I never followed NASCAR at all until my now ex's father took us to several races. Seeing a race at Talladega is an unbelievable experience. You see very little of what goes on there on TV. After seeing several races there, I have to say that the one guy who impressed the heck out of me was Jeff Gordon. The things he can do with a car going 195mph are nothing short of amazing (43rd to 1st in 13 laps, comes to mind).
I cheer for Tony Stewart first and foremost, since his rookie year in Cup. There are many I root for - Mark Martin, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne among them. DD and I always cheer on anyone other than Jeff Gordon (DH's favorite).