Kevin Harvick. (Getty Images)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - You know the knock on NASCAR drivers who become fathers: they get soft, they lose their edge, they stop driving out on the wrecking edge. It's not a hard-and-fast rule; Jimmie Johnson won a Cup soon after the birth of his daughter, and if we're not mistaken, Dale Earnhardt also had kids while he was winning all seven of his championships. But there's enough of the could-be in the fatherhood-kills-your-drive theory to keep it alive.

On Thursday at Media Day, Kevin Harvick, a father since July, shared some of his perspective on how fatherhood has — and, for racing purposes, hasn't — changed him.

"I think having my son has really helped keep a new balance on life that you didn't really understand until you had a child," he said. "For me, I become so emotional and so attached to what happens on the racetrack, if it's going good, if it's going bad. Now you have this way of coming home and letting all those things go for two or three days, then you come back to the

A top five Media Day topic: Kasey taking the clippers to his hair. (Getty)

As we count down to the 2013 Daytona 500, we're also counting down how we think the Chase will play out this season as predicted by Nick Bromberg, Jay Busbee, Jay Hart and Geoffrey Miller. So sit back, relax, and watch the 2013 Chase unfold before your very eyes. Though you should be warned, we picked Carl Edwards to win last year.

2012 Finish: 4th. 2 wins (Charlotte and New Hampshire)

2013 Predictions:
Bromberg: 5th
Busbee: 5th
Hart: 8th
Miller: 7th

Crew Chief: Kenny Francis

When we last saw Kahne: He was sneakily hanging around on the periphery of the championship discussion until a 25th place finish at Texas derailed any thoughts of Kahne winning the title. After moving up to third with a third place finish at Phoenix, Kahne was 21st at Homestead and finished fourth.

Big Question for 2013: What's the second act? Kahne had some Jeff Gordon type luck int he first part of the season and through six races was 31st in the points standings. Mind you, that was a six race stretch that

Jimmie Johnson. (Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The 2012 Sprint Cup championship was decided 89 days ago about 290 miles south of here, but for Jimmie Johnson, the battle to get into Brad Keselowski's head rolls on. Getting to the top is hard enough, Johnson suggested; staying there could be even harder.

"Once you are a champion, at any point following that when you don’t run like you should for a period of time, the questions will come," he said. "That is when any driver and team is tested. It just depends on when that moment in time is. Brad and (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) are both very strong together. I don’t see it affecting them and preventing them from succeeding, but they will be reminded often that you have to go out there and earn each and every week. It’s not a layup."

[Also: Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch crash just minutes into Sprint Unlimited practice]

Easy enough. Some typical mind-games talk. But then Johnson turned up the heat: "Watching him on Sports Center following the race trying to drink a

The Sandy Hook car Michael Waltrip will drive in the Daytona 500. (@NASCAR)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR, Swan Racing and Michael Waltrip will do their part to contribute funding and awareness to the Sandy Hook relief effort with a custom-designed car to run in next week's Daytona 500.

Waltrip, the two-time Daytona 500 winner, will run for Swan Racing in the No. 26 car, a change from Swan's usual No. 30. The number 26 will be a tribute to the 20 children and six adults killed in the Sandy Hook massacre.

NASCAR president Brian France, whose family knew many of the victims, donated $50,000 to the Sandy Hook School Support fund, and NASCAR matched that. Fans can also donate $10 by texting NEWTOWN to 80888.

[Also: Drivers hounded about relationship between Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

Waltrip, France and other NASCAR officials quietly visited Newtown last week to inform the town's leaders of their plans and pass along donations.

"Being in Newtown last week and delivering a moment of happiness to that community was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,"

File this under Ridiculous But Fun: Jeff Gordon and his race team doing the Harlem Shake at the 24 team's headquarters for "Funny Or Die." Don't try to figure it out, just enjoy.

"I'm not afraid to put myself out there, do silly things," Gordon said Thursday at NASCAR's Media Day. "I did Saturday Night Live, I did this video. Can't say much for my dancing. But the main thing was that it didn't take very long. It didn't take much of the crew's time."

Hey, coulda been worse; coulda been "Call Me Maybe."

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Danica Patrick. (Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It's somehow appropriate, if more than a little ridiculous, that on Valentine's Day, the trending topic at NASCAR's 2013 Media Day is the flowering romance between Sprint Cup competitors Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Heard about it yet?

Yes, NASCAR will be running a completely new car this season. Yes, drivers will be running for different teams. Yes, there's a new champion. Yes, there's optimism that comes from being just days away from the season's beginning. But, just like in high school, the biggest topic of the day is the homecoming queen and her date.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Patrick draws attention wherever she goes, and she's already becoming a master at using that attention to her own ends. She talked for 30 minutes, far longer than any other driver, and fielded virtually every imaginable question about her relationship with style and humor.

"We've been friends for a long time. I've always gotten along with him," she said. "It

We think Carl Edwards' Chase chances are bigger than this. (Getty)

As we count down to the 2013 Daytona 500, we're also counting down how we think the Chase will play out this season as predicted by Nick Bromberg, Jay Busbee, Jay Hart and Geoffrey Miller. So sit back, relax, and watch the 2013 Chase unfold before your very eyes. Though you should be warned, we picked this guy to win last year.

2012 Finish: 15th. Winless

2013 Predictions:
Bromberg: 9th
Busbee: 7th
Hart: 5th
Miller: 6th

Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

When we last saw Edwards: When did we last see Edwards? When he won the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen? When he was penalized for a restart violation while leading at Richmond? When he won the pole at Daytona? Or, maybe if you're an Edwards fan, you think back to the final race of 2011 and pretend that 2012 didn't happen.

Big Question for 2013: When will he get back to victory lane? Crazy to think that we're saying that about a driver who won nine races in 2008, but it's true. And also not unprecedented. After winning six races in 2007,

The Chrome Horn is back! Here's the first 2013 episode of the From the Marbles' Chrome Horn podcast with yours truly, Nick Bromberg, and Geoffrey Miller. Topics include the Sprint Unlimited, NASCAR's new Jet Dryer, Danica's Mac Apps and some unforgettable ARCA discussion.

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. As always, we'd love to hear from you. Email us your thoughts, questions, rants, etc here and we'll talk about them on our next episode from Daytona. Enjoy!