Top 5: Drivers with something to prove in '11

As 2010 comes to a close, NASCAR.COM looks back at the season that was and forward at the season that's looming on the horizon with some Top 5 lists.

In Thursday's list, Mark Aumann looks at the top-five drivers with something to prove in 2011.

Matt Crafton

For the third year in a row, Matt Crafton finished in the top five in the Camping World Truck Series standings and nearly matched his career highs in top-five and top-10 finishes. But he went winless for the second consecutive season and slipped from second to fourth in the points, a direction he definitely wants to reverse in 2011.

"This team shouldn't be happy with top-10 finishes," Crafton said. "We should be happy with top-fives. We definitely haven't had the year we wanted to, especially coming off 2009. We had a pretty damn good year, and this year has not lived up to that standard."

Since his lone Truck win at Charlotte in 2008, Crafton's come close to making a return trip to Victory Lane but circumstances just haven't been in his favor. He led in just three of 25 races in 2010, but he finished the season with five top-fives in his final seven starts -- and started on the pole at Texas -- which could bode well for a breakthrough season.

Related: Crafton ends season with 16 consecutive top-10s

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Every driver in NASCAR is under the microscope for his on-track performance, but none more so than Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was welcomed into the Hendrick Motorsports stable with great fanfare and greater expectations.

But three full seasons have resulted in just one victory -- that coming at Michigan in 2008 in a fuel-mileage gamble -- leaving team owner Rick Hendrick little choice but to shuffle crew chiefs and personnel in an effort to help Earnhardt regain some confidence. He'll be working with Steve Letarte in 2011, the crew chief who guided Jeff Gordon to 10 wins in a five-year span.

"I needed this to happen," Earnhardt said. "Hopefully this is a good position. Hopefully this will get me back to winning races, running in the top five, running in the top 10."

For the driver who turned 36 in October and should be in the prime of his career with an organization that has won five consecutive Cup championships, getting back to Victory Lane is of paramount importance.

Related: Changes offer Junior best chance yet at comeback

Joey Logano

Ever since Mark Martin claimed Joey Logano was the "real deal," expectations have been high for the youngster, who was a consistent winner at every step of his racing career. But the big splash Logano was expected to have on the Cup Series has been more of a ripple, with one win in two full seasons.

Logano found himself embroiled in several altercations with veteran drivers in 2010. Following a late-race wreck with Kevin Harvick at Pocono, he unleashed one the best quotes of the season when he said, "His wife wears the firesuit in the family." He and Ryan Newman had to be pulled away from each other at Michigan. And he wrecked Juan Montoya under caution in the season finale for a perceived slight earlier in the race.

In any case, Logano was a different driver the second half of the season. He scored seven top-10 finishes in the final 11 races of the year, including a five-race stretch where he finished no worse than seventh. And with the continued guidance of veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli, the 20-year-old expects bigger and better things in 2011.

Related: Season in Review

Brian Vickers

Coming off a season in which he made his first Chase, Brian Vickers had high hopes in 2010. And even though he had gotten off to a rocky start to the season, including back-to-back crashes at Texas and Talladega, Vickers rebounded with a 10th-place finish at Darlington and felt things were looking up.

But while on a trip to Washington, D.C. in May, Vickers began complaining of chest pain and was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs and lungs, which led to the stunning revelation that he had a congenital heart defect. Doctors then performed surgery to close the hole in his heart but it meant Vickers was done for the year.

"What I love to do is race," Vickers said. "It's not only my job, but it's my passion. I definitely have been missing that need for speed, the competition. But at the same time, it's nice to take a break. ... I just miss being in the car. I miss doing 200 mph, banging fenders with the guys I love and hate. I've missed it all."

Vickers, who claims he's in the best shape of his life, has been cleared to drive in 2011. He said his passion and desire to race hasn't dimmed, and whether that translates into continued success may depend on how quickly he gets back up to speed and how well he works with new teammate, Kasey Kahne.

Related: Vickers has heart surgery, vows to return in '11

Steve Wallace

If there's a driver in the Nationwide Series primed for a breakout season in 2011, it could be Steve Wallace. Rusty's son turned 23 in August and has shown steady improvement. His 13 top-10s and 22 lead-lap finishes in 2010 were career highs.

On the other hand, he had the fewest top-fives of any driver who finished in the top 12 in points -- that being a fifth-place run at Gateway -- and after leading three laps in the season-opener at Daytona, he never led another lap all year. Plus, he continues to fight the perception that he's hard on equipment. Wallace was sidelined five times by crashes and twice by engine failures in 2010.

There's no doubt new crew chief Doug Randolph will help continue Wallace's learning process. Most recently working the pit box for Ricky Carmichael, the veteran Randolph said he sees untapped potential on the No. 66 team.

"Steve's definitely been one of the most improved drivers the last couple of years and has really developed into one of the best Nationwide Series guys out there," Randolph said.

Consistency will be the key for Wallace if he wants to break into the win column in 2011.

Related: Randolph to crew chief Wallace in 2011

Related:
Top 5: Overlooked stories in 2010
Top 5: Most memorable races of 2010
Top 5: Surprising moments of 2010
Top 5: Drivers to watch in 2011
Top 5: Issues facing NASCAR