Penske Racing South

The temporary suspension of A.J. Allmendinger for violating NASCAR's substance-abuse policy may have been due to that extra cup of nighttime sleep medicine, but it appears to be much more serious with the swift action taken by the sanctioning body.

Allmendinger has until Tuesday to have the "B" sample of urine tested. It was taken in conjunction with the "A" sample at Kentucky.

Silence from the driver, who secured the ride of his life in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, is deafening. He has not made a comment, nor was he insistent that the second sample be tested.

 It seems obvious what the results will be.

Allmendinger cannot be presumed innocent until proven guilty in an incident such as this. Whatever the chemicals were, they apparently were serious enough that NASCAR did not want him racing.

The suspension, that is temporary at this point, is because Allmendinger could have become a danger to himself and others behind the wheel of the No. 22.

Penske Racing signed Allmendinger for one year to drive the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge after the departure of Kurt Busch.

Currently he is ranked 23rd in the point standings with one top-five and three top-10 finishes. Certainly, he has faced problems with the car that were not of his making.

His performance is lackluster at best, overall. His finishes have been inconsistent, though he had two ninth-place finishes at Sonoma and Kentucky.

Sam Hornish Jr. drives the Nationwide car for Penske Racing where he is ranked fourth in the point standings.

It is no secret that Hornish wants to be back in a Cup car. He had an opportunity to do that for Penske after switching to NASCAR in 2007 and it didn't work out too well.

Hornish won the 2006 Indianapolis 500 for Penske, so the boss at Penske Racing has a definite soft spot for the driver.

Penske is also a businessman and took him out of the Cup car when sponsorship crumbled. Hornish was out of a racecar for a while, then brought back to Penske's Nationwide car part-time in 2011.

He has only won one race in the Nationwide series.

Hornish will be in the No. 22 for the race in New Hampshire. His commitment is to the Nationwide series and to going for the title. There are conflicting locations for races in the two series coming up.

Perhaps Penske will jet his driver back and forth between the two series as needed and keep him in the No. 22 Dodge for the remainder of the season.

It would be an opportunity for Hornish to show how much he has developed as a Cup driver and just how well he can perform.

On the flip side, it may prove he is not suitable to drive such a high profile car with a sponsor that expects wins and strong finishes.

Regardless of the outcome with Allmendinger's drug testing results, he should be out at Penske.

There is always the substance abuse program that could possibly get him reinstated if he is suspended from NASCAR. It would seem a waste of time, though, because he is damaged goods.

Allmendinger was arrested for drunk driving in October 2009. He pleaded no contest and was put on probation by NASCAR for the remainder of the season.

Allmendinger, 30, has driven for a variety of teams in NASCAR, but his performance does not produce wins. He runs well in spurts, but lacks consistency.

Substance abuse is perhaps one of the most egregious activities that a driver can become connected with. They know, as drivers, that they can't take much more than an aspirin without letting NASCAR know.

Zero tolerance must be the rule, being that they drive 3400 pound cars at high speeds within inches of one another.

If it turns out the test was wrong and Allmendinger is totally clean in the matter, then Penske may allow him to drive in what will be left of the season after all the issues are resolved.

Should that be the case, Allmendinger will likely be cut from Penske Racing at the end of the season anyway because now it is the driver who has let down the team and the boss.

There are several free agents that could produce considerably better results than Allmendinger or Hornish in the No.22. Should a third team be considered, Hornish would be the lead candidate.

It is sad to see circumstances like this even become an issue because it is bad for Allmendinger and for NASCAR.

Some people garner a level of success and think they are above the rules. For Allmendinger, his opportunity to drive the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge was a dream ride with an elite team.

It appears Allmendinger totally blew his opportunity and it may well be game over for his career in NASCAR.

For whatever reason, Brad Keselowski and Kentucky Speedway go hand-in-hand.

For just the second time, the Sprint Cup Series traveled to Kentucky to take on the Quaker State 400. Kyle Busch was immediately announced as the favorite, as he won the inaugural event last season.

Throughout the 267-lap event, there were four drivers that clearly had dominant cars—the aforementioned Busch, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson.

Keselowski, Hamlin and Johnson had already recorded two wins each thus far, while Busch won earlier this year at Richmond.

Tony Stewart, the other two-time winner in 2012, had some serious problems in the very beginning of the race. Because of the issues, Stewart took his No. 14 to the garage. He would come back later on in the race, but was too many laps to contend for the win. The driver affectionately known as "Smoke" finished the race in a very disappointing 32nd.

In the three races prior to tonight's race, Stewart had posted three consecutive top-three finishes. But, it just wasn't his night, nor Stewart-Haas Racing's in general.

Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate, struggled from the drop of the green flag. Starting in fifth, Newman immediately plummeted down the charts and was soon in the mid-teens.

During the middle of the race, Newman rear-ended Joey Logano's No. 20 on the frontstretch. This caused Logano to get exceedingly loose, as he went down the track and side-swiped Clint Bowyer, last week's winner at Sonoma.

Bowyer and Logano suffered damage to their cars and both drivers finished 16th and 22nd, respectively.

However, the night wasn't over for Newman's No. 39.

On Lap 208, Newman apparently got in some oil in the middle of Turns 1 and 2 and slammed into the outside retaining wall. Regan Smith was also caught up in the mess. Both drivers took their cars back into the garage, while Smith finished 33rd and Newman came home in 34th.

Kasey Kahne definitely had the most interesting night of any of the drivers.

After making an unscheduled pit stop early in the race, Kahne looked due for another disappointing finish since taking the checkered flag at Charlotte's Coca-Cola 600. However, Kahne managed to capture the Aaron's Lucky Dog and work his way up through the pack.

Late in the race, Kahne's No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet seemingly passed cars like they were standing still. Kahne just blew past every driver he caught up to, but it was too late to catch up to Keselowski's No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge.

Kahne was able to pass Denny Hamlin and others late in the race to finish the race in second, but still 4.399 seconds behind Saturday night's winner, Keselowski.

For a while, Jimmie Johnson had a very strong car and seemed poised to win his third race of the season.

Unfortunately for the five-time champion, he feared that he had a tire going down late in the race. After the thought initially crossed his head, Johnson had lost six enormous seconds to the leader. However, it turned out that Johnson just had some debris stuck to his tire, not a soon-to-be flat tire.

By the time Johnson was able to figure all of it out, he was too far behind to catch up to the leader. Johnson still managed to salvage the race, as he finished sixth.

It was also an interesting night for Kyle Busch, who was undoubtedly the favorite heading into Saturday night's festivities. Busch's car was blazing fast at the very beginning of the race, as he powered by Jimmie Johnson once they took the green flag.

However, Busch's car would go through a multitude of problems later in the race. Soon, Busch's No. 18 would be out of contention for his second straight Kentucky win. Busch was still able to fight back through the pack because of some great adjustments and finished the race in 10th.

Busch really needed a good finish, as he has struggled over the last four weeks. As of right now, Busch is currently holding down one of the highly-coveted wild-card spots. There is no doubt that he will need to keep up those solid finishes over the next few weeks if he wants to remain in the hunt for the Chase.

Early in the race, it appeared to be Busch's night. But at the end of the 267 laps, it was Keselowski's night.

With the win, Keselowki became the first driver of 2012 to reach three wins. The aforementioned Stewart, Hamlin and Johnson all have two wins apiece.

Once the race started, Keselowski was participating in his third event in three nights.

The driver of the Blue Deuce competed in the 225-mile Truck Series race on Thurday night, while finishing second behind race-winner James Buescher. The following night, Keselowski drove his No. 22 Discount Auto Tire Dodge in the 300-mile Nationwide event and came home seventh—Austin Dillon eventually won the race in dominating fashion, the first win of his Nationwide career.

There's no doubt that the experience at the track helped Keselowski for Saturday night's race. While drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and others had only participated in practice and qualifying sessions, Keselowski already had 525 miles under his belt in two days at the track.

Keselowski desperately needed a good finish on Saturday night. Prior to the 400-mile event, the driver of the No. 2 failed to crack the top 10 in the previous four events.

The amazing thing about Keselowski on Saturday night was that he managed to do all of it in a backup car. During a practice session a few days ago, Keselowski got into it with Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target machine. Keselowski clipped the right side of Montoya's car, which sent him into the outside retaining wall.

Because of that, Keselowki was issued a backup car. Not only that, but it's the car he raced at the second Martinsville race last season. The car he ran tonight was one of the oldest cars in the field, if not the oldest. Not only that, but there's a major difference between Kentucky, a 1.5-mile track and Martinsville, one of the shortest tracks on the entire circuit.

Keselowski inherited the lead with 55 laps remaining and of course, he never relinquished the top spot. With the win, Keselowski has practically guaranteed himself a spot in the Chase.

With Keselowski and Kahne finishing in the top two spots, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top five.

Jimmie Johnson finished the race in sixth, successfully putting all four Hendrick cars in the top six positions. Matt Kenseth finished seventh, while Martin Truex Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Kyle Busch completed the top 10.

Additionally, some of the other notable finishers include: Kevin Harvick (11th), Jamie McMurray (15th), Bowyer (16th), Kurt Busch (19th), Carl Edwards (20th), Greg Biffle (21st), Joey Logano (22nd), Michael Waltrip (30th), Tony Stewart (32nd) and Ryan Newman (34th).

The Sprint Cup Series, along with the Nationwide Series, will head to Daytona next weekend to take on the famous track for the second time in the 2012 season.

David Ragan shocked the field last season, as he was able to capture the checkered flag at Daytona for the first win of his career. Of course, he was piloting the No. 6 UPS Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing and he may not be able to win the 400-mile event for a second time, as he will be participating in the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, a quite mediocre ride.

Regardless, anything can happen at Daytona, as evidenced by Trevor Bayne's improbable win at the 2011 Daytona 500. Ragan's win last year is almost just as implausible, as it remains as his first and only Sprint Cup victory.

The last time the series traveled to Daytona was for the season-opening 500-mile event. Matt Kenseth was able to capture the checkered flag for his second Daytona 500 win—he won the race in 2009.

Kenseth will likely have another strong race next Saturday night, as well. But of course, Daytona is a crapshoot and anything can happen.

There is one thing that is guaranteed, however: it will be a fun race to watch. The green flag will drop around 7:30 on TNT next Saturday night.

AJ Allmendinger's 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season started off with such promise.

After winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona Grand Am race, Allmendinger was set to begin the 2012 Sprint Cup campaign in what could only be described as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Allmendinger signed up with the top-tier Penske Racing organization after spending three seasons at the lower-tier Richard Petty Motorsports organization.

He was tabbed to drive the No. 22 Dodge that Kurt Busch took to the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup before being let go from the organization at season's end.

But 12 races into the 2012 Sprint Cup season, which include back-to-back 33rd-place efforts for the No. 22 team, Allmendinger's season can be summed up in one word: disappointing.

After being expected to contend for top fives and top 10s early in the season, Allmendinger's results have been uninspired. Through 12 races, Allmendinger has a single top 10: a second-place run which came as the result of a late crash on a restart that never should have happened.

Besides that highlight, Allmendinger's best finish is 15th, which he has earned three times including Auto Club, Texas and Talladega. To boot, Allmendinger has five finishes of 32nd or worse and sits at a putrid 24th in the standings.

Putrid, that is, for a car and driver who were expected to contend for the Chase in 2012.

Although performance is often reflected upon the driver, the disappointment that is the 2012 Sprint Cup season cannot be blamed solely on Allmendinger.

Some of it can be attributed to bad luck. Allmendinger has been involved in four crashes, three of which were not of his making, including an unfortunate pit road incident at Daytona that busted the radiator on Allmendinger's car just 15 laps into the season opener.

A good share of the woes for the No. 22, however, can be directly attributed to the team. Through 12 races, Allmendinger has suffered some sort of major mechanical problem in four of them.

At Las Vegas, Allmendinger suffered a fuel pressure problem that relegated him to a 37th-place finish. At Bristol, he was forced to nurse a car with a broken suspension for 350 laps to a 17th-place finish.

At Kansas, the throttle body failed on Allmendinger's No. 22 which resulted in a 32nd-place finish. Then, just this past Sunday night at Charlotte, a broken hub resulted in brake failure that saw Allmendinger finish 33rd.

Sure, bad luck tends to get drivers sometimes. Heck, just a few weeks ago, four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon found himself in the midst of a slump that saw him finish outside the top 20 four weeks in a row.

But the bad luck Gordon had was different. Blown tires, blown engines and crashes are the things that plagued the No. 24 for so long, and those are the types of things that just sort of happen in NASCAR.

As it were, they all just so happened to be biting one driver.

For Allmendinger, the problems that have occurred on his No. 22 car aren't things that just happen. Sure, fuel injection problems have been common this year with the new EFI system, and throttle body problems can sometimes occur as well.

But broken suspensions and broken hubs in the middle of a race?

To make matters worse, three of Allmendinger's four mechanical problems occurred when he had a top five car, including the car he led 54 laps with at Bristol and his pole-winning car at Kansas.

So is this just a new sadistic type of bad luck we're seeing happen to Allmendinger, or is there some ulterior motive behind the walls of the Penske shop?

Penske has no long-term commitment to Allmendinger. The California native has just a one-year deal with the organization which was meant to be a sort of "trial run" to prove himself in good equipment, but now has all the feel of a one-year stopover.

After parting ways with the controversial Kurt Busch, Penske needed a capable driver to fill the seat of the No. 22 in order to keep sponsors Shell and Pennzoil pleased with the car's performance. Allmendinger, after finishing a career-best 15th in the standings, fit the bill.

Meanwhile, Penske has to be weighing his options on a driver to fill the No. 22 Ford in 2013 should Allmendinger not work out.

One way Penske could go is the over-saturated 2013 free-agent market, which consists of perennial Chase contenders Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman, a former Penske standout, along with franchise drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano.

Then there's the more plausible way, which is Penske getting ready for take-two of the Sam Hornish Jr. project. Only this time, the ex-open-wheel star will be improved after a full year of Nationwide experience under his belt.

Hornish sits fourth in the Nationwide Series standings after 11 races with two top fives and five top 10s. And in a season where he's competing directly against Danica Patrick for a NASCAR points championship for the first time, Hornish has the upper hand.

With Patrick heading to the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2013, maybe what Penske is going for in 2013 is a Hornish-Danica rivalry, a pair of ex-IndyCar stars duking it out on a NASCAR stage.

Hornish could be like the Joker to Danica's Batman or the Green Goblin to Danica's Spiderman. Though the pair of supervillains may not be popular, people know who they are.

Which is exactly what an owner wants out of a driver in an otherwise vanilla field.

Should Allmendinger's performance not pick up before the 2012 season is up, Penske may not have a choice but to "let him go" at season's end, conveniently opening up a ride for his Indy 500 champ.

Or then again, maybe this whole "setting Allmendinger up to fail" conspiracy is nothing more than a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, and nothing really is going on behind the walls at Penske Racing.

Maybe throttle body problems and broken suspensions on dominant cars are just things that happen. Maybe a broken hub locking up the brakes on a car is just something that happens.

Maybe this is all just a bout of unparalleled bad luck that the No. 22 team must overcome together.

Or maybe, just maybe, there's more to this whole chain of strange events than we will ever know.

I've been a die-hard fan of Penske racing since regaining my interest in NASCAR a couple of years ago.

Brad Keselowski's youth, talent and manners with fans and the media made me decide the guy was worth cheering for, plus it didn't help we both drive Dodge Charger's on the weekends.

I stood by Kurt Busch after he made an ass of himself, and adopted AJ Almendinger as one of my own after he joined Penske.

I spent money on T-shirts to support Keselowski instead of spending money to modify my own Charger and spent weekends following both NASCAR series in the hopes of seeing my drivers and my manufacturer in the winner's circle.

I went to bed excited when Keselowski tweeted earlier this week that a big announcement was going to be made the next day. I can say I followed him long before the Daytona incident, which is a true point of pride now.

But the announcement wasn't the good news I had hoped for. Instead it was like a knife in the back.  Penske, the only major team in NASCAR running Dodge would be dropping Dodge in favor of Ford in an attempt to win a championship.

On the logical side of things it makes a of sense, with Ford Penske can work alongside Roush-Fenway and Roger Penske has been a long time Ford runner before moving to Dodge 10 or so years ago.

One flaw to this logic is that Keselowski had a solid run last season in the Chase, and is always a threat for a win in the Nationwide series. Kurt Busch blamed everything on his car last season, rather than adjusting his attitude and manning up. Almendinger is brand new to the ride, so a learning curve is in place for a little bit.

The success of Keselowski shows that Dodge and Penske work, yet Dodge is the scapegoat for his lack of a championships? Not driver development or other internal issues? That makes perfect sense...not.

Robby Gordon will be left as the lone Dodge Charger on the track, and while he also has me cheering for him come Sunday's his usual back of the pack running is hard to find enjoyable.

If Keselowski is forced into a Ford ride, he will still have my support after so many years of cheering for him, but if and when Dodge finds a new major team I will be cheering and spending my money there.

Other fans are elected to not go to races, many of them spend the weekend and take campers, which can be quite an expensive vacation until Dodge has another major team.

That's how Mopar fans are; Mopar or "No Car" is in the blood.

More commonly, I hear anger from fellow fans, anger that NASCAR is so supportive of teams running Toyota. Still in some fan's eyes a manufacturer that doesn't belong while Dodge is left scapegoated and an odd man out.

While there is no doubt there is a lot unknown behind the scenes that went into the decision, the excuse from Penske feels a little weak. No doubt the help from Roush-Fenway should help fuel a championship run, but I'm left wondering if Penske would change his tune if Keselowski won the Chase this season.

For now I, as well as other Mopar fans are left wondering the future of Dodge in NASCAR. Keselowski will always have my support, but after this season he may not be my #1 driver anymore.

Before any argument is made to the contrary, one point should be crystal clear: Kurt Busch has a great shot at making the Chase in 2012.

Aside from the fact that he has signed on with a lesser-known outfit, not much has changed.

Sure, Phoenix Racing does not have the clout and prestige of Penske Racing and nowhere near the funding and sponsorship, but Busch is also relieved of the pressures associated with such an outfit.

That said, his chance to make the Chase must be considered slightly lower than at the beginning of last season. While no stranger to making the Chase, Busch will probably endure a bumpy road, albeit in a different manner than he is usually accustomed.

As 2012 commences, Busch has no teammate. He's truly running as a "lone ranger" on every track he runs in 2012.

This may sound small, but it makes many elements of the racing game more difficult.

No longer will he have a teammate with which to share ideas, tips, and of course, drafting duties when racing at restrictor plate tracks.

He did seem to find a suitable partner while testing at Preseason Thunder; he and Regan Smith drafted at 206 mph. This is more than ample speed to remain competitive.

Fortunately for Busch, NASCAR has eliminated radio communications between drivers, thus making extended drafting among teammates even more difficult.

Without communication during a race, drafting becomes much more difficult to coordinate and inherently benefits drivers that do not have the luxury of having one, two or three other teammates simultaneously out on the track.

As stated, Kurt Busch is now in the lonely drivers' club.

The biggest loss for Busch off the track is the lack of a second pair of eyes and ears on everything he does. As a member of the Penske team, Busch had the advantage and luxury of the input of teammate Brad Keselowski's No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team.

Actually, Busch perhaps even had an added advantage because he once drove the No. 2 "Beer Wagon," and probably still knew some of the personnel on the Miller Lite team.

All that's gone in 2012.

Busch has a great opportunity in 2012 to prove that, despite adversity, he can still race with the best competition the sport has to offer.

As a former champion, that should be enough incentive, in and of itself, to personally motivate him to be among the top 12 when the checkered flag drops in Richmond.

The road will not be easy. He may very well end up bowing out early of a few races that would never have happened at Penske Racing.

On the other hand, here's a stat that's quite strong and bodes well for Busch's Chase chances. Over the past 10 seasons, he has won a race every season.

In eight of those seasons, he has won more than one race.

In 2011, Denny Hamlin was able to limp into the second wild-card position on the strength of one win. Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had no wins but did not even need the wild card to enter the Chase. Busch has a shot.

He will have some setbacks and difficulties in 2012, many with which he may unaccustomed. It's doubtful that he will be less acerbic with his own team on the radio. He may be more so.

This should not completely hinder him, despite operating less-than top quality gear, from entering a place to which he is more accustomed than almost anyone in NASCAR—the Sprint Cup Chase.

The NASCAR drivers will be starting their engines soon. Let’s take a look at some preseason power rankings for the upcoming 2012 season.

We now look at part 2 of the 2012 NASCAR preseason power rankings, which will analyze the 11th through 20th-ranked drivers.

11. Brad Keselowski

With a breakout year in 2011, the Blue Deuce was relevant again.

The Penske team put two cars in the Chase for the first time. Keselowski was only as high as 22nd place for half of the season before “it clicked”.

Paul Wolfe had the No. 2 car running on all cylinders and made it into the Chase at Richmond, the final race they could do so.

Keselowski didn’t disappoint in the Chase, finishing fifth in points.

I do see some regression for the No. 2 car in 2012, after losing a champion as a teammate in Kurt Busch.

12. Ryan Newman

The “Rocket Man” had a wonderful season in 2011.

The No. 39 team was never out of the top 10 in the regular season. Though he had a disappointing Chase, I’m sure most of the team’s resources were going to help Tony Stewart and the No. 14 team win the championship.

I don’t see Newman having a different kind of season in 2012. Look for the No. 39 to be in contention to make the Chase once again.

13. Matt Kenseth

The 2011 campaign for Kenseth was quiet and productive, scoring three wins and nine top-five finishes, while finishing fourth in the final points standings.

This offseason is a stressful one for Kenseth and the No. 17 team, though. With Crown Royal leaving and a sponsor only signed on for nine of the 36 races so far, there's a scramble at Roush Fenway to find sponsorship.

Also, Matt Kenseth is a lame duck going into 2012, as his contract expires at the end of this season.

14. A.J. Allmedinger

Dinger had a solid season in 2011 in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports car.

The team posted an average finish of 16.1 and only had one DNF. Allmendinger has moved on, replacing Kurt Busch in the No. 22 Shell/Penzoil car for 2012.

Moving to Penske, A.J. will have better equipment to run, but with the competition, I don’t see much improvement in his final finish in the standings.

15. Jeff Burton

The 2011 season was not kind for Jeff Burton, as the No. 31 team didn't crack the top 20 the entire year.

There will be a change at crew chief for the 2012 campaign, as Drew Blickensderfer leaves Roush Fenway to come over to RCR. Look for Burton to improve on his 2011 season, by being a contender to make the Chase..

16. Paul Menard

The 2011 season was also a breakout season for Menard. Not many people saw him coming, either. He posted a win, four top fives, and eight top 10s.

It was a successful first year at Richard Childress Racing. We can expect Menard to be a little more familiar with some of the tracks and the equipment for 2012, when he could have an outside chance at the Chase if the neon-yellow Chevy can be a little more consistent.

17. Joey Logano

We are still waiting for the second coming of sliced bread.

Last season, Logano hovered around 20th in points for the entire year. The No. 20 team has a new face on top of the pit box, as Greg Zipadelli has left for Stewart Haas Racing. Jason Ratcliff will lead the team heading into 2012.

Next season, Logano should show some improvement, but he has only an outside chance at cracking the Chase.

18. Kurt Busch

Big changes are in store for Kurt Busch in 2012. The mutual separation of Busch and Penske happened in the offseason, and Kurt found a ride, driving for Phoenix Racing.

This was a big surprise, as the 2004 Champion will be driving for a second- to third-tier team.

Kurt Busch has talent, but he just won't be able to overcome the lack of resources to make the Chase in 2012.

19. Juan Pablo Montoya

The former Formula 1 star has struggled in his NASCAR career, and the 2011 season was an even bigger challenge for him.

Montoya ran in the middle of the pack the entire year, and posted a 21st-place finish in the final standings.

JPM will do slightly better in 2012, but not much. He'll have some better finishes, but he'll still be hampered by some wrecks.

20. Martin Truex Jr.

In 2011 we saw flashes of greatness from Truex. We also saw more wrecks then Truex wanted, including a horrific sight at Martinsville with one of the scariest wrecks I have ever seen.

Truex is looking to improve on his 2011 season, since he finished 18th in the final standings. Posting one top five and three top 10s in the final five races, Truex should put up some good finishes in 2012, but it will also be hard to avoid the bad ones.

For more Fantasy NASCAR insight and advice please visit us at www.FantasySportsKings.com and follow us on twitter @Fantasy_Kings

The overall caliber of drivers at Penske Racing recently took a hit with the loss of Kurt Busch, 2004 NASCAR Cup champion, and the replacement driver has yet to win a race in the elite series of NASCAR.

A.J. Allmendinger was named as a comfortable driver to replace the controversial Busch in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.

Penske Racing is taking an unconfirmed, one-year performance-based shot with a driver that has potential and who may be a better fit in their operation.

Perhaps they are hoping he will blossom into the NASCAR star that Brad Keselowski did with the Blue Deuce this season.

Busch may have had some personality problems, but his credentials are quite respectable. Not only does he have a Cup title, but 24 career wins in the top series of NASCAR.

Busch joined Penske in 2006 after his departure from Roush Racing. He became the wheelman for the iconic Blue Deuce No. 2 Miller Beer car that was made famous by Rusty Wallace.

In 2011, Keselowski took over the No. 2 car and Busch went to the Shell/Pennzoil No. 22 car that in 2012 will give Allmendinger his best chance ever to prove his driving ability.

Allmendinger made his move to Cup racing in 2006 from the open-wheel cars, but failed to qualify for a race. He ran a few NCTS races and his first race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was during 2007.

The California native has been tossed around to several different teams, Red Bull Racing and on to Gillett Evernham Motorsports that eventually became Richard Petty Motorsports.

After the conclusion of the 2011 season, Allmendinger's sponsor at RPM, Best Buy, decided to move to Roush Fenway Racing.

Without a sponsor, Allmendinger was quick to realize he best talk with other owners, and RPM released him as a driver for the No. 43.

Several had been considered by Penske as potential drivers for the No. 22 vacated by Busch, but it was Allmendinger who got the lucky call to drive for an operation that will take him to his highest level yet in NASCAR.

Allmendinger has never won a Cup race, but does have four top-five and 26 top-10 finishes in his relatively brief career behind the wheel of a stock car.

Penske undoubtedly saw the upward movement Allmendinger has made each year. In 2009 he finished 24th in points, moved to 19th in 2010 and ended the 2011 season 15th in the standings.

There are no misconceptions at Penske regarding the replacement of Busch.

Penske Racing President, Tim Cindric stated, "We're trying to replace a world-class driver, and we're trying to figure out how we get to the next level."

Allmendinger, 30, will fit the tidy, white-shirt image of Penske Racing. Though he hardly has the record of tantrums and outrageous behavior of Busch, he isn't squeaky clean.

Much like the encounter Busch had with drinking and driving in Phoenix that cost him a ride with Roush Racing, Allmendinger was arrested for drunk driving in Mooresville during 2009.

The feisty side of Allmendinger flared up at the 2010 July race in Daytona. After taking his car for an infield spin, Richard Petty confronted him in the garage and there was a heated exchange that ended with the driver turning his back on the "King."

Busch may have his personality flaws, but he can flat drive a race car. His talent and accomplishments set a bar that is higher than Allmendinger may ever be able to reach.

The contract between Penske and the "Dinger" is basically for the 2012 season with hopes that it will develop into a long-term relationship.

The pressure is on the new driver of the No. 22 to at least get the car into the Chase next season. Certainly Allmendinger will have first class equipment under him, but it remains to be seen if he will rise to the occasion.

There is a fire within Allmendinger to win and finish well. He knows this may be his biggest shot at becoming a star, but the competition level is amped up each season.

Allmendinger said, "I know where I'm at and the level of my career and it's do or die. This is the next step to try to be one of those top Sprint Cup drivers and that is what I want to do."

Keselowski will be the lead driver at Penske Racing and he should play a strong role in helping Allmendinger get comfortable with his new ride and the inner workings of the operation.

Another unknown is the pairing of Allmendinger with Todd Gordon as his crew chief. Gordon is new to the position in the Cup series, but has been with Penske Racing for some time.

Some drivers adjust well to stock car racing after leaving the open-wheel cars and Allmendinger appears to be one of those drivers.

 Penske knows he has the confidence to win from his accomplishments in other series.

The potential to win races is there, but for obvious reasons he has not had the time to hone his skills to the level of Busch and unless he catches fire like Keselowski did, he may not have a long tenure at Penske Racing.

Allmendinger is in the honeymoon stage of his new marriage with Penske Racing. He is flattered that Roger Penske asked him to drive for such a first-class operation.

Busch was unhappy at Penske Racing because the fun factor was gone.

Allmendinger stated, "It's going to be just fun being at the racetrack, being a part of his (Penske) organization and being around him (Penske) more than anything."

If Allmendinger can live up to the potential Penske Racing seems to see with him, he may find some success, make the Chase and win races in the years to come.

One thing he won't achieve, as Cindric put it, is the "world-class" status of Busch.

Quotes courtesy of Penske Racing PR Media teleconference transcript.

The departure of Kurt Busch from Penske Racing has been characterized as a "firing" when, according to both sides of the story, it was more like a divorce with irreconcilable differences.

Even though Shell/Pennzoil expressed disapproval with the recent behavior of Busch at Homestead, they did not force the firing.

The former driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge knew earlier in the season that something was amiss between he and his team. His frustration was reflected in rants over the in-car radio, even when he was running near the front.

Clearly Busch was just not a happy camper and he obviously misdirected his inner anger. There may have been more than his relationship with Penske Racing that caused him to drive his career into the ditch.

Certainly it can be said, arrogance and a sense of entitlement may be a common thread the Busch brothers share.

Both of the brothers also share immense talent behind the wheel of a race car.

Busch stated, "I recognize the passion and emotion that have helped me succeed on the track need to be better channeled off the track."

It was tough for the driver to leave a class operation like Penske Racing and the lucrative contract, but sometimes things just stop working, much like some marriages.

Does the elder Busch brother have impulse control problems, anger management issues and personality flaws? Of course he does and he has acknowledged that fact.

Busch announced he has taken the first step of working with a sports psychologist after talking to some of his fellow drivers.

Step two was to separate from Penske Racing, accept the black eye he had self-inflicted on his career and go about making things better in his life and in his professional dealings.

For Penske Racing, the split with Busch was clearly a loss of talent.

The former driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge won the 2004 Cup title for Roush Racing. Busch was released after an incident, off the track, involving alcohol and careless driving in Phoenix.

He then began his six-year stint with Penske where he garnered 12 wins in NASCAR's top series. He has a total of 24 Cup wins.

During the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour in January of this year, Busch stood beside the red and yellow Dodge Avenger Pro Stock drag racing car at Penske Racing.

The car was basically unlettered, but the iconic Shell symbol, the Dodge branding and the driver's name adorned the car.

When Busch was questioned about his upcoming drag racing adventures, his enthusiasm was obviously amped up with the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes.

Busch was scheduled to debut the Pro Stock Avenger at the Gatornationals NHRA National event in Gainesville, Fla.

 The NASCAR champion qualified 12th in a 16-car field at the Gatornationals in March. Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the first round against a tough driver, Erica Enders, who gained the advantage off the line.

Busch ran 6.541 (211.59 mph) to Enders 6.538 (211.69) with her reaction time of 0.021 to Busch's 0.04.

During 2010, Busch built a 1970 Challenger to run in the Super Gas class at the Gatornationals and other events.

It is evident the former Penske driver has a true love for straight-line racing and finds the fun factor he seeks in that genre of motorsports.

Now, one has to wonder who got custody of the Pro Stock Dodge Avenger that likely no longer has Shell/Pennzoil sponsorship. It would seem Penske has little use for it in his operation.

Might we find Busch behind the wheel of that Pro Stock car with new colors and sponsorship when the 2012 NHRA professional drag racing series begins?

The fun factor was apparently gone for this driver at Penske Racing.

Opportunities to drive for a first class operation in Cup racing for 2012 are slim. It would seem unlikely he would drive for a smaller, less funded team or become a start-and-park driver.

Perhaps a year of fun with drag racing and getting more time for personal renewal might be just what the 2004 Cup title winner needs.

Busch stated, "As I begin this new chapter in my career, I'm excited about the future and committed to making changes necessary for me to enjoy racing again, to compete for championships and to better represent NASCAR, my sponsors, my team and my fans."

If this driver is to rebound from the negativity he created for himself in the sport, he must jump into the NASCAR dating pool and begin to woo team owners, sponsors and crew chiefs.

As per his statement about better representing himself in NASCAR, it appears he fully intends to climb his way back to grace in the sport.

Busch is a very talented driver and a team would be lucky to have him, as long as he reins in personal demons that cause him to go awry.

It just may be that the dissolution of his contractual agreements with Penske Racing will prove to be the best thing that could have happened to this driver and when he gets his act together, he will once again be a formidable competitor in NASCAR.

Quotes in this article courtesy of Kurt Busch.com

After the official announcement was made on Monday, December 5 that Kurt Busch would indeed be leaving Penske Racing South, the standard follow-up question followed almost immediately—who will replace him?

Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Ken Armer has already posted an article about David Ragan being the perfect replacement. He is certainly the most logical and likely choice for Roger Penske's organization.

However, there are a couple of other "guns for hire."

Brian Vickers and David Reutimann are also looking for employment.

Vickers, like Ragan, would not be a bad choice. He has made the Chase and has one more career win than Ragan. The same is true for Reutimann, minus an appearance in the Chase.

Neither of them are half as cantankerous as Kurt Busch and would probably bring an air of thankfulness to the No. 22 team.

Ragan is the safest choice, while Brian Vickers could prove the most interesting.

It should not be ruled out that Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2011 Nationwide Series champion, could be the direction Roger Penske would like to go.

He already has a young driver in his other car—Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. Perhaps he would like to rebuild his race team on the back of the youth.

Whatever the ultimate choice ends up being, it will be a surprise. Penske has a tough decision ahead of him.

Just like his brother Kyle, Kurt Busch is a head case.

It’s time for teams to put their foot down with drivers that only care about themselves (Like Busch) and make a stand.

After six years with Penske racing, immature actions have caused embarrassment for Busch himself as well as Penske racing as a team. That’s why both parties have agreed mutually to part ways.

A.K.A. Busch got fired.

After a season filled with berating his own crew member and crew chief as well as verbally assaulting several members of the media, the star has found himself on the outside looking in.

Roger Penske shared a statement on Penske Racing’s website:

I appreciate the victories that Kurt has brought Penske Racing and our sponsors over the past six years. While I am disappointed that Kurt will not be racing for our team in the future, both Kurt and I felt that separating at this time was best for all parties, including our team and sponsors. I wish Kurt the best in his future racing endeavors.

It’s time for NASCAR to show him a lesson.

All of the major owners in NASCAR should ban together to boycott Busch for this season at least in hope that he either doesn’t find a job or ends up driving a second-tier car for a mediocre team.

Busch needs to grow up fast in order to salvage his career. With the bad taste he left in the mouth of Roush Racing and the troubled end to his stay at Penske, Busch’s new reputation alone will keep him from getting any marquee jobs.

While it’s true NASCAR fans like the wild card, hurting your own team is not what people want.

The fans want a guy like Tony Stewart that will criticize his own guys in a way to improve the team. While Stewart can be just as arrogant as Busch, his honesty and straightforwardness makes people relate to him.

People just hate Kurt Busch.

Check back for more on NASCAR as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s NASCAR Page to get your fill of all things motorsports.

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