Are you ready? The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season gets under way next Sunday, February 7 at the Daytona International Speedway with an all-new reformulated Shootout.

But that special race will not be the exact preview of the 2009 season. The real test will begin on February 12 with the Gatorade Duel that will define the Daytona 500 starting grid on February 15.

What kind of season 2009 will be? Last year, the big story was the invasion of the open-wheel racers into NASCAR. It turned out to be a big disappointment. This year the big story wants to be the impact the American economy will have on the series. We all wish there will be no such impact. We'd rather hear real stories about the drivers, the heroes, the teams.

Will Jimmie Johnson do what has never been done, winning a fourth championship in a row? Will his 2008 opponents Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards beat him to the finish line? Will Jeff Gordon, who has not won a race last year, bounce back?

Will Dale Earnhardt finally prove that he did the right move by joining the Hendrick team? Will Mark Martin finally win a Sprint Cup championship? How will Tony Stewart do now that he is a team owner? Who will be the surprise driver of the year, Joey Logano, Scott Speed, A.J. Allmendinger?

Will Canadians Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve be back?

How will Montoya perform with Chevrolet? And finally, how will fans react? Are you ready?


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