5 drivers with something to prove

By: Times-Dispatch Staff | Times-Dispatch
Published: February 19, 2012

1. Danica Patrick

She was the only NASCAR driver who appeared in an advertisement during the Super Bowl — you know, the Daytona 500 of the football world. Now, she must prove she can be competitive in NASCAR's top series. Her making a ridiculous claim that she could win the 500 next week sets the bar higher than it needs to be, because a lead-lap finish would be respectable in her series debut. But with engines from Hendrick Motorsports and by joining a team that claimed last year's Sprint Cup title, she's given herself an opportunity to prove there's some steak to go with the sizzle of her celebrity.

2. Kurt Busch

Busch wasted few opportunities a year ago to question Penske Racing — which boasts more than 300 employees — about the quality of its engines, including a memorable profanity-laced tirade at Richmond. The fallout left him looking for a job in the offseason, and he found a new home at Phoenix Racing, which employs 18. The 2004 Sprint Cup champion says he just wants to have fun again this season. However, considering he's had top-notch equipment throughout his career, the move to a team with only one win in 191 Sprint Cup starts could create a lot more colorful conversations if things don't go well.

3. Kyle Busch

For all Kurt Busch's antics in 2011, he had a better year than his brother. Kyle was suspended one race for retaliating during a truck race and suffered a public relations fiasco after being ticketed for driving 83 mph over the posted speed limit. In addition, "Rowdy" also must figure out what transforms him from an unstoppable force during the regular season to overwhelmingly mediocre in the fall. In 72 Chase starts, he has one victory — in 2005 when he wasn't eligible for the title — compared to 22 wins in 185 regular-season starts.

4. Denny Hamlin

Somehow, the driver who was 30 laps from all but clinching his first Cup championship in 2010 at Phoenix International Raceway never seemed to recover a year later. Instead of building on an eight-win season two years ago, he won only once in 2011 and needed the help of the new wild card system to secure a Chase spot. To get Hamlin out of reverse, Joe Gibbs Racing released Mike Ford and paired Hamlin with Darian Grubb, whose decisions in the final three months last season played a critical role in Tony Stewart's run to the championship.

5. AJ Allmendinger

To say Allmendinger is having a change in fortune the past three months would be an understatement. First, he was part of the winning team in the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona road-course race last month and claimed a new Rolex in the process. Now, the driver who has never won a race in NASCAR's top three series will be in the best ride of his career. He takes over the Penske Racing car vacated by Kurt Busch — the same one that has 10 wins over the past six years, when Busch qualified for the Chase four times.

Chris Wilbers