Front Row Motorsports and Furniture Row Racing are the featured teams in the third of a series of articles previewing NASCAR's teams for the 2012 season.

Today, Luke Krmpotich and Sam Salo take a look at two organizations that are slowly moving into the ranks of teams that are race contenders on a weekly basis.

In 2011, a Front Row Motorsports Ford nearly won the Daytona 500, while Regan Smith won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in his Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. Smith and his team continue to improve together, while FRM upgraded their driver stable by hiring David Ragan, a race-winner in 2011. Expect both teams to continue to elevate their performance throughout the upcoming season.

Front Row Motorsports

David Ragan - #34

Sam: Ragan finds himself in a situation similar to those of Kurt Busch and David Reutimann—that is to say, a driver formerly at a top-tier organization taking a step down the ladder in 2012. Beyond highlighting a sluggish economy, this also underscores the make it or break it status of Ragan's career in NASCAR's top series.

After a half-decade at Roush with lackluster results, Ragan now finds himself as top dog at FRM. Certainly, FRM hopes to take a Roush-pedigree driver and achieve consistent results, although those goals are more aimed around top-25 points results rather than Chase goals, which is what Ragan is accustomed to.

Luke: Perhaps David Ragan will thrive in an atmosphere with lower pressure than he felt at Roush Fenway. The likable and friendly 26-year-old lost his ride following last season, despite putting up his best numbers in four years and capturing his first career Cup win.

Ragan takes over a car that finished 31st in the championship points in 2011 with two top-10’s—including a top-5 in the Daytona 500. Ragan, who won the summer Daytona race last season, knows the restrictor-plate races will give him a good chance to win. Look for him near the front when the series heads to those tracks.

David Gilliland - #38

Sam: The second David of FRM comes off a decent 2011 season, one which saw him maintain a solid foothold in the top-35 and achieve success on superspeedways and road courses. The highlight was a near-win third place showing in the crown-jewel Daytona 500. The goals will be similar this year: keep a strong footing in the top 35 or 30, and go for the gold at David's strong suit tracks, which include Daytona, Talladega, and Sonoma.

Luke: David Gilliland figures to benefit from another season with a team owner that is committed to improving his team's equipment and the addition of a driver in Ragan who will bring a wealth of experience and a different perspective to FRM. The No. 38 finished just inside the top 35 in owners points last year, but I expect a finish closer to the top 25 in 2012. And don't be shocked to see Gilliland finish in the top 10 on multiple occasions this year. This is a team on the rise.

Furniture Row Racing

Regan Smith - #78

Sam: FRR comes off a year marked by utterly superb qualifying efforts by Smith and an epic, underdog win at Darlington. Another win is certainly the organization's vision, as well as contending for a top-20 points finish.

Most likely, however, efforts will be centered around making race results and average running position match more closely to qualifying numbers. Whatever the case, FRR will continue to be the little team that could, a high honor in a racing world dominated by superpowers like Hendrick and Roush Fenway.

Luke: Regan Smith provided the NASCAR world with a shocker in 2011 by besting Carl Edwards at Darlington, despite running on older tires. I hope Tony Stewart sent Regan a nice Christmas card, because if Edwards had won that race, Stewart wouldn’t have won the Sprint Cup championship.

Going forward, Furniture Row Racing will be aiming for more race wins and avoiding the disappointing finishes that doomed the No. 78 to a 26th-place finish in the standings. If Smith can get into the top 20 in points, anything—including a wild card Chase berth—becomes possible with a race win and a little luck.

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