Hamlin, Bowyer both defying sophomore slump

	Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin not only are defying what most expect of sophomores, they are in the mix for a championship. AP
	Recent Sophomore Slumps Driver Rookie Year Finish Soph. Year Finish Bobby Hamilton 1991 22nd 1992 25th Jeff Burton 1994 24th 1995 32nd Elliott Sadler 1999 24th 2000 29th Matt Kenseth 2000 14th 2001 13th Kevin Harvick 2001 9th 2002 21st Kasey Kahne 2004 13th 2005 23rd Scott Wimmer 2004 27th 2005 32nd Scott Riggs 2004 29th 2005 34th Carl Edwards 2005 3rd 2006 12th

In virtually every sport, the dreaded "sophomore slump" is an accepted rite of passage. Whether it's basketball or bocce, legend seems to dictate that athletes who have "rookie" removed from their title stumble and fall flat on their faces in their second year of play, done in by a combination of bad luck and poor performance.

In NASCAR, the story's no different as a healthy roster of sophomore disappointments over the last decade have given life to the notion of the second-year slump. For every Jimmie Johnson maintaining success throughout his career, there's been another driver tumbling down the Nextel Cup standings during a disappointing second-year experience. Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Kevin Harvick are just a few of the more notable wheelmen this decade who appeared ready for a breakout second season, then found bad finishes and bad karma around every corner they turned.

Carl Edwards was the latest victim, winning four times in 2005, his first full season on tour, en route to a third place finish in points. Both a fan and media darling, the strength of that result made Edwards the preseason favorite to win it all last year. Instead, early struggles had a "crew chief wanted" sign hanging at Roush Racing by April. With the change at the top doing no good, a winless Edwards finished the year 12th, out of the Chase and out of the spotlight.

But this year has proved different, very different. Both Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer find themselves in position to buck the recent sophomore trend. A look at the current standings shows both of them solidly in Chase contention -- and on-track performance clearly labels them as two men striving to be championship contenders.

Hamlin's '07 résumé includes four top-15 finishes in his first six starts -- along with 302 laps led in the last two races, thrusting him back into the national spotlight after a rookie year that had him third in points, matching Edwards' '05 performance.

As for Bowyer, his rookie season was filled with inconsistency -- a pattern he's trying to put to bed with five lead-lap finishes in the first six races of this year.

Side-by-side, the two men sit sixth and seventh in Nextel Cup points, offering proof that legend isn't always reality.

How are both men bucking the trend? With a lot of teamwork.