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David Poole

David Poole covers NASCAR for

The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer

Sprint Cup Champion: It's hard to pick against Jimmie Johnson, so I won't. The third straight championship will be the hardest, but somebody is going to have to prove to me the No. 48 team can be defeated.

Biggest surprises in the Chase: I believe Casey Mears is going to have a big year because I think his talents and his new team's abilities will match up nicely. And I think Clint Bowyer might take half a step backward this year.

Biggest issue facing NASCAR: NASCAR has painted itself into a corner with this business about letting drivers show their emotions. Somebody will go too far, and how do you say "that's too much" when you're tacitly asking for people to act like children in the first place?

The story most likely to sneak up on us: A lot of big-time driver contracts are, to varying degrees, not locked up long-term as tight as you might think they would be. Don't think Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to be the last top-tier driver to change jobs.

Four things NASCAR could (and should) do tomorrow: 1. Use double-file restarts with lead lap cars up front of all lapped cars. 2. Limit any one car owner to no more than three guaranteed starting spots under the top 35 rule. 3. Make any driver eligible for a top 35 exemption in a Sprint Cup race ineligible for a guaranteed spot in a Nationwide Series race. 4. Give each race winner a 500-point bonus for his first (just the first, not every) win in the regular season and again in the Chase.

Jim Utter

Jim Utter covers NASCAR for

The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer

Sprint Cup Champion: Kyle Busch. Yes, he's young. Yes, he's driving a Toyota. And yes, he has the talent. The maturity he developed at the end of 2007 on and off the track will allow him to join his older brother, Kurt, as a champion.

Biggest surprises in the Chase: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman get in; Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton get left out. You thought you read a lot about Earnhardt Jr. last season? You just wait. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Biggest issue facing NASCAR: The impending budget crunch on the economy, which affects everything from the reporters sent by media to cover the sport to the lack of big-money sponsors for teams to the cost fans face to watch it.

Most needed change: Stop holding races on the West Coast that start in primetime on the East. Nobody stays up that late to watch and the results barely - if at all - get reported the next day by the East Coast media.

Best championship battle: Will come in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series. The talent pool and the personalities just get better each season.

Jim Pedley

Jim Pedley covers NASCAR for

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star

Sprint Cup Champion: Jeff Gordon. They say that consistency makes champions. One of these years, it actually will and Gordon, a top-10 finish machine, will win his fifth championship. That year will be this year.

Biggest surprise in the Chase: It won't be a driver but a manufacturer. Toyotas will make the Chase en masse this year. As many as five could make it with the three Gibbs drivers leading the way.

Biggest issue facing NASCAR: Stagnant interest level among fans. NASCAR absolutely needs to get aggressive on things like the cost of being a NASCAR fan. Ticket prices, hotel rates and track food need to be addressed, not rationalized.

Junior achievement: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will win four Sprint Cup races this season for Hendrick. They will come at a variety of tracks. One may even come at a road course.

Canada attacks: A Canadian driver will win a Sprint Cup race this year. And it won't even be necessary for Jimmie Johnson to move to Montreal to accomplish that.

John Sturbin

John Sturbin covers NASCAR for the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram

Sprint Cup Champion: Jeff Gordon. Sir Jeff was schooled by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson last year, and realizes he and crew chief Steve Letarte have to get more aggressive with race-day setups.

Biggest surprise in the Chase: Denny Hamlin. After back-to-back Chases, he'll become odd-man-out at Joe Gibbs Racing in a power play led by two-time Cup champ Tony Stewart and newcomer Kyle Busch.

Biggest issue facing NASCAR: Reunification of open-wheel racing under Tony George's IRL IndyCar Series. JUST KIDDING! An extended economic downturn will have greater impact on the discretionary spending patterns of NASCAR Nation.

Bonus prediction: Cup superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. will justify his move to Hendrick Motorsports with a comeback campaign including multiple wins, a return to the Chase and an expanded, non-NASCAR, fan base.

Bonus prediction 2: As Ford loyalist and team-owner Jack Roush predicted a year ago, Toyota's Cup programme will flourish thanks to its alignment with Joe Gibbs Racing and the input of engine guru Mark Cronquist.[[In-content Ad]]

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