(Photos: Getty Images)

2008 statistics

Finish	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
4	0	0	7	19

The countdown
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Tony Stewart
No. 14: Jamie McMurray
No. 13: Clint Bowyer
No. 12: David Ragan
No. 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 10: Denny Hamlin
No. 9: Matt Kenseth
No. 8: Jeff Burton
No. 7: Greg Biffle
No. 6: Mark Martin
No. 5: Jeff Gordon
No. 4: Kevin Harvick
No. 3: Revealed Thursday

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the Top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 6 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver.

2008 finish: 4th

2009 outlook: Contrary to popular belief, Dale Earnhardt's No. 3

We're cranking out the mailbag again this year, though with a bit of a facelift.

It's called Happy Hour, and this season I'll be your doting bartender, here to listen to you vent and answer any questions you might have about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Oh, and NASCAR, too.

So let's get to it:

How did you leave out Ryan Newman? I know he hasn't performed as well the past few years but he is at least a top 20 driver!

Roger Dunn
Hickman, Kent.

Roger is talking about our Top 20 countdown, and I think he answered his own question. But also keep in mind, our Top 20 countdown is a survey of six people who live and breathe NASCAR. Newman didn't make the cut, though I'll let you in on something – our survey had him at No. 21.

Not a question, but an answer. You ranked Hamlin before Jr.? Do you watch NASCAR?

Sam Taylor
Boone, N.C.

Really, not a

(Photos: Getty Images)

2008 statistics

Finish	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
28	0	0	4	11

The countdown
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Tony Stewart
No. 14: Jamie McMurray
No. 13: Clint Bowyer
No. 12: David Ragan
No. 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 10: Denny Hamlin
No. 9: Matt Kenseth
No. 8: Jeff Burton
No. 7: Greg Biffle
No. 6: Mark Martin
No. 5: Revealed Tuesday

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the Top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 6 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver.

2008 finish: 28th

2009 outlook: Call him the sentimental favorite, the wild card, whatever, but Mark Martin is back full

(Photos: Getty Images)

2008 statistics

Finish	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
6	0	2	7	18

The countdown
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Tony Stewart
No. 14: Jamie McMurray
No. 13: Clint Bowyer
No. 12: David Ragan
No. 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 10: Denny Hamlin
No. 9: Matt Kenseth
No. 8: Jeff Burton
No. 7: Revealed Sunday

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 6 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver.

2008 finish: 6th

2009 outlook: Jeff Burton tells it like it is (which is why some people hope he runs for public office someday).

So when asked if Richard

(Photos: Getty Images)

2008 statistics

Finish	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
13	0	0	6	14

The countdown
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Tony Stewart
No. 14: Jamie McMurray
No. 13: Clint Bowyer
No. 12: David Ragan
No. 11: Revealed Wednesday

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the Top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 6 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver.

2008 finish: 13th

2009 outlook: The most asked question in 2009 will involve Jimmie Johnson and whether he can win a fourth straight championship. The second-most asked question will be about David Ragan and when his first Cup victory

(Photos: Getty Images)

2008 statistics

Finish	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
16	0	0	4	11

The countdown
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Tony Stewart
No. 14: Jamie McMurray
No. 13: Revealed Monday

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the Top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 6 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver.

2008 finish: 16th

2009 Outlook: Did anyone have a more Jekyll and Hyde 2008 than Jamie McMurray?

It took him 14 races to record his second top-10 of the season, then he rattled off four top-fives in the final six races of 2008.

McMurray still may lose his seat following the 2009

(Photos: Getty Images)

2008 statistics

Finish	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
19	1	0	3	6

The countdown
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Revealed Saturday

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the Top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 6 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver.

2008 finish: 19th

2009 outlook: For much of the 2008 regular season, Vickers flirted with making the Chase. Though he eventually fell short, the mere fact that he was a contender marked a huge step forward for Team Red Bull.

After all, it was only a year ago when the team was happy just qualifying for a race, let alone

When NASCAR inducts its first Hall of Fame class in 2010, five names will be on the list. Among them surely will be Bill France Sr. and most likely Bill France Jr. And if Jr. isn't a first ballot Hall of Famer, he's certainly a second.

These are the shoes Brian France has had to fill.

The newest France at the helm of America's most popular motorsports series has come under a barrage of fire, mostly over his style of running the sport – he's not as present at the track as his father and grandfather were – his willingness for change – he ushered in the Chase format and the Car of Tomorrow – and most recently for a comment he made regarding his tenure as NASCAR's CEO.

In December, he stated that he doesn't plan on running the sport for "30 years," which, for some, supported the belief that Brian France doesn't share the same passion for racing that his father and grandfather did.

Thursday, France