by Mike Harmon

Comment

With only days remaining until the Daytona 500, many drivers, including some old fan favorites, are still looking for full-time rides. The next few weeks will definitely be interesting to watch, as each team works overtime to secure sponsorship dollars in advance of the opener at Daytona.

While those business deals are still being hammered out, I'm gazing into the crystal ball to offer my thoughts on the fantasy field for the 2009 campaign. In my previous piece, I put forth the longshot options from 31-40. This time out, I'm offering a mix of longtime heroes (one looking for a ride), several drivers seeking a breakthrough campaign and a couple newcomers. I'll start with a driver whose name says it all.

30. Scott Speed, Team Red Bull

Speed will be a driver watched closely this season for two reasons. First, he's performed well at every level, including Formula One. He was introduced to Sprint Cup racing last fall and participated in five races to close out the season. He finished 30th or worse in four straight events, but gave racing fans a glimpse of things to come with a strong ride to 16th place in the Ford 400 after qualifying second. The second reason he'll be watched closely is the simple fact that his name give sports reporters and writers plenty of outs for segment/article leads. I'll offer that my interest lies in the former, but a nice tagline or two isn't too much to ask.

29. Bobby Labonte, Yates/Hall of Fame Racing

The 2000 Sprint Cup champion enters the new year with a brand new look as he recently joined Hall of Fame Racing. However, he joins the team on a slump. Labonte averaged a mediocre 22.6-position finish with just two top-10 finishes, his lowest total since 1994, last season. In fact, it was the fifth straight year in which his top-10 total declined.

28. Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing

The departure of Tony Stewart from Joe Gibbs Racing thrusts Logano behind the wheel of the storied No. 20 Home Depot car. The 18-year-old prodigy has been hailed as "the next big thing" for quite some time following his brilliant performances at every level along the path to "the show." Logano won his first Nationwide event just after turning 18 and rolled to 14 top-10s in his first 19 starts on that circuit. That level of performance makes him a mighty intriguing driver to watch in 2009.

27. AJ Allmendinger, Richard Petty Motorsports

Allmendinger generated two top 10s in his 27 starts last season, including five DNFs. He raced well during two stretches of the season. He raced into the top 20 in four consecutive events (three top 15s) from late-July into August, then closed the season well, racing to five top-15 finishes in his final seven starts.

26. Paul Menard, Yates Racing

Menard participated in his second full season in the Sprint Cup Series and was on the radar for several events. He earned the first top-10 finish in his career, a strong second-place finish in the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega. As I reviewed Menard's 2008 race log, my interest was piqued by the number of strong qualifying efforts he made. He started inside the top 20 on 11 occasions and earned his first career pole in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. He might be worth a look during the Daytona events where he has averaged a 19.3-position finish in three starts.

25. David Gilliland, Free agent

Gilliland made a moderate improvement in his overall performance during the 2008 season, improving his average finish by 1.2 slots. Gilliland's average finish was marred by his eight DNFs, an increase of three from his freshman total. He generated only five top-15 finishes last season. Gilliland's best effort came at Infineon Raceway, where he finished second in the road race. It'll be interesting to see if a team picks up Gilliland this season.

24. David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip Racing

Reutimann popped onto the radar with a solid 18th-place finish in last year's Daytona run. He then generated two additional top-20 finishes in his next four starts. That isn't to say that Reutimann didn't eventually experience the struggles that come with being a full-time Sprint Cup driver for the first time (he averaged a 23rd-place finish). However, he showed enough to believe that a sustained level of performance is on the horizon. Reutimann completed 32 of 36 events (97.4 percent of all laps run) and raced to four top 10s. I'm most encouraged by his finish to the 2008 season. Reutimann raced to seven top-20 finishes in his final 13 starts, a period that included three of his top-10 finishes.

23. Travis Kvapil, Yates Racing

Kvapil quietly posted a solid season for Yates Racing in 2008. He generated a respectable total of 14 top-20 finishes, including four top-10 rides (six top 15s). Kvapil best demonstrated his ability during the seven-race stretch from the end of April through May. He generated five top-16 finishes in that stretch, including two top 10s.

22. Casey Mears, Richard Childress Racing

Mears switches out of a Hendrick ride in favor of veteran Mark Martin for the 2009 campaign. He'll take over the ride Clint Bowyer used to qualify for the Chase last year in the hopes of reaching the same heights. However, Mears' six top-10 finishes in 2008 marked a personal five-year low in the Sprint Cup Series. It was especially disappointing because of the strength of his overall performance in 2007 (10 top 10s and five top fives). I don't expect a huge resurgence this season, but Mears will have some decent runs during the year.

21. David Ragan, Roush Fenway Racing

Ragan was one of the best stories of the NASCAR circuit in 2008. The 23-year-old sophomore vastly improved his performance level and narrowly missed racing in the Chase. Ragan improved his average starting position by 11.7 slots with a 9.1-position improvement in his average finish. He produced 14 top 10s during the season, including five top 10s during the 10-race Chase to close out the season. I'm most intrigued to see how he follows up that phenomenal 16th-place average finish. I suspect that he experiences a slight regression from last year's top-notch performance level (25 top-20 finishes), but Ragan will definitely be a factor this season.

Next: Drivers Nos. 20-11