In the Fast Lane: NASCAR's season of intrigue

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- So much for prognosticators and their predictions. Who could have seen some of this coming?

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup season reaches the halfway point this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the story lines hardly resemble the preseason polls and expectations.

It's not Hendrick Motorsports Chevy drivers Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson or the most anticipated transplant of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr., atop the standings, but Kyle Busch, 23, in a Toyota.

Who would have guessed that two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart would be experiencing the longest winless streak (31) of his career, or that after visiting Victory Lane a series-best six times in 2007, Gordon would be trophy-less so far this year.

Is the biggest surprise the way Busch is dominating the year -- his five wins are tops and he's led the most laps -- in his debut with the Joe Gibbs Racing team and its transition to Toyota engines? Or that the favorites aren't so much?

The Car of Tomorrow, adopted full time this year with its new-look rear wing and front splitter, was supposed to create better racing, more parity and lower costs. It has shuffled the deck for sure, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Washington drivers Greg Biffle of Vancouver and Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw have provided two of the best Back on Track stories after suffering through uncharacteristically disappointing 2007 seasons. Biffle is eighth in points and Kahne, who has two wins plus a victory in the non-points All-Star race, is ranked 10th. The top 12 drivers after the Sept. 6 race in Richmond, Va., qualify for NASCAR's version of the playoffs, the 10-race Chase for the championship.

The Hendrick team, which won nearly two-thirds of the 2007 schedule, has only two wins through the 17 races so far, but its top three drivers, Earnhardt (third), Johnson (fifth) and Gordon (sixth), are still well-positioned in points.

Instead it's been the Gibbs Toyotas that everyone is talking about. It's only the second season for the manufacturer and some questioned how competitive they would be. It hasn't been a question of whether they would win, but how often.

The other big news has come away from the track. A $225 million lawsuit has been filed against NASCAR by former employee Mauricia Grant, claiming racial and sexual discrimination.

And the silly season of driver shuffling has already begun in earnest.

Hendrick Motorsports has released driver Casey Mears for 2009 and will announce Friday that veteran Mark Martin will take the seat of the No. 5 Chevy for next year. Even more stunning, this week the Chip Ganassi organization completely shut down operation of its No. 40 Dodge -- driven by 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti -- for lack of sponsorship.

The downturn in the economy was a big topic Thursday at Daytona, but the good news for NASCAR is that the product on the track is still unrivaled.

There's a new list of good guys and bad guys, rivals, sentimental picks and upset specials.

That the sport isn't predictable is the very thing that makes it so compelling.

MOSS JUMPS IN: New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss was introduced as the newest team owner in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series. His Randy Moss Motorsports will field the No. 81 Chevy Silverado -- a nod to his jersey number with the Patriots. The truck will debut July 19 at Kentucky Speedway, but a permanent driver lineup hasn't been announced.

Moss said he's a lifelong NASCAR fan and had long considered a way to participate in the sport. But when it comes to business, football is No. 1.

Even at the race track, football wasn't far from discussion. Moss offered his thoughts on the possibility of Brett Favre returning next season instead of retiring.

"I think if you still have that desire and that fire burning and the passion to make it happen then the sky's the limit. Why put it out?" Moss said. "I'm a football fan. I'm a Brett Favre fan. He may come out and throw interceptions or he may come out and throw touchdowns. ... But I understand where he's coming from."

FRANCHITTI SHUT DOWN: Chip Ganassi Racing's decision this week to shut down the No. 40 Dodge team of Franchitti was still a hot topic in the Daytona garage area.

If you can't find funding for one of the most established teams with one of the most famous racers in the world -- how does that bode for lower-profile teams needing a sponsor?

"It's certainly a wake-up call that any of us are vulnerable," said four-time Cup champ Gordon. "I would have never thought they'd struggle getting sponsorship, and I'm sure Chip Ganassi thought they wouldn't struggle getting sponsorship."

Ganassi spoke briefly with a few reporters following practice Thursday and emphasized that the move had nothing to do with Franchitti's talent.

"He was doing great," Ganassi said. "It's not about Dario and his performance. I'm completely secure in his performance. It was a business decision, and it was very difficult."

PERSONALITY CLASH: Kurt Busch may have won the rain-shortened race last week at New Hampshire, but one of the bigger stories to come out of it was the on-track jostling between his younger brother, Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch, and former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

The two had raced hard late in the race and Montoya took exception to Busch's tap during a caution period by spinning out Busch's car. The wreck damaged both cars and Montoya, who admitted it was retaliation, was penalized two laps.

Busch said Thursday he still had not spoken with Montoya and that what happened was "last week."

Other drivers weren't so surprised these two personalities might have a conflict.

"You rarely see guys wrecking each other under caution," Earnhardt said. "Juan is a real firecracker, man. He's a good guy, but you just don't push his buttons. And he sort of has that mentality coming from Formula One. He definitely doesn't want to get pushed around."