Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway is the 34th race of the 36-race Nextel Cup season, and the 8th of 10 races in NASCAR's Chase for the Championship. This is a non-COT race, while next week's Phoenix race will utilize the COT once again.

A lot of experts draw comparisons between the Atlanta track where we raced last week and TMS, because they are both 1½-milers that look similar in overall appearance and offer some of the fastest racing we'll see all season.

But drivers will tell you that from their viewpoint, the two tracks are more different than they are similar. Atlanta has a wider feel with more sweeping corners, while the Texas turns are very tight with difficult transitions off the corner.

In other words, the drivers who can hold it as close to wide open as possible and can get back in the gas as quickly as possible in the corners tend to have the advantage at Texas.

Another issue here will be attrition, as this long 500-miler could wreak havoc on engines and tires. Fuel strategy will also play a role before the race is over.

Looking at practice speeds and qualifying as a whole, the biggest mystery involves current points leader Jeff Gordon. Gordon paced Friday morning's practice with a 192.29 mph lap and will start the race from P2, posting a qualifying lap of 192.42.

But Gordon's times fell off precipitously in Saturday's two practice sessions. The 24 team was 13th in second practice with a fast lap of 187.11 and dropped to 31st on the Happy Hour chart with a lap speed of 181.94.

Gordon complained bitterly in the final practice about the car's feel and handling and felt that neither end of the car was hooked up to his liking. The frustration level was high in the 24 garage and it will be a real challenge to this team - currently just 9 points ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson in the standings - to get the car dialed in to Gordon's liking during the race.

Martin Truex Jr. scored his first pole at Texas with a 193.11 mph lap - just 0.099 seconds faster than Gordon. Both Truex and Gordon had late draws, and the cooler track temperatures certainly favored both teams.

Notably, two Rookie Cup drivers qualified in the top 5 - Juan Pablo Montoya, who starts 3rd, and A.J. Allmendinger, starting 5th.

Overall, 6 Chase contenders qualified in the top 10 on Friday. Behind the Truex-Gordon front row will be Kevin Harvick (4), Kurt Busch (6), Denny Hamlin (7), and Jimmie Johnson (8). Rounding out the top 10 are Casey Mears in 9th and Mark Martin in 10th.

The remaining Chase contenders will line up as follows: Tony Stewart (15), Kyle Busch (17), Matt Kenseth (18), Carl Edwards (21), Jeff Burton (27), and Clint Bowyer (29). Bowyer, 3rd in the points and the only driver besides Gordon and Johnson with a shot at the title, has never won at Texas.

Drivers who failed to qualify were Ward Burton, John Andretti, Michael Waltrip, Burney Lamar, and Kevin Lepage,

While neither Jeff Gordon nor Jimmie Johnson has ever won at Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson looked strong throughout all the pre-race sessions. As mentioned, he qualified 8th, but in contrast to Gordon, the 48 team was in the top 10 in all three practice sessions - running 4th in first practice, 6th in second practice, and pacing Happy Hour with a fast lap of 186.98 mph.

Tony Stewart won the early Saturday practice with a 189.73 mph lap, but dropped all the way to 30th in Happy Hour with a 181.97.

Four other drivers were in the top 10 in both Saturday practices: Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, and Kurt Busch. Jeff Burton, who ran 8th in second practice and 12th in Happy Hour, is the only two-time winner at TMS in the Cup series.

Drivers were surprised to find that the high-groove came in early in the Busch race. Look for those who favor that groove, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne, to move to the high line early on.

Sunday is predicted to be the warmest day of the race weekend. Crew chiefs who excel at adjusting to changing track conditions (the 24 and 48 teams come to mind), may have an advantage in that category.

With only one repeat winner in 13 Cup races at TMS, the nascar odds would seem to favor another first-time Texas winner tomorrow, so keep an eye on the young guns like Denny Hamlin and polesitter Martin Truex - although recent winners such as Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne could also have good runs here.