NASCAR Sprint Cup: 10 Drivers Who Are Underperforming so Far in 2011

At the beginning of each season the elite drivers of NASCAR have a clean slate except for the performance expectations that are thrust upon them, be it fair or not.

Team owners, sponsors, fans and the media use a driver's past performance, team resources, crew chiefs and other factors to determine how they feel those in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will perform.

Certainly, just as cream rises to the top, the drivers with a record of wins, titles and the ability to make the Chase are expected to continue to do so. It doesn't always work that way though.

Odd things happen in NASCAR because of the variables that can be such game-changers, especially under the new point structure.

Parity among teams with the COT has made competition perhaps as tough as it has ever been. The policy to let the drivers show more personality has added yet another element as drivers battle to win.

One wreck or DNF for any reason can wreak havoc with a driver's standing in the points. When it happens multiple times the driver is soon out of contention with little hopes for a rebound.

Sometimes, though all the pieces seem to be in place with a given team, things go south. Top flight equipment, good chemistry between crew chief and driver, and the talent level of the one behind the wheel just isn't enough.

Drivers with proven ability have winless streaks that seem to go on forever and it is difficult to define the problem.

This season, like every other, has unveiled drivers who fall into the category of underperformers. In no particular order we will look at 10 such drivers who were expected to fair much better than they have.

See what you think of this list and feel free to express your thoughts as to why these drivers have underperformed in the 2011 season so far.

1. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin took the runner-up position to five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champ, Jimmie Johnson, pretty hard in 2010, but told the world at the start of this season that it was all behind him.

It seems Hamlin didn't have any of the momentum from his eight wins last year carry over to this year. By this time in 2010 he had five wins, yet as of now he only has one win.

He is hanging on to 10th position in the point standings as they head to the Brickyard 400. More wins and top-five finishes are mandatory to get him in position to run for the title.

Hamlin has had some bad breaks this season with an engine failure and a few races where he finished down some laps because of wrecks and other mishaps with the team.

The driver of the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing was expected to run for the title this year, but it looks like that would be a tough task with only seven races to go until the Chase.

2. Jeff Burton

Jeff Burton, driver of the Caterpillar Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing has fallen off the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup radar without even one top-10 finish and a ranking of 25th in the point standings.

Richard Childress replaced veteran crew chief, Todd Berrier, with Luke Lambert on an interim basis until further notice. The Brickyard 400 will be Lambert's first race in the crew chief position for the No. 31.

Burton has 21 career wins and made the Chase four of the last five years with failure to do so in 2009. His last win came in October, 2008.

Burton, 44, signed a multi-year contract extension with Richard Childress this year and Caterpillar is to remain the sponsor on the No. 31. He is currently the lowest ranked driver at RCR.

If this driver doesn't get his groove back, Childress may not have made the best deal for his operation and the sponsor for Burton's car. Hopefully the crew chief change will get the team back on track.

3. Mark Martin

Mark Martin just keeps claiming he is having fun at Hendrick Motorsports and the veteran driver with 40 career wins in the Cup series is grateful for the opportunity he has.

Now as his final year with Hendrick Motorsports come to an end, you have to wonder if he really is having as much fun as he says.

Currently he is ranked 20th in the point standings, the worst of any driver at HMS. He has not won a race this year and has one top-five and five top-10 finishes.

The team shake-up at HMS looked to possibly be good for the analytical Martin to be matched with the tech talking crew chief, Lance McGrew.

Surely the driver of the GoDaddy.com/Quaker State No. 5 wanted to finish up his stay at HMS with a good year, but Martin has hardly lived up to the expectations he had for himself and others had for him.

4. Joey Logano

Joey Logano looked to be the young dynamo that would charge into the Sprint Cup Series and become a star behind the wheel of the highly recognized No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet.

It looked as though Logano may have been moved up a bit to fast as his star has not been as bright as it was expected to be.

Currently he is ranked 18th in the point standings with five top-10 finishes—three of which have come in the last four races.

With a major sponsor like Home Depot, they don't seem to be getting the bang for their buck. Logano has made strides in his performance and certainly his season is hardly dismal; just not as good as many hoped to see.

5. Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/McDonalds Chevrolet for Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing went from the highs of the 2010 season to the lows of this year.

Last year he won the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This year he has won nothing and has two top-10 finishes with a ranking in points of 29th.

Though he hasn't made the Chase since his reunion with Chip Ganassi, there's no doubt he was expected to come in somewhere near his 14th place finish in points last year and perhaps make the Chase this season.

For McMurray, the 2011 season has been really ugly and he is a solid underperformer.

6. Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart, the owner/driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet has yet to win a race this season, but his best runs come in the summer heat.

Stewart has had some frustrating races this year, but has managed to claw his way to 11th in the point standings tied with Denny Hamlin in the 10th slot.

He does have two top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 2011, but with the point structure the way it is wins have become critical.

Stewart has made the Chase with sixth and seventh place finishes in points the last two years.

The race at Sonoma may have hurt this driver when he finished 39th due to a payback accident when he sacrificed a decent finish because he wasn't going to accept blocking.

Stewart is a borderline underperformer only because he has not won a race and he could be easily out as a Chase contender if he doesn't maintain consistency with top finishes.

The two-time Cup champion needs to gather things together and with a one-two finish with his teammate at New Hampshire; perhaps we have seen a preview of his performance during the next seven races.

7. A.J. Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger is one of those drivers who looked to have all the pieces together for a really good season in the newly reorganized 2011 edition of Richard Petty Motorsports.

He is the driver of the legendary No. 43 Ford with a strong sponsor in Best Buy. Allmendinger was expected to be the lead driver with teammate Marcos Ambrose.

Currently Allmendinger ranks 16th in the point standings with no wins and four top-10s, which includes just one top-five finish.

Allmendinger was super excited about the new season this year, but it seems unlikely he will get a win or move much higher in the final points.

8. Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford for Roush Fenway Racing has finished no worse than seventh in the points since 2008 and had two wins in 2010.

This season he is currently ranked 15th in the point standings with five top-10's, one of which was a top-five finish and zero wins.

He spent a considerable amount of time fussing with his crew chief, Greg Erwin, this year and just recently Erwin was replaced by Matt Puccia.

Biffle is the only driver of the four at RFR who has signed a contract extension and they retained the sponsorship of 3M.

It is a bit surprising that he hasn't found his way to Victory Lane and his new crew chief is a variable that may bring a turnaround with top finishes or maybe not.

9. Brian Vickers

Brian Vickers had a tough year in 2010 with medical problems that took him away from NASCAR racing, but at the start of the 2011 season he felt strong and ready to get back to his job at Red Bull Racing.

Vickers drives the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota and he is ranked 26th in the points. He is another driver with five top-10 finishes and only one being a top five.

In addition to poor performance, Red Bull Racing announced they were pulling out of NASCAR as team owners though they plan to still have some presence most likely with sponsorship.

Kasey Kahne is Vicker's teammate in the two car stable, but he has a cool job at Hendrick Motorsports in the 2012 season and Vickers will be a free agent with no ride.

There is no doubt this RBR driver did not bounce back with consistency and top finishes, let alone a win. He is certainly one to be ranked as an underperformer and you have to wonder where he will be in 2012.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

If you look at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 2011 season, compared to the last two you could hardly call him an underperformer.

Junior climbed to third in the point standings and it appeared the new combination with the driver of the Amp Energy/National Guard No. 88 and crew chief, Steve Letarte, looked to be headed for a win.

The Hendrick Motorsports project that switched the drivers to different teams, except for the No. 48 team, was working just as planned for Earnhardt Jr.

Then things started going wrong for the team with accidents and mishaps that weren't the driver's fault. Though Dale Jr. claims confidence in the team's ability to make the chase, he remains winless for 112 races.

The driver of the No.88 has slipped to ninth in the point standings and is only seven points from slipping out of the top 10.

The Junior naysayers will say he is just returning to his old ways, especially when he complains about tires, the COT, road courses and all the things the other drivers in the Cup series have to deal with.

With only seven races left, Junior Nation still has reason to hope for a win and more finishes to add to the three top-five and eight top-10 finishes he has this season.

It won't take much for Earnhardt Jr. to continue his slide which would guarantee his place as an underperformer, but maybe, just maybe he is right and they will make the Chase.