Tighter competition means more excitement in 2008

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s emergence as a title factor early in the 2008 season is one reason NASCAR stands to enjoy a popularity boost. Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

The fun is back. Expect television ratings and attendance to follow.

The 2008 Sprint Cup season promises to be one of the most enjoyable campaigns in recent NASCAR history. The reason for this is simple: more competition throughout the circuit. Battles have already broken out throughout the point standings -- from the jockeying up top for the overall lead, to the scrapping for a top 12 place and the Chase berth that comes with it, to the fringe fight for a top 35 spot and a guaranteed place in the starting lineup each week.

But it doesn't end with parity. Here are eight reasons why the 2008 season will be the most competitive in recent history.

1. First and foremost, Hendrick Motorsports is not dominating Cup racing.

Of course, this may change as the season progresses. But through the first 12 races of 2007, Hendrick won eight times. It seemed like Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson won every other race and, when they faltered, teammates Kyle Busch and Casey Mears picked up the slack. In fact, Hendrick did win half of the races last year -- a whopping 18 of 36 -- and nobody but Gordon and Johnson ever seemed to have a legitimate shot at the title. After three races in '08, Johnson ranks 14th in the standings and Gordon 22nd. This will change, but for now it is a breath of fresh air.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be a contender.

It's always more exciting when NASCAR's most popular driver is a title factor. Earnhardt's runner-up finish in Las Vegas moves him up to 10th in the standings, his highest placing in the overall table since the final week of the 2006 season after never climbing higher than 11th in '07. He's got a pair of top 10 finishes in three races this season as the newest piece of the Hendrick juggernaut. Even if the season boils down to a three-way battle among teammates, that would be more exciting than last year's two-man Hendrick race.

3. Dale Jr. isn't the only popular driver having a comeback season.

Four other drivers in the top 10 have enjoyed early resurgences after irrelevant 2007 seasons. The charismatic Kasey Kahne is the only driver with three top 10 finishes in the first three races -- but after winning a series-high six races in 2006, Kahne placed in the top five just once last year. Ryan Newman made the first two Chase playoffs -- but went 81 races without a win before capturing this year's Daytona 500. Greg Biffle, currently sixth in the points standings, finished second overall in 2005 but missed the Chase the following two years. After making the Chase in 2004, the gregarious Elliott Sadler didn't even finish among the top 20 drivers during the past two season. He's currently ninth in points.

4. Roush is back.

Roush-Fenway Racing endured a down season in 2007, lagging behind the Chevy teams in development of the Car of Tomorrow. But owner Jack Roush has fixed that problem thanks in part to the addition of partner John Henry, who will help provide the financial muscle to remain one of NASCAR's top teams. Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards made the Chase in 2007, but their performances dropped dramatically in CoT races. Meanwhile, teammates Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray battled inconsistency even at their best tracks. But these four veterans have posed a threat at each race in 2008 to date, while young David Ragan continues to mature.

5. Other manufacturers have stepped up.

Beyond Hendrick's overwhelming shadow, Chevy did managed to carve out a successful 2007 season. But Roush is leading a Ford resurgence which has even a poorly sponsored Yates Racing team looking solid. Toyota, meanwhile, had no choice but improvement following a dismal inaugural season in '07. The Camry has been solid, thanks partly to the switch by Joe Gibbs Racing. Dodge is also better, with their engines appearing much stronger than in previous seasons. Penske Racing and Gillett Evernham Motorsports have given the manufacturer a strong presence in the first three races of the season.

6. Silly season now runs currently with the entire season.

Years ago, silly season would start in the fall when teams would find themselves effectively eliminated from Cup championship contention. Teams started gearing up for the next year by changing personnel, with swaps at crew chief and driver getting the most attention. Not more, thanks primarily to the importance of being in the top 35 in points and having a guaranteed spot in next week's field. Teams no longer wait until the end of the year to make changes.

Case in point: A.J. Allmendinger failed to qualify for the first three races -- so Mike Skinner will drive the No. 84 in Atlanta. Jacques Villeneuve didn't even get out of Daytona before the owners of the No. 27 decided that they couldn't have their driver failing to qualify for races unless he brought more sponsorship (read: money) to the table. Even guys with decent rides but in the last year of their contract are subject to rumors if there is a better team out there in search for a better driver. Bobby Labonte, for example, has been the subject of such scuttlebutt from before the season started.

7. The Car of Tomorrow has leveled the playing field.

NASCAR officials hoped that the new rules would create a field full of equal cars. Instead, the first use of the CoT at large tracks in 2008 looks like it will cause a surplus of major wrecks. These have been equal-opportunity wrecks so far in the young season, with stars such as Gordon, Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart each posting a poor finish due to a crash.

8. NASCAR has more drivers than ever before that are capable of sitting on top of the standings.

The Sprint Cup Series is 3-for-3 so far this season. For three consecutive weeks, a driver has led the standings for the first time in his career. Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman was a first-time leader after the season opener; same with Kyle Busch after the second race and Carl Edwards after the third. Last year, there were only three changes on top of the standings all season long before the Chase playoffs started. And while there were five changes during the Chase, they consisted just of Gordon and Johnson flip-flopping places.