David Ragan has posted five top 15 results in his first nine races, rebounding from an inauspicious start to his sophomore season. Chris Trotman/Getty Images Tom Bowles's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

In a star-driven circuit like NASCAR, it's easy to get hung up on the stellar seasons put forth by Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and the others near the top of the standings.

But when 43 drivers put the pedal to the metal each weekend, there's always people who fall through the cracks, exceeding expectations in their middle-of-the-road programs but never getting the media attention they deserve.

Until now.

Taking a break from the rigors of covering the top 12, here's four wheelmen you might not have heard about -- and a fifth you've probably forgotten -- who are quietly putting together 2008 seasons to be proud of. Sure, they're not going to win the championship, but this group of young talent is busy building their resumes to attempt a move into that top echelon down the road.

David Ragan

He opened his sophomore season back in February with a rookie mistake at the Daytona 500, making contact with teammate Matt Kenseth to send both drivers into the wall. The error in judgment ended their chances of winning the Great American Race. With Kenseth ranking 36th and Ragan 42nd, both started the year in a deep hole.

But while '03 champ Kenseth has continued to flounder, it's the 22-year-old Ragan who's crawling upward and onward. That DNF represents the lone mistake in a season in which he's collected five top 15 finishes in his first nine starts; by comparison, the Roush Fenway driver had eight throughout his entire rookie year.

Just 35 points out of the top 12, Ragan has consistently outperformed fellow Roush teammate Jamie McMurray while displaying none of the erratic driving that plagued him last season. Not surprisingly, the difference appears to come from the top of the pit box, where the calm, cool demeanor of championship-winning crew chief Jimmy Fennig has finally begun to rub off on a driver fighting for his future.

Sponsor AAA leaves at the end of the season, giving Roush Fenway the option to cut their losses. They're supposed to contract from five teams to four by the end of the 2009 season, but with the way Ragan continues to perform, it's not likely he'll be the driver on the chopping block.

David Gilliland

Another driver in his second full season, Gilliland has spent 2008 fighting to keep the dream alive. His Yates Racing car doesn't have a primary sponsor, with freecreditreport.com only on board for seven of the 36 events on the schedule. But the California native is putting up a valiant effort, finally showcasing the talent many saw when he won his lone Nationwide Series race in '06 with an underdog operation. Posting three consecutive 15th-place finishes for the first time in his career, Gilliland has now quietly snuck up to 18th in the standings, outperforming supposed championship contenders Kenseth and Kurt Busch to date.

The key to the No. 38's success has been its ability to finish races. Once a wreck waiting to happen, Gilliland has yet to post a DNF while completing all but 10 laps this year. Now the question is simply how long his underfunded program can keep going without the proper financial backing in place. While the team has repeatedly stated it's not worried about closing up shop, let's put it this way: running an unsponsored car in NASCAR's top level series requires deep pockets.

Paul Menard

Last season, Menard was the trendy underdog pick to battle Juan Pablo Montoya for Rookie of the Year. But after failing to qualify for the Daytona 500, he suffered through a freshman campaign that never seemed to get off the ground. In 2008 it's been a different story. Menard began the year with a guaranteed spot in the top 35 and it's made all the difference.

With qualifying no longer an issue, the sophomore's put together a consistent campaign, posting seven finishes of 22nd or better in DEI's No. 15 Chevrolet. Talladega last Sunday was arguably the best performance of his Cup career. Leading three laps, Menard was a contender for the win before contact with Montoya sent him spinning through the tri-oval while running in the top 5. Still, Menard recovered from that melee to come home 14th, his best run of the season.

As with Ragan, the crew chief appears to have made a difference here. Doug Randolph came over from Petty Enterprises to lead the team in November, and he's provided a guiding hand that appeared to be lacking throughout Menard's '07 campaign.

Travis Kvapil

After a full season away from the Cup Series, Kvapil is making the most of a second opportunity. Coming off a career-best sixth-place finish at Talladega with the No. 28 Yates Racing Ford, Kvapil is 23rd in the points with a car that's spent over half the year with no sponsorship on the hood. However, companies are taking notice of the Wisconsin native's success. Discount Tire and Lafayette Ford have stepped up to back the program at Richmond and Darlington. That means in 11 events, Kvapil will have had six different primary sponsors. If the team could just find one to stick for the rest of the season, it would have the final piece of the puzzle needed to make a run at the top 20 in points.

And don't forget about ...

Casey Mears

With the 2008 free agent market about to explode, rumors are rampant about Mears' job security in the midst of an early-season slump. But before you believe what you hear, just check out what's happened at the No. 5 team over the last month or so.

With three Top 11 finishes in the last four races, Mears has quietly laid the groundwork to dig out of a hole that saw him drop to a season low of 33rd in points. Now 24th, the fourth driver in the Hendrick stable has cut the deficit between himself and the 12th-place cutoff for the Chase from 227 to 151. That number can be easily overcome with another month or two of consistent performances.

Don't forget, we're entering the May-June stretch where Mears caught fire back in 2007. Starting with the Coke 600, he collected a win and three top five finishes -- the best four-race stretch of his career. The season may have started with a thud, but don't count this guy out just yet.