History is in the making as the NASCAR Sprint Cup series marks 60 years of NASCAR racing in 2008, kicking off the season with the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17.

It could be a make-or-break year for the sport, with some fans complaining that the racing has become boring, the drivers are bland and the thrill is gone. But NASCAR recently announced it has plans to turn such thinking around.

Saying NASCAR is heading "back to basics" and working to retain its core fans, Brian France announced minor rules changes during the Sprint Cup Media Tour. The most significant is the way driver fines will be managed. Money collected from fines will now go to the NASCAR Foundation rather than back to the drivers' pockets via the points fund.

A change in qualifying procedure this year will allow teams that are not locked into the starting field to qualify together as a group at the end of their qualifying sessions. This should work out more fairly because track conditions will be as equal as possible for those teams having to drive their way into the show.

Other storylines to watch this year include, obviously, the Rick Hendrick juggernaut organization with its power stable of drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears. Will Earnhardt finally make it back to victory lane? Can Johnson become only the second driver to win three straight series titles? Or will Jeff Gordon clinch that fifth crown that has been eluding him?
With Earnhardt

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gone from the team that bears his name, how will Martin Truex Jr. fare as the signature driver at Dale Earnhardt Inc.? What will be the fan reaction to Mark Martin in the No. 8 car? And what will be the fan reaction to Kasey Kahne in the No. 9 Bud car? Should the baby-faced Kahne be carded every time he gets into the cockpit?

Toyota begins its second year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, and while the manufacturer had limited success last year with Dave Blaney in the Bill Davis Racing No. 22, the story to watch this year is how the drivers of the Joe Gibbs Racing team will do. Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are an eclectic group. Will their personalities mesh -- or clash?

Perhaps the most controversial change for fans this year is the arrival of an unprecedented group of open-wheel stars who will begin their rookie campaigns this year, following Juan Pablo Montoya's initial season in 2007. The list includes former Formula 1 and Indy 500 champ Jacques Villeneuve, reigning IndyCar Series and Indy 500 champ Dario Franchitti, former Indy 500 champ Sam Hornish Jr. and veteran racer Patrick Carpentier.

Ellen Siska writes about NASCAR for the Dispatch. She can be reached at esiska@yorkdispatch.com.