The 2009 Sprint Cup season could be considered thecommencement of a new era in NASCAR. Smaller fields, less sponsorship dollars to play with, a testing ban onall NASCAR sanctioned facilities, and of course, no Petty Enterprises allcontribute to the new-look .  A plethora of changes define the upcomingseason, but still the show must go on. 

Who will win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship?  It is difficult to project at thispoint.  Well, not really.  Jimmie Johnson is the odds-on favorite in Las Vegas, while CarlEdwards and Kyle Busch are solid picks as well. When most of the preview guides are released to the retailers inlate-January, one of those three drivers will be the projected champion. Acouple of dark horse picks may include Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, and JeffBurton, all who performed well towards the tail end of the 2008 season. 

How will Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman perform with thenewly-formed Stewart Haas Racing?  Nowthat is difficult to project at this point in time, and even after the seasonbegins.  It is likely that both driverswill win or two, especially onone of the shorter tracks and possibly a restrictor plate track, but overall,they are in for a taxing transition.  Bothdrivers could easily miss the Chase for the Championship.  It could really go either way.

Who will win the 2009 rookie of the year award?  It will come down to Joe Gibbs Racing?steenage driver Joey Logano, and former Formula One driver Scott Speed, who isdriving the Red Bull Racing entry.  WhileLogano was the center of hype in 2008, it is time to see if he is the realdeal.  He inherits the third most winningride of this decade.  Only the 48 and 24teams have more wins since 2000.  Loganolooked like a complete amateur in his handful of Sprint Cup starts lastfall.  Speed may come out on top.  He was scrupulously developed at Red BullRacing, and appears to be more seasoned. He also performed respectably in his handful of Sprint Cup starts.  

Will Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth win a race?  Both champions are sure to revisit a longlost love- that being victory lane. Gordon and Kenseth are two of the top five drivers in our sport, soexpect them to rejoin the fraternity of winners in 2009.  Kevin Harvick will also find victory lane in2009. 

Is there a former champion that may not win in 2009?  Bobby Labonte is now a darkhorse afterspending the latter stages of the 1990's and early years in the 2000's as aperennial championship contender.  The2000 champion has yet to sign on with another team after leaving PettyEnterprises.  Unless Penske Racingresolves their dire performance issues, Kurt Busch may undergo his firstwinless season since 2001, his rookie season. As mentioned earlier, Tony Stewart could perhaps fail to win a race forthe first time in his career, as he is not a car owner as opposed to just adriver.

Who is going to win their first career race in 2009?  After no victory lane newbies in 2008, weshould see a couple of first-time winners in 2009.  David Ragan, A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Logano,and Scott Speed are solid candidates. 

Who will emerge as the comeback driver of the year?  Last year, it was Greg Biffle.  This year, Martin Truex, Jr and JamieMcMurray are possibilities.