DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The talk is over, the anticipation is winding down and the start of the 2010 NASCAR season is finally upon us.

As we roll into Daytona for the officially beginning of stock car racing’s Speedweeks activities, here are five major stories to watch unfold during the 52nd February gathering at “The World Center of Racing.”

Daytona Danica

Danica qualifies 12th for the ARCA race, her first NASCAR-sanctioned event. (Getty Images)

Perhaps you heard the rumor about Danica Patrick making a transition from open wheel to stock car racing this year?

It’s been pretty hard to steer clear of the story that has been going on for nearly eight months, and Patrick gets her chance to take her first step into the fendered world in Saturday’s ARCA 200. Whether she makes her NASCAR debut in next week’s Nationwide Series race will be predicated on her performance Saturday, which could be a tenuous decision.

With all due respect the level of competition, the Daytona ARCA opener is typically features inexperience, and the end result is usually a race punctuated by several accidents. Patrick seemed unaware of the race’s “Crashfest” reputation until only a few days ago, so she will certainly have her hands full.

But if she can survive the inevitable melees and be around at the end to compete, Patrick is in premier equipment with JR Motorsports to potentially make an impressive first step in her stock car career.

Have at it, boys!

The NASCAR mantra over the offseason has been the sanctioning body’s declaration to take a more hands-off approach to governing on-track competition. Whether this leads to more aggressive action remains to be seen, but if this week’s Budweiser Shootout practice is any indication, the shop fabricators may be earning some overtime this season.

Six cars crashed in the warmup for Saturday’s all-star exhibition race, and there are already some frayed feelings and ramped up emotions in the garage area. The edgier atmosphere should at least get the fans ramped up a bit more, not that the start of the season at Daytona isn’t usually enough to get their motors running.

Junior Watch 2010

Junior is in his third year with Hendrick Motorsports, and needs a good season. (AP)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no slouch when it comes to running at Daytona, and a solid Speedweeks would be just the medicine to cure the woes of the sport’s ailing star. As Earnhardt enters Year 3 of his Hendrick Motorsports tenure, he seems as focused as he has ever been to retain his stature as one of the sport’s top talents.

It’s important to the 88 team’s overall confidence level to not start the year in a hole and then be forced to deal with the added pressure of finding a way out, which would only fuel speculation over whether Earnhardt will stay with Hendrick at the end of the season. Coming out of the box strong at Daytona is almost a must.

Johnson’s drive for five

The Sprint Cup Series is a long grind, and what happens at Daytona doesn’t always reflect the way the season will run. But all eyes will be on Jimmie Johnson as he begins his quest to extend his unprecedented championship winning streak to five.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have proven in the past they know how to play the system and simply stay within Chase spot contention during the first 26 races before turning on the afterburners when the playoffs begin in September. So perhaps it’s not as necessary for Johnson to come out of Daytona as impressively as, say, Earnhardt, but the spotlight will certainly remain hot for the 48 team as it shoots to continue rewriting NASCAR’s record book.

Bringing back the buzz

With attendance on the wane and television ratings taking a dip the past few seasons, NASCAR needs to have a stellar 2010 season to stop the fan erosion. The many steps put in place during the offseason all have one common thread: appease fans and make the product better.

Early indications are fans have embraced every initiative laid out, from the loss of the wing for a more traditional spoiler to NASCAR’s pledge to allow drivers to settle things — within reason — among themselves. More standardized start times that will return the bulk of the Sprint Cup Series schedule to a uniform 1 p.m. ET green flag should also reap benefits, and a full year of double file restarts is another element that will capture fans’ attention.

A meaningful and newsworthy Speedweeks would be a much-needed jump start to the 2010 season, and whether it’s Patrick’s foray into stock cars, a little bad blood between two drivers or, best yet, a thrilling Daytona 500 finish, there are no doubt many fingers crossed at NASCAR headquarters.

Source: http://www.cbssports.com