Clint Bowyer thinks he does. His win last week at Bristol Motor Speedway propelled him into second place in the standings. Bowyer won his first series race on the 1.333-mile track in 2005.

Two-time series champion Kevin Harvick isn’t racing this weekend, leaving the door wide open for a new leader. Bowyer’s ready to walk through but Edwards is only one point behind him in third.

In fact, Harvick’s 49-point cushion over Bowyer is the largest difference between one position and the next in this week’s top 10-rankings where eight of the 10 are full-time series regulars.

A spot in the top 10 isn’t out of the question for Nashville native Bobby Hamilton Jr.. He’s only 30 points out of 10th as he heads to his home track.

But it’s a win at Nashville that drives Hamilton to circle this event on his calendar each year.

Just ask Tony Stewart about Indianapolis as far as what a home track win means. Hamilton feels the same about Nashville. He won’t be satisfied until he holds aloft one of the most sought-after trophies in NASCAR – a one-of-a-kind Gibson guitar custom-designed by Sam Bass. The closest Hamilton has come is a runner-up finish in 2002.

The first stand-alone event of the season also offers series regulars a prime opportunity to get into Victory Lane. It’s also a chance for up-and-comers to gain experience.

Landon Cassill, Bryan Clauson and Colin Braun are in line for their season and track debuts. Chase Miller is set for his season debut – he made his series debut at Nashville last June.

Braun and Brad Coleman will meet for the first time in their NASCAR careers at Nashville, but the native Texans are familiar with one another.

In 2005, they set a world record as the youngest team in the Rolex 24 at Daytona (seventh in GT). Both were 16. A good showing has added importance to Coleman, who competes full-time for Nashville-based Baker Curb Racing. He also made his series debut at the track in 2006.