NASCAR is back, and for the next 10 months, there will be 36 races, all leading up to who will be crowned the Sprint Cup Champion of 2009. Many changes have come to NASCAR in recent years, beginning with the "car of tomorrow," which is now the "car of today." Teams are more alike than ever, with almost identical cars. With the shape of the economy, many teams have undergone layoffs, and NASCAR even banned testing during the off season. All of this has been in an effort to save money, and although things looked dim at first, 2009 promises to be a good year for NASCAR.
Along with those changes, many drivers and sponsors have been swapped around as well. Starting with Hendrick, Mark Martin joins the ranks as Casey Mears heads over to RCR, giving them 4 cars. Also, Tony Stewart left Gibbs Racing after 10 years and formed his own team, pulling Ryan Newman with him. This allowed Joey Lagano, an 18 year old, to fill the spot at Gibbs Racing. Richard Petty's team went under financially, but Gillett-Evernham Motorsports pulled him in and joined forces, keeping the Petty name in NASCAR. And with all of these changes, NASCAR is still going.
So what does 2009 hold? After the manufacture dual at the Bud Shootout Saturday night, 2009 looks exciting. And Daytona is right around the corner. The Gatorade Duals are Thursday afternoon, and the 500 is Sunday. And early projections say that Jimmie Johnson will not win the championship this year. Instead, they predict Carl Edwards to be on top come November. But that is all speculation. There are 43+ drivers, 36 races, and 10 months of racing to go. And no one will know who the champion will be until that final lap at Homestead, Miami.
Matt
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