What do these teams need to do to win their first Cup championship?(Driver Reports)

KURT BUSCH

Busch's luck, especially with equipment, hasn't been the best. He says the team needs "to take care of the things you can control," which includes the initial car setup. Busch believes that testing wisely will help the team get the car dialed in for races. Consistency is a key, and the No. 97 has struggled to achieve stability in the pits and with the cars. The team has lost races because of mechanical failures--particularly a rash of engine malfunctions that have kept Busch from being a title contender during his career. Busch is comfortably in the top 10 this season but has just one top five, his victory at Bristol. To strengthen his position, Busch needs to qualify stronger, avoid accidents and rack up more top fives through the next 13 races. This team historically has been awesome in August but struggled for most of the stretch last season.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.

The 2003 Cup championship won by 2000 rookie classmate Malt Kenseth has put more pressure on Earnhardt, and he has responded. For starters, his qualifying is better. Still, there are obvious weaknesses. Earnhardt is in his seventh year of working with crew chief Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Eury Jr., but the communication needed to improve a car during a race is inferior to the other top five racers. The pit crew has come a long way but still lacks consistency; Earnhardt usually has to rely on himself for gaining track position. He says his weakness is 1.5-mile tracks--mainly discerning the differences among them. The team has tested "as much as we can" at Kentucky, trying to improve his performance on the 1.5-milers. The only one of those in the next 13 races is Chicagoland Speedway, but there are four in the final 10. Expect the team to test more this fall.

JIMMIE ...