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Petty Enterprises is no more, but now there's a Richard Petty Motorsports. Dale Earnhardt Inc. does not race in NASCAR, but Earnhardt Ganassi Racing does. Bill Davis Racing no longer exists, but Hall of Fame Racing remains.

Mergers, closures and partnerships have changed the Sprint Cup landscape. But hey, if Tony Stewart can hire Ryan Newman — the man who passed Stewart on the final lap to win last year's Daytona 500 — anything's possible.

Despite the flurry of activity, Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing all appear as strong as ever.

The champion, once again, will come from those teams. That's getting ahead of things.

In a season with many questions — from the troubling economy to Jimmie Johnson's injured finger — here are 20 key issues to ponder before the Daytona 500 (and, yes, Johnson is recovering from cutting his finger in late January).

1. Denny Hamlin says he needs to be a leader as the senior driver at Joe Gibbs Racing. Can he do it?

Saying it and being it are two different things. Key is how he handles the bad times. If he can do a better job than last year - remember how he said after the Michigan race in August his team didn't deserve to make the Chase - he could reach his goals.

2. Is this the year Mark Martin finally wins a Cup championship?

No. Martin could win a race again and that would make a nice story (his last win came in October 2005), but he'll likely go down as one of the sport's best drivers who never won a Cup title, joining a group that includes Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner and Junior Johnson. Maybe not a fair title, but it's a heck of a group to be associated with.

3. Can anyone beat Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch?

One of them, yes, but not all of them.

4. Richard Childress Racing has put all of its cars in the Chase each of the past two years. Can it do it again?

No. First, the team has expanded to four cars, so that makes it more difficult. Second, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick talked in the offseason about the team needing more speed to lead more laps. RCR's three drivers combined failed to lead five percent of all laps run last year. You've got to lead to win.

5. So when is Jeff Gordon going to win again?

Now that he's the underdog, he can take solace in the fact that the Arizona Cardinals reached the Super Bowl, the Tampa Bay Rays reached the World Series and the Davidson Wildcats shocked everyone by nearly making the Final Four. It's Gordon's turn. Expect to see him reach victory lane by May — if not sooner.

6. What would be a successful year at Stewart-Haas Racing? Can Tony handle ownership?

That's two questions. A successful year would be getting Stewart or teammate Ryan Newman into the Chase. If both made it, it would be considered remarkable. Remember — Stewart owns race teams in other series, so ownership is nothing new. He'll just have to adjust to the enormity of this effort.

7. Are the races going to be any better?

NASCAR will tell you the racing is as close as it has ever been. Fans will tell you different. We'll soon find out.

8. Whatever happened to Terry Labonte, Kirk Shelmerdine, Carl Long, John Andretti, Mike Skinner and Scott Riggs?

They're all scheduled to try to make the Daytona 500. Many are planning to run more races afterward since it's likely some teams will fade away, making it easier to qualify.

9. How many teams that make the Daytona 500 won't finish the season because of financial constraints?

At least four.

10. Will there be full fields for Cup races?

Early on, yes. Later in the season, maybe not. Then again, expect a lot of guys to try to make the race and park it after a few laps.

11. What about the other series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series?

Let's put it this way, if you've got a car that could fit the NASCAR templates or a truck, you could likely make either field, run a few laps and collect a paycheck.

12. Last year, there were 12 different winners, the fewest since 1999. Will there be more this year?

Yes. Figure 14 different winners.

13. Any first-time winners this year?

Yes. David Ragan.

14. Is this the end of Michael Waltrip?

As a driver? Yes. As a pitchman? No. Waltrip says if he can't compete at the level teammate David Reutimann does or his sponsors expect, Waltrip says he "probably won't do this again in 2010."

15. Rookie of the year? Joey Logano, Max Papis or Scott Speed?

The excitement around Logano subsided last year after he struggled in three races. Speed will challenge, while Papis is not scheduled to run the full season. Edge goes to Logano.

16. Who is a driver that could surprise?

Casey Mears. He's got Clint Bowyer's crew, a group that has made the Chase the last two seasons.

17. What will it take for Dale Jr. to win a title?

A lot.

18. Come on, what will it take?

Junior can't fade during the latter part of the season (he had two top-10s in the last nine races last year) and has to make his car stronger in the second half of races. Those are big challenges. Until he solves both, he won't win a Cup crown.

19. Will Goodyear come up with a better tire to avoid repeating the fiasco at last year's race at Indianapolis?

If it can't after a year's worth of research and testing, then NASCAR should rip up Goodyear's contract and bring in another tire supplier. Don't think it will come to that, though.

20. So who is going to win the title?

Carl Edwards. Combination of Roush and his emergence will end Johnson's reign after three years. A mistake at Talladega last fall likely kept Edwards from ending Johnson's run last year.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com