weeks earlier, but people questioned if he could follow it up.

At the oldest track on the season, and the return of the Southern 500, it was Martin showing that his win was no fluke. He took the win at Darlington, and began his strong run towards nearly winning his first championship.

Martin averages a 12th-place finish at this track, plus has two wins to go with 17 top-five and 26 top-10 runs. He's more than capable of adding more to those statistics.

GoDaddy.com's "grand daddy" is going to be hard to beat, as he starts fifth.

SLEEPERS

Greg Biffle

Despite only having two wins at Darlington, I'm putting Biffle in this category because those two wins have come on the old surface. At that time, tires were what won the races, not fuel or strategy, and Biffle took advantage.

Since this track got repaved, he's seen the good and evil of the Lady in Black. He's finished dead last, and had one top-10 run. As strong as this team has been, I believe he is more than capable of putting the No. 16 into victory lane.

Biffle starts mid-pack, qualifying 17th. However, don't expect him to stay there long.

Jeff Burton

Here's the other driver this season who's seen a lot of hard luck. With his teammate Kevin Harvick leading the points and already in the win column, Burton has seen the opposite.

Great runs have been ruined by bad strategy or accidents. It must be weighing on both his and his team's minds.

But, Darlington has been good to him. Who could ever forget his win in 1999 when he got involved in a late wreck while leading? But, instead of pitting, he stayed out as rain was pelting the race track. He followed that up with a season sweep as he won the fall Southern 500.

He can get the job done, and is long overdue for a win. The Caterpillar team could sneak up and take the win.

This is my favorite track on the circuit. No other track has the preferred line right against the wall, nor one that is unique in shape and racing.

Call it tradition, call it heritage, but whatever you call it, it's guaranteed to be exciting. Coverage will be on FOX starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.