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Sprint Cup
CUP: Patrick One Of Many Under Pressure
Danica Patrick is entered in the Daytona 500 for the first time this year...
Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in the 2012 Daytona 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
OK, boys and girls. The off-season — such as it was — is officially over.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will take to the track at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 12-14 for open testing with SPEED televising the afternoon sessions and streaming the morning ones on SPEED.com.
Last year, of course, Trevor Bayne kicked off the NASCAR year with his shocking upset victory in the Daytona 500 and it will be hard to top that level of excitement and surprise this time around.
Nevertheless, Daytona and the subsequent races in Phoenix and Las Vegas should provide an excellent window into which teams have their acts together and which teams still have a long way to go.
And, as always, there will be plenty of pressure from the time the gates open at Daytona. Here are 10 NASCAR personalities who will be under scrutiny when the season starts.
1. DANICA PATRICK — Entered in the Daytona 500 for the first-time, the former open-wheel star will find the competition a lot tougher and the courtesies less likely to be extended in the Sprint Cup Series than in the Nationwide Series. Plus, she’ll have to get used to a racing schedule that’s 33 races instead of 15. Huge difference. And she will unquestionably be the center of attention at Daytona.
2. KURT BUSCH — If he ever wants to race for a top team again, the elder Busch brother needs to avoid the kind of temper tantrums that cost him his job at Penske Racing. And that’s going to be tough, because while Phoenix Racing gets cars and engines from Hendrick Motorsports, it doesn’t have anywhere near the depth of resources Hendrick does.
3. JIMMIE JOHNSON and CHAD KNAUS — The dynamic duo won a record five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships from 2006-10 but weren’t a factor at all last year. If Johnson has another subpar season, it will fuel rumors that he and Knaus will split.
4. KYLE BUSCH — The ramifications of wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. are far from over for Busch, as it appears his driving schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series will be greatly reduced in 2012. And despite his prodigious driving talent, Busch has only finished inside the top 10 in points once in four seasons with JGR. He needs to improve at the Cup level.
5. JOEY LOGANO — In the final 14 races of 2011, JoLo failed to post a single top-10 finish and finished inside the top 20 just seven times. Now with three full seasons under his belt, it’s time to put up or shut up behind the wheel of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
6. CARL EDWARDS — After his heartbreaking championship loss, Edwards needs to avoid the kind of deep funk that Denny Hamlin fell into in 2011 after losing the ’10 title. And with Roush Fenway Racing deeply downsizing this year, that could be a challenge.
7. DARIAN GRUBB — If Denny Hamlin rebounds and has a great season, Hamlin will get most of the credit. If he has a bad year, Grubb will get most of the blame. Tough spot to be in.
8. AJ ALLMENDINGER — Yes, the ‘Dinger is coming off the best points finish of his career. But now that he’s driving for Roger Penske, being top 15 isn’t good enough. The expectation will be that he wins at least one race and makes the Chase.
9. CLINT BOWYER — For the first time in his Cup career, Bowyer will be driving for someone other than Richard Childress. And with a lot of moving parts new at Michael Waltrip Racing, it could be an interesting season.
10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. — There’s always tons of pressure and attention on Junior. That won’t change this year.
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will take to the track at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 12-14 for open testing with SPEED televising the afternoon sessions and streaming the morning ones on SPEED.com.
Last year, of course, Trevor Bayne kicked off the NASCAR year with his shocking upset victory in the Daytona 500 and it will be hard to top that level of excitement and surprise this time around.
Nevertheless, Daytona and the subsequent races in Phoenix and Las Vegas should provide an excellent window into which teams have their acts together and which teams still have a long way to go.
And, as always, there will be plenty of pressure from the time the gates open at Daytona. Here are 10 NASCAR personalities who will be under scrutiny when the season starts.
1. DANICA PATRICK — Entered in the Daytona 500 for the first-time, the former open-wheel star will find the competition a lot tougher and the courtesies less likely to be extended in the Sprint Cup Series than in the Nationwide Series. Plus, she’ll have to get used to a racing schedule that’s 33 races instead of 15. Huge difference. And she will unquestionably be the center of attention at Daytona.
2. KURT BUSCH — If he ever wants to race for a top team again, the elder Busch brother needs to avoid the kind of temper tantrums that cost him his job at Penske Racing. And that’s going to be tough, because while Phoenix Racing gets cars and engines from Hendrick Motorsports, it doesn’t have anywhere near the depth of resources Hendrick does.
3. JIMMIE JOHNSON and CHAD KNAUS — The dynamic duo won a record five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships from 2006-10 but weren’t a factor at all last year. If Johnson has another subpar season, it will fuel rumors that he and Knaus will split.
4. KYLE BUSCH — The ramifications of wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. are far from over for Busch, as it appears his driving schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series will be greatly reduced in 2012. And despite his prodigious driving talent, Busch has only finished inside the top 10 in points once in four seasons with JGR. He needs to improve at the Cup level.
5. JOEY LOGANO — In the final 14 races of 2011, JoLo failed to post a single top-10 finish and finished inside the top 20 just seven times. Now with three full seasons under his belt, it’s time to put up or shut up behind the wheel of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
6. CARL EDWARDS — After his heartbreaking championship loss, Edwards needs to avoid the kind of deep funk that Denny Hamlin fell into in 2011 after losing the ’10 title. And with Roush Fenway Racing deeply downsizing this year, that could be a challenge.
7. DARIAN GRUBB — If Denny Hamlin rebounds and has a great season, Hamlin will get most of the credit. If he has a bad year, Grubb will get most of the blame. Tough spot to be in.
8. AJ ALLMENDINGER — Yes, the ‘Dinger is coming off the best points finish of his career. But now that he’s driving for Roger Penske, being top 15 isn’t good enough. The expectation will be that he wins at least one race and makes the Chase.
9. CLINT BOWYER — For the first time in his Cup career, Bowyer will be driving for someone other than Richard Childress. And with a lot of moving parts new at Michael Waltrip Racing, it could be an interesting season.
10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. — There’s always tons of pressure and attention on Junior. That won’t change this year.
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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