FanHouse 10for09

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

What will we be talking about when the winning Daytona 500 car is being wheeled out of victory circle and the blue collar portion of the schedule kicks in? Daytona is an anomaly -- a one-of-a-kind, everybody's all-in race. The true tests of NASCAR viability will come in late spring and summer away from locales like Daytona, Las Vegas and Los Angeles and into the backcountry of Darlington, S.C. and Martinsville, Virginia; into hard-hit economies in places like Pocono, Pa. and Detroit.

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

The last time backstretch tickets to the Daytona 500 were this cheap, Sterling Marlin pulled into Daytona victory lane to collect his second consecutive 500 trophy and a young Jeff Gordon went on to finish the season 34 points ahead of Dale Earnhardt to claim his first Winston Cup championship.

That was 14 years ago and America's interest in NASCAR was just being piqued. Corporate America was figuring out the sport's massive potential. Drivers were accessible, candid, genuinely grateful for any media coverage they could generate and still a bit surprised to be recognized by fans West of the Mississippi or north of the Mason Dixon.

It was NASCAR on-the-verge. Just as it is now.

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

Only a few years ago I was writing about Jeff Gordon eclipsing the seven Cup championships earned by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. All the statistics indicated he was on pace to become NASCAR's greatest champ. I was totally convinced we would witness a historic eighth.

So maybe I was wrong.

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

In the days -- even hours -- leading up to the 2008 season finale, Jimmie Johnson was uncomfortable talking about his impending third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, even though all he had to do was finish 36th or better in the last race. Johnson preferred to wait until he had wrapped his arms around the hardware and the historic feat was accomplished. He didn't want to assume anything.

Now he better get used to a new round of questioning.

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

No sport is more intrinsically affected by the economic slowdown than auto racing and, specifically, NASCAR. Corporate America is more cautious with the sponsorship money it had been throwing NASCAR's way for years and the average fan has to really consider if he and his family can afford a race weekend.

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

Especially early on, one of the most intriguing storylines of the season will be the success of the mega-mergers.

Will we see Kumbaya moments or power-plays as some of the biggest names and egos in the sport join hands hoping there's strength in numbers?

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

Let's be real. The teams that were winning when NASCAR allowed formal testing will still be the teams winning now that it's not allowed. The new policy eliminating testing at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks this season will save teams money, but don't expect it to even the playing field.

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

For those of you that still don't see Tony Stewart as a "glass half full" kind of guy, look no farther than the most ambitious project of his diverse career: Stewart Haas Racing.