Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.Especially early on, one of the most intriguing storylines of the season will be the success of the mega-mergers.
Will we see Kumbaya moments or power-plays as some of the biggest names and egos in the sport join hands hoping there's strength in numbers?
Sure, it'll take some drivers half a season to figure out the guy he used run up into the marbles is now his teammate, but that just makes this more fun to watch.
The general consensus is that the power-mergers between teams like Ganassi and Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Gillett-Evernham and Petty Enterprises along with the "alliances" of Yates Racing and Hall of Fame racing teams may be a temporary fix to a pressing problem, not necessarily a permanent solution.
It's also a sort of sentimental survival for NASCAR, which is weathering enough "issues" without having its highest profile names go away. It's hard to imagine the sport without Richard Petty's or Dale Earnhardt's namesake team legacies.
It would be like the NFL without the Dallas Cowboys or Major League Baseball minus the New York Yankees.
The actual benefit on-track and in-competition may be harder to quantify. Other than keeping the car counts up, it'll be interesting to see if the newly-merged teams will be any better equipped to challenge the Hendrick, Roush or Gibbs juggernauts.
I doubt it. At least not initially.
"I do think it's really cool that DEI figured out how to stay and Richard Petty figured out how to stay,'' Michael Waltrip said. "I believe two is stronger than one and it will allow them to get through these times and eventually have more competitive cars on the track.
"I believe things are going to come out on the other end of this looking a lot different than they ever have.''
