Clint Bowyer moves to Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

6. Clint Bowyer

Bowyer has proven that he can win races, make the Chase and contend for the championship, but he did it with Richard Childress Racing, one of the oldest and strongest teams in the sport.

Now he moves to Michael Waltrip Racing, a five-year-old team still trying to make its mark in the sport.

MWR has been revamped with new competition director Scott Miller, crew chief Brian Pattie and veteran driver Mark Martin, but it is counting on Bowyer to win races and make the Chase.

Bowyer has been a solid, consistent driver, but can he do it with MWR and give the organization the boost it needs?

7. Martin Truex Jr.

Bowyer is not the only MWR driver that will have the spotlight on him in 2012. Truex was the organization’s first big free agent signing, and it has not gone as hoped.

Truex struggled to a 22nd-place finish in points in 2010, finished 18th last year and has yet to win a race for the organization. He is in the final year of his contract with MWR and must step up in 2012 and prove that he can win and challenge for a spot in the Chase.

8. Juan Pablo Montoya

Montoya was one of the most highly regarded drivers to enter NASCAR in decades when he moved from Formula One in 2006 to join Chip Ganassi Racing.

But the international star has struggled more often than not in his five years driving stock cars. He has two wins, both on road courses, but has yet to win an oval-track race.

He made the Chase in 2009, but slumped to 17th in the standings in 2010 and struggled again last year, finishing 21st. He also has drawn the ire of numerous drivers with his aggressiveness on the track.

He just signed a new contract with long-time car owner Chip Ganassi, so there’s no danger of Montoya losing his ride. But it’s time for him to prove he can consistently challenge NASCAR’s best and win.

9. Jamie McMurray

A driver couldn’t have had two drastically different seasons than McMurray has experienced in the past two years.

After having the greatest season of his career in 2010, winning three races, including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, McMurray came crashing back to earth in 2011, suffering through the worst season of his career.

McMurray scored just two top-five and four top-10 finishes and wound up 27th in the final standings – numbers worse than his final season at Roush Fenway Racing.

In his final year of a two-year contract, McMurray must bounce back and prove that 2010 was no fluke.

10. AJ Allmendinger

Allmendinger has driven for two different organizations in his five years in the series, but has yet to win a race. Last year’s 15th-place finish in points was the best of his career.

Now he gets a golden opportunity, replacing Kurt Busch at Penske Racing.

Busch won 10 races in six years at Penske and made the Chase four times. Allmendinger must prove he is ready to win at NASCAR’s highest level and can produce with a contending team.

11. Jeff Burton

Burton has 21 career victories, has made the Chase four times and finished as high as third in points, but he hasn’t won a race in three years and had his worst season since 1995 last year.

Burton struggled all season, scoring just two top-five and five top-10 finishes, and at age 44 the odds of him suddenly returning to championship contention seem slim.

As one of the most respected drivers in the sport and a leader in the industry, Burton is in no danger of losing his ride at RCR, but he desperately wants to return to victory lane and Chase contention.

Can he do it at an age when most drivers are on the downside of their careers?

Paul Menard celebrates his victory in the 2011 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

12. Paul Menard

Many were surprised when Menard landed a ride at RCR, but Menard paid immediate dividends with a fast start and by scoring his first Cup win in the prestigious Brickyard 400.

But Menard slumped badly in the second half of the season, scoring just two more top-10 finishes after his win and wound up 17th in the final standings.

Now he must prove that his fuel-mileage win at Indy was no fluke and that he can challenge for a Chase spot with one of the sport’s top teams.

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