NASCAR Sprint Cup: Denny Hamlin and 9 Drivers Who'll Be in the Mix at Darlington

Coming off an exciting (and temper-filled) race last weekend, the Sprint Cup makes its way to Darlington this weekend. The 1.366-mile track is a favorite for many fans and, being situated in South Carolina, it is in NASCAR country.

Denny Hamlin won here last year (where hasn't that kid won at), but who are some others that can boot him off of the throne? Let's take a look.

Denny Hamlin

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #20 Sport Clips Toyota, looks on prior to the start of the NASCAR Nationwide Series BUBBA Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland

Hamlin had a pretty awesome weekend at Richmond last week: He won his charity race, the Nationwide race and finished second in the Sprint Cup race, proving he can still run well when disaster does not hit his equipment. He won here last year, and finished 13th the year before.

Now that he's had a successful weekend, he should be getting ready to fire for the rest of the season.

Greg Biffle

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 30: Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 30, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia. (Phot

Biffle won the 2005 and 2006 editions of this race, and won the pole in 2008. He did finish 22nd last year, but finished eighth the year before. I expect him to be a factor here.

Mark Martin

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 30: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet stands on the grid before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 30, 2011 in Richmond, Virg

Martin won this race in 2009 and finished 16th last year. He's been keeping a low profile on the track this year, but sits 13th in points. Expect him to make a quiet move to the front to have a good showing on Saturday night.

Kyle Busch

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 30: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Pretzel Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 30, 2011 in Richmond, Virgi

Little Busch won the race here in 2008 and finished seventh here last year. He's also coming off of a win. He really can't be counted out at any time, but especially not when he's coming off of a win.

Jimmie Johnson

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, stands on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011 in

Johnson finished 36th here, the product of an accident. But he finished second in 2009 and won the two 2004 races (the last time it was a two-races-per-year track). He's second in the standings with six top-10s, and should be strong on Saturday if he stays out of wrecks.

Ryan Newman

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Medicine Chevrolet, stands in the garage with crew members during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International R

Newman hasn't won here before, but he had a fourth and a ninth-place finish in the last two Darlington races, and has won the pole here before (albeit in 2003). He is also fired up after last weekend's run-in with Montoya that will probably see him running harder than normal.

Jeff Gordon

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo b

Gordon won the 2002 and 2007 spring races at Darlington, and won five spring Darlington races in the 1990s. He also finished fourth in 2005 and ninth in 2009. I may even pick him to be my winner this year.

Kevin Harvick

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet, poses during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011 in Richmond,

Another veteran driver that hasn't won a Cup race here, Harvick has come close with a sixth-place finish in 2010 and an 11th-place finish in 2009. He hasn't been having the amazing run he had last season, but he is still top-five in the points. He should have yet another strong run this weekend at Darlington.

Jeff Burton

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, walks on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011 i

Burton has put in nice finishes here over the past few years, with an eighth-place finish in 2010 and a 12th-place finish in 2009.  He won both 1999 races at the track, but hasn't been able to pull off a victory here in this new era of driving. He's been a bit of a wild card with his season so far, but I think a good finish for him is in the cards this weekend.

Matt Kenseth

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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 29: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 Crown Royal Ford, walks in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011

Kenseth won the Pole here in 2009 before finishing 10th in that race. In 2010, he finished a respectable 13th, and he is currently sitting ninth in the points. Kenseth may not be a flashy driver, but he is pretty consistent at getting up where he needs to be at the end of the race. He should be in the top 10 when the field flashes under the checked flag on Saturday night.