Dropping the Hammer: A Look Ahead to the Races in April For Sprint Cup Series

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series taking a breather from the short track action of Bristol, Tennessee and Martinsville, Virginia, the racing action picks up not only in the intensity but in the speeds as well in the form of...Adrenaline April.

Adrenaline April, huh? Well, a moniker I came up with, the upcoming month of racing starts off with fast pace action and ends with white knuckle reaction. After all, who says racing at Texas, Phoenix and Talladega is a jog in the park?

April 5th sees the Cup boys starting the month off with the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. One of Roush Fenway's strong tracks, it may be the elixir for the Ford teams who were denied a trip to Victory Lane in March.

Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle look to be the early favorites at the 1.5 mile tri-oval facility, with Edwards sweeping both 500 mile events last season. The blue oval pilots definitely look to capitalize on their dominance at this 12-year-old track.

Following the Easter weekend, the circuit then goes to the Valley of the Sun in Avondale, Arizona for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Hendrick Motorsports has seemingly found the edge at the one-mile facility, with Jimmie Johnson capturing the last three races (including a season sweep last year) and Jeff Gordon winning the spring event in 2007.

Look for these two to be among the favorites, as well as Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, among others, to have the edge in the desert.

While not known as an action track, PIR has produced some memorable moments in NASCAR Cup racing, like Gordon's 76th career win in 2007 which tied him with the late Dale Earnhardt in the all-time wins list and Bobby Hamilton's first victory (and Richard Petty's first victory exclusively as a car owner) in 1996.

And lastly, there's Talladega Superspeedway, which is dubbed "The World's Fastest Speedway." A massive 2.66 mile monster of a track which produces unpredictable but exciting racing, there are constant factors to be reckoned with at the Alabama arena.

Competitors have to be leery of a fellow driver who may go over the margin of error between close quarter racing and contact.  If that line is crossed, the result often leads to "The Big One," or the massive pile-up accidents that find their way into the highlight reels of the sport recap shows and on You Tube.

Talladega has traditionally lent itself to being a Bowtie track, although Toyota rained on their parade when Joe Gibbs Racing took the checkered flag in both races last year.

Kyle Busch, who had a stout performance in this year's Daytona 500 before being collected in the controversial late-race accident, won the Aaron's 499 that was marred by a last-lap, multi-car wreck.

Tony Stewart, who has since bolted from JGR to race in his own equipment, came home as the winner in the AMP Energy 500 last October in a memorable finish at the stripe.

As wide open as the field is as far as finding a winner for the first race at Talladega, Kyle Busch cannot be overlooked to defend his title at the 40-year-old track, with Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing giving the Toyota team some fits for victory.

April is also a time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season where the real shuffling of the points standings happens, especially with the battle for a Chase spot and the bottom tier for a top-35 spot.

Sure, the champion is not determined this coming month. But the field between the movers and shakers for the Chase, as well as those who are guaranteed a position in the race, will certainly make noise.