Four drivers enjoy rebirths during 2008 Cup season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The 2008 season may go down as the Year of the Turnarounds in the Sprint Cup Series.

A number of drivers have left a disappointing 2007 behind them, and this season they find themselves either inside the top 12 or on the verge of entering the coveted territory.

Those drivers are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and David Ragan. Below is a look at each of their turnarounds.

Earnhardt Jr.

• Community
• Superstore

Earnhardt has quickly adapted to his new Hendrick Motorsports surroundings.

Last season, through 14 races, Earnhardt had one top-five and five top-10s -- and a 14th-place points position. In 2008, he has six top-fives, 10 top-10s -- and, of course, sits third in the series standings.

The Driver Rating statistic alone tells the story of 2007 vs. 2008 for Earnhardt. Last season at this juncture, Earnhardt had a Driver Rating of 95.1. This season, he has a 104.8, which ranks second in the series behind Kyle Busch's 108.8. Last season through 14 races, Earnhardt had six Driver Ratings above 100 (and 12 in all 36 races of 2007). This season, he already has 11.

Below are his single-race Driver Ratings over the last two years:

Biffle

• Community
• Superstore

After finishing second in final series standings in 2005, Biffle missed the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in each of the last two seasons. If this year's success continues, he'll easily be back in the Chase.

Last year through 14 races, Biffle had one top-five, three top-10s and sat 19th in the standings. This season, he has five top-fives, seven top-10s and ranks seventh in the standings.

As with Earnhardt, Biffle's Driver Rating has also taken a huge jump. Last season at this time, Biffle had a Driver Rating of 73.0, and earned a 100-plus Driver Rating in only one of the first 14 races. This season, he's at 94.7, notching Driver Ratings of 100-plus seven times.

Kahne

• Community
• Superstore

After a series-high six wins in 2006, Kahne tanked in 2007. This season's a completely different story, as Kahne has returned to his winning ways with victories in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Last season was an unforgettable one for Kahne. He scored his lone top-10 finish of the first 14 races with a seventh-place run in the season-opening Daytona 500, and was mired in 28th place after 14 races. This season, Kahne has two wins, seven top-10s and sits ninth in the series standings.

His Driver Rating has grown more than 17 points this season. Through 14 races last season, Kahne had a Driver Rating of 70.6, and in only one of those races did he score above 100.0. This season, Kahne has earned a Driver Rating of 87.7, with five races above 100.0. At Pocono, he came close to notching a rare perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 -- he boasted one of 145.2.

Ragan

• Community
• Superstore

Ragan, arguably the surprise story of the season, is enjoying a tremendous second year that might result in a Chase berth.

Last season, Ragan had one top-five finish the entire season. He has two already in 2008.

After 14 races last season, he was in 26th place. Currently, Ragan's in 13th, just seven points behind 12th-place Tony Stewart.

In terms of Driver Rating, Ragan is almost unrecognizable when compared to his 2007 form. After 14 races last season, Ragan had a Driver Rating of 51.3. This season, he's up to 80.2.