Power Ranking the Best 15 Drivers Heading to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

There are no points at stake, but prestige and a big paycheck make for a game-on atmosphere, where drivers will do whatever it takes to win. 

A good part of the field is made up of drivers who have won races in 2011 and 2012. The remainder of the field is a driver voted in by fans and the winner and runner-up of the preliminary Showdown race.

The pace is fast on the 1.5-mile Charlotte track. It won't just be the fastest car that will be in Victory Lane, but the driver who has the fastest, most efficient pit stops as well.

Drivers in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race are the cream of the crop in NASCAR's premier series. They may race together weekly and enjoy camaraderie, but all that is out the window in this race.

For the All-Star Race, it is every man for himself and friendships or teammates mean nothing when racing for the one-million dollar check.

This slideshow will power rank the top-15 drivers ending with the highest ranked driver who is likely to win it all.

15. Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch is a NASCAR Cup series champion who currently drives the No. 51 Chevrolet for single-car team, Phoenix Racing.

Wins and top-10 finishes are really hard to come by now with the small operation and limited resources, but Busch can probably do more with the equipment he has than many drivers in the sport.

At Darlington, he ran in the top 10 most of the race after coming from 25th place. His season would look better had he not been caught up in racing incidents or problems with the car.

Of the 24 Cup career wins this driver has, 16 have come at intermediate tracks. Busch should be hot to win with his Hendrick Motorsports powered Chevrolet.

14. Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski drives the No. 2 Blue Deuce Dodge for Penske Racing. This season is going well for the young driver with two wins and five top-10 finishes.

He is pretty much a lock for the wild-card slot in the Chase and is 12th in the point standings.

Keselowski is a calculating driver who won't hesitate to make his way through the field any way he has to do it. With a one million dollar check at stake, he should put on quite a show.

13. Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing, has one win this season, but only three top-10 finishes.

Newman has 16 career wins, with 13 of them coming on intermediate tracks. With so much at stake, this is a driver that won't hesitate to mix it up for a win.

12. Martin Truex Jr.

Martin Truex Jr. is not officially in the All-Star Race, but with the way he has been running out of Michael Waltrip Racing, I'm betting he can be the winner or runner-up in the Showdown race.

This season, the driver of the NAPA No. 56 Toyota, has everything he needs to be a contender at most any given Cup race. He looks to be very close to winning a race and break his 177 race winless streak.

So far he has seven top-10 finishes, four of which were top fives. His one win was on an intermediate track.

11. Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch was runner-up to winner, Carl Edwards, in the 2011 edition of the NASCAR  Sprint All-Star Race.

This year, the driver of the No.18 M&Ms Toyota, has one win, six top-10 finishes and ranks ninth in the point standings. Of his 24 Cup wins, 11 have come on intermediate tracks.

With nothing to lose in this race, expect Busch to be a rough contender for the win.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been running well this season with eight top-10 finishes, six of them were consecutive heading to Darlington.

Though Junior appeared to be in protective mode at Darlington, the team seems to have a good intermediate track program

The driver of the No. 88 was leading the Coca Cola 600 last year when he ran out of fuel on the last turn of the last lap.

Earnhardt is not officially in the All-Star Race, but if the fan vote plays out as expected, the sport's most popular driver should have no problem making the field.

Should he not be voted in, he would have to win or be a runner-up in the Sprint Showdown.

9. Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, has not had the season he hoped for with his new Hendrick Motorsports ride.

Kahne has not won a race and his finishes have him mired mid-pack in the point standings. It seems he and his team have gotten their footing with five consecutive top-10 finishes.

This is a driver with 10 of his 12 career Cup wins coming on intermediate tracks. Kahne won the All-Star Race in 2008. He should be a strong contender to win, barring the return of bad luck.

8. Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, has not won this season, but he is consistent enough with finishes to hang in the top 10 of the standings.

Harvick won the All-Star Race in 2007. Half of his 18 Cup wins have come on intermediate tracks.

This is a driver that can get down and dirty with no points on the line, and a lot to gain with a win at the All-Star Race.

7. Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, is a three-time Sprint Cup champion. The reigning champ has two wins this season and remains in the top 10 of the point standings.

Stewart won the All-Star Race in 2009. He runs well on intermediate tracks with 26 of his 46 Cup victories coming on that size track.

His crew is formidable, and it may come down to their performance with that last 10-lap run. Look for this wheelman to jockey for position in that last segment and contend for a win.

6. Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 for Roush Fenway Racing, is the 2003 series champion. He won the All-Star race in 2004.

Kenseth has one win this season and is another of the RFR drivers who run strong on intermediate tracks. Of his 22 Cup wins, 17 have been on intermediate tracks.

This driver, who is second in the standings, has run consistently with top-10 finishes this season. Kenseth may exhibit a calm, cool persona, but look for him to be one hot competitor in the All-Star Race.

Kenseth will have a new sponsor, who signed a multi-year contract with RFR, for four races in 2012 including this one, Fifth Third Bancorp.

5. Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, started the season off with problems at Daytona when he and his team faced penalties. He was negative in the point standings.

Once the penalties were overturned through the appeals process, Johnson has had consistent top-10 finishes, one win and is fifth in the points.

Johnson won the All-Star Race in 2003 and 2006. The five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion has 56 career wins, 39 of those wins were on intermediate tracks.

Look for this driver, hot off a Darlington win, to be a strong contender to win that one million dollar check at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

4. Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, has had a miserable season. His car has been fast, but accidents and engine problems have him languishing mid-pack in the point standings.

Gordon's luck is bound to turn around and it could well be in the upcoming All-Star Race, a race he has won three previous times.

Though Gordon has not won this race since 2001, it would be just his luck to win a non-points race the way his season has gone. He is currently 24th in the Cup point standings.

More than half of the 85 career Cup wins for this four-time Sprint Cup champion have come on intermediate tracks.

3. Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 for Roush Fenway Racing, is the defending winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

So far this season, Edwards has not won a race. His team does seem to be gaining traction though, and he currently ranks 10th in points.

Of the 19 career wins this driver has in the Cup series, 17 have come on intermediate tracks.

Edwards may not be a repeat winner, but look for him in the lead pack with the FR9 power of the Fords. With so much at stake, he will mix it up with those contending for the win.

2. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota, has two wins this season with his new crew chief, Darian Grubb.

Grubb was the guiding force behind our 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, Tony Stewart. Hamlin appears to be rejuvenated this season with finishes that keep him well within the top 10 in points.

Of Hamlin's 19 wins in the Sprint Cup series, 13 have come on intermediate tracks.

The confidence is back with this driver, his pit crew is fast and efficient and CMS is a track that favors Hamlin's style of driving.

1. Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, has been on a roll this season under the guidance of his new crew chief, Matt Puccia.

Biffle has one win and his consistent top-10 finishes have kept him atop the point standings most of the 2012 season.

Of his 17 career wins in the Cup series, 16 have come on intermediate tracks like Charlotte Motor Speedway. The power plant used by Roush Fenway Racing performs best on this style track.

Biffle has his mojo working for him and he is the hot pick to win the All-Star Race.