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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Who Needs It This Week?
With just one of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in the books, already there's a host of drivers and teams who need to make something happen...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted February 21, 2009   Fontana, CA
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, is taking the Sprint All-Star Race very seriously. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

It sounds crazy to say, but with just one of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in the books, already there are a whole host of drivers and teams who need to make something happen in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

Now, admittedly, no one is in a critical situation. Yet. But for a variety of reasons, there are drivers who need to come up big at the 2-mile Southern California track. Here’s who needs it most.

1. DALE EARNHARDT JR. Junior’s already done the right things after his ill-timed crash with Brian Vickers at Daytona last week. He’s called Vickers and the two of them talked it out. Friday at the track, Earnhardt manned up and admitted he made a mistake during his press conference. Now, the best way to shut everyone up about this and get on with his life would be a victory on Sunday, or at least a solid top five.

2. JOEY LOGANO Logano doesn’t need to win the race on Sunday or even score a top five. What he does need to do to stay out of trouble, finish every lap and develop some confidence after a hairy couple of weeks in Daytona, where he hit everything but the Florida lottery.

3. RYAN NEWMAN All that needs to be said about Newman is that he lost three cars and an engine at Daytona. None of it was his fault, but it’s time for a reversal of fortune for the Indiana native.

4. ARIC ALMIROLA Almirola is a great prospect and an engaging personality. But his Guitar Hero sponsorship deal is only for a handful of races and if he’s going to keep his season going, his team has to find more money. A top five at Auto Club Speedway would help.

5. JEFF BURTON Burton finished 28th at Daytona and qualified 41st for Sunday’s race. It’s way too early to panic, but he needs to get ‘er done on Sunday.

6. KYLE BUSCH Busch is an incredible talent, but is prone to getting down when things don’t go his way. He had the dominant car at Daytona, and by a wide margin, but finished 41st after getting caught in Earnhardt’s wreck. Two bad finishes in a row would not be good.

7. AJ ALLMENDINGER The ‘Dinger had a fabulous Daytona 500 run, finishing third. But he only has enough sponsorship for the first eight races of the season, and therefore must shine again to free up a few sponsor dollars.

8. CARL EDWARDS The overwhelming favorite to win the championship this year was virtually invisible at Speedweeks. Edwards is the defending race winner this week, but qualified just 25th, worst of the five Roush Fenway Racing Fords.

9. JOE NEMECHEK “Front Row Joe” was the last car to make it into the field at California. Now, he needs to finish as high as he can on Sunday without blowing an engine or getting caught in a crash in his unsponsored Toyota.

10. MARK MARTIN One of the favorites going into the Daytona 500, Martin finished a disappointing 16th. A strong finish at California this weekend would be a good shot in the arm for both he and his Hendrick Motorsports team.

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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