Teams that need good race

As I mentioned last night, Sunday's race at Sonoma is one of great importance, as teams need to start getting serious about making the Chase and running well. Here are the drivers who are in dire need, or at least could use, a good, clean race:

• Jeff Gordon- An entire article was dedicated to him yesterday. Like I said, he hasn't been doing too poorly, but ninth place isn't good enough for how much talent him and his team have. His car has looked good so far, and he's had great success at Infineon in the past, so anything less than a top five finish is a disappointment.
• Kevin Harvick- Harvick hasn't been talked about much this year. He has been struggling, explaining why he's gone so unnoticed. Infineon is a track where he can run well, so this can be a week to gain some momentum.
• Clint Bowyer- Bowyer is currently on a five-race skid in which he hasn't gotten a top ten finish, putting him on the brink of being out of the Chase(even though he could easily get back in). He needs a good race, or he could fall all the way out of contention, continuing the slide.
• Juan Montoya- This is pretty much the most obvious one. After a fairly promising rookie season last year, Montoya has been awful in 2008, with just one top ten, leaving him twenty-second in the standings. He won last year at Sonoma, so he can run well this race to get some confidence back.
• Boris Said- It feels kind of odd saying a road-course specialist needs a good race. But, Said really does. He has yet to make a Cup event this season, and got just one top ten in five starts last year. He obviously knows this track better than pretty much anyone else, so anything less than a top ten is not good enough.
• Scott Pruett- Pruett, the road-coursing ace, is filling in for Reed Sorenson this week. He needs a good run mainly for the forty-one car, as it is just twenty-nine points ahead of thirty-fifth place in the standings, which guarantees qualification for each race.