Pick a racing series. Chose a style of race car. Name a venue. Chances are, Tony Stewart has proven victorious.

The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has scored 11 championships since he first wheeled a go-kart at a Westport, Ind., race track in 1978.

His most widely known titles are the two he scored in NASCAR's pinnacle series. The two-time Sprint Cup Series champion earned his first crown in 2002 by beating veteran racer Mark Martin by 38 points and a second in 2005 when he bested Greg Biffle by 35 points.

Championships begat championships for Stewart, as the Columbus, Ind.-native came to NASCAR in 1999 by way of the IRL IndyCar Series, where he was the series champion in 1997. And before he made his mark in Indy cars, Stewart made a name for himself in the rough-and-tumble world of the United States Auto Club (USAC). He has four USAC championships, including what at the time was an unprecedented win of USAC's "Triple Crown."

Read more at Tony Stewart's site

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Three-time Daytona 500 winner. Four-time Brickyard 400 winner. And the list goes on. Jeff Gordon has combined determination, hard work and decades of experience to achieve an unparalleled roster of victories. His fans expect only the best from him, and they are rewarded at every turn with Gordon's racing agility that defines the skill of the sport.

Jeff was five when he began running laps at a makeshift racetrack that he and his stepfather, John Bickford, converted from a fairground in his hometown of Vallejo, California. Inspired at an early age by John to be the best he could be in everything he did, Jeff embraced racing with a natural talent and true humility.

The young man from California jumped behind the wheel of a quarter midget and his competitive spirit quickly ignited. "He slipped around the track for days getting used to the car and how to drive it," John says. Jeff didn't do so well in his first year of competition, but he knew he could do it. At just six years of age, Jeff won 35 main events and set five track records. And so it began...

Read more at Jeff Gordon's site

In just five short years, Carl Edwards has had a storied NASCAR career.

Moving his way from the Craftsman Truck Series to NASCAR's elite Sprint Cup Series, winning a Busch Series Championship and chalking up numerous wins in between, he is considered one the NASCAR's most voracious competitors.

In the first 10 years of his career, Carl Edwards accumulated two NASCAR sanctioned track championships, three Rookie-of-the-Year honors, and 75 feature wins while racing on both dirt and pavement tracks across the country. The drive and determination that Edwards showed in those 10 years launched him into a successful NASCAR career that continues into 2007 as he sets out to compete full-time in both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series for the third consecutive year.

Racing is not new to Edwards. His father, Carl "Mike" Edwards, has been racing modified stock cars and USAC midgets for four decades accumulating over 200 feature wins at several Midwestern tracks. Carl Edwards, Jr. began his racing career in 1993 at the age of 13 driving four-cylinder mini-sprints.

Read more at Carl Edwards' site

Jimmie Johnson is rapidly writing his name all over the NASCAR record books. And with just six seasons and more than 220 races under his belt, the El Cajon, Calif. native is just getting started.

Last year he joined eight other drivers as winners of consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. This year he hopes to join Cale Yarborough as the sport's only winners of three consecutive championships.

But it doesn't stop there.

Going in to the 2008 season, Johnson owns 33 careers victories tying him with "Fireball" Roberts for 18th place on the all-time win list. He's won a quarter of the Chase races since its inception in 2004 and the 32-year-old is the only driver to win at least three races in his first six seasons.

Read more at Jimmie Johnson's site

Drivers successfully making the transition from sprint cars to stock cars used to be the exception. While the list of drivers that have found success in sprint cars and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars isn't long, Kasey Kahne is on it. As Kahne embarks in his fifth season of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, he looks to the 2008 season as being a "new year with new beginnings." He begins 2008 with a new sponsor and a new car design in a newly titled series. While the No. 9 Budweiser Team is all for ushering in the new, they aim to return to the form that made Kahne NASCAR's Rookie of the Year in 2004 and one of the most promising young drivers in the Cup Series.

Contending for championships is something with which Kahne has become well acquainted. Before making a name for himself in NASCAR, Kahne was a sprint car star in his own right. With support from his father, Kelly, Kahne started racing at the age of 14, competing in a limited number of micro-midget car events near his hometown of Enumclaw, Wash. Just two years later, in 1996, Kahne got his first taste of success by capturing the Hannigan (WA) Speedway Mini-Sprints championship and the Northwest Mini Sprints championship.



Read more at Kasey Kahne's site

Many words are used when describing Kyle Busch - talented, aggressive, unique and driven. In just a short time, Busch has made his mark on NASCAR's premier divison by combinging a phenomenal racing talent with a fun, colorful personality.

Hailing from Las Vegas, Busch grew up under the guidance of his own father and older brother who both had racing in their veins. He jumped into a go-cart at the early age of six, even before he was tall enough to reach the gas pedal.

Busch has set the Sprint Cup Series records for youngest pole winner and youngest race winner as well as Rookie-of-the-Year honors. He has also qualified in the Chase for Championship in consecutive seasons.

Read more at Kyle Busch's site

Like many successful drivers, Matt Kenseth's family introduced him to racing. "My dad made me a deal when I was 13. He would buy me a race car and drive it if I would work on it and keep it up. Then, when I turned 16, I could drive the car," says Matt. "It was hard work, but it was also a great experience and really prepared me to do more than just steer the car."

Born and raised in Cambridge, Wis., Kenseth began his racing career at the age of 16, winning his first feature event in only his third race. By the age of 19, Kenseth was racing against the likes of Dick Trickle, Ted Musgrave and Rick Bickle in the Wisconsin late model ranks. With a win in LaCrosse, Wis., Kenseth set a new record for being the youngest winner in ARTGO Challenge Series history, a distinction previously held by his future teammate Mark Martin.

Kenseth took the Wisconsin racing ranks by storm in the early 1990s, winning races and track titles at venues all across Wisconsin, including the Madison International Speedway and Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna. In 1994 Matt became the youngest driver ever to win the prestigious Miller Genuine Draft National championships.

Read more at Matt Kenseth's site

For kindergarten graduation in 1980, Kevin received a go-kart from his parents and began his storied racing career.

In the ten years that he competed on the go-kart circuit, Kevin earned seven National Championships and two Grand National Championships. During that time, Kevin also learned the value of dedication and discovered the joy of success that would transform to the fierce determination that defines Kevin Harvick.

Kevin left the go-kart circuit to begin competing in the Featherlite Southwest Series - a regional touring division of NASCAR - in 1992. He ran a limited schedule for two seasons while completing high school, running a full schedule in 1995 and earning Rookie of the Year accolades.

Read more at Kevin Harvick's site

The complete list of drivers for this years Prelude event are as follows:

Aric Almirola, Dave Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Ron Capps, Carl Edwards, Bill Elliott, Ray Evernham, Red Farmer, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Cruz Pedregon, David Reutimann, Kenny Schrader, Tony Stewart, Kenny Wallace, and J.J. Yeley.