Jeff Burton prepares for practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

6. Jeff Burton–What happened to Jeff Burton last year? I’ve not seen anything definitive to describe what went wrong in 2011 with the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet of Richard Childress Racing. Burton doesn’t have a lot of years left and a new chief may definitely be the answer. A 20th place finish will be easy to improve on…right?

Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, recently participated in a production shoot in Mooresville, N.C.(Photo from Hendrick Motorsports)

5. Kasey Kahne–No one doubts Kasey Kahne’s ability to drive a car, but his situations the last few years have been unsteady at best. Moving to Hendrick Motorsports will provide the stability and quality to battle for a spot in the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Combine HMS horsepower with Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief, and this is a strong one-two punch that could be one of the big success stories of 2012.

(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR)

4. Jimmie Johnson– I have no idea how five time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, and his crew chief finished out of the top five in 2011 points but I am definitely not expecting it to happen again. With only two wins in 2011, this was the result of a year that didn’t measure up to the success the No. 48 team has had in the past. I’d be shocked if Johnson and the Lowe’s Racing team aren’t in the hunt for a sixth championship right down to the checkered flag being dropped at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

(Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

3. Kyle Busch–One of these days, a light will go on and Kyle Busch is going to finally understand his situation. Could 2012 provide that light? He is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR. His reputation as such is his…if he wants it.

Jeff Gordon holds his son, Leo, and speaks with team owner Rick Hendrick before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

2. Jeff Gordon–2011 looked liked it might be Gordon’s year for a fifth championship, he had three wins to prove he was ready, but somehow it fell apart during the Chase. No at 40 years old, there aren’t very many attempts left for another championship? Will 2012 be the end of Drive for 5 for Gordon?

(Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR)

1. A.J. Allmendinger–In some ways, this seems like a no-brainer. Here you have Allmendinger moving into a ride that has been a regular in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with Kurt Busch- but with a new drivers and crew chief, the team will need to gel quickly and that might be easier said the done. Allmendinger showed some signs of promise last year at Richard Petty Motorsports, but this move to Penske Racing is his biggest changed to move into elite status and make the Chase. It this lightening in a bottle?

Series Champion Tony Stewart poses with his trophy during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week on November 29, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has one of the shortest offseasons in all of professional sports, but it is constantly rife with developing stories despite the short schedule.

Drivers and teams are already looking forward to the testing session at Daytona International Speedway for the 54th running of the Daytona 500.

Faces and places have been altered in the past couple of weeks since the checkered flag dropped at Homestead-Miami Speedway. While, many driver placements are still in the works.

Here are just some stories that we’ve seen come into the fold during the 90 day offseason.

Can Tony Stewart Win Another Championship?

Its pretty safe to say that Tony Stewart can’t be expected to duplkicate his 2011 Chase performance. Winning five of the ten Chase races is a new record that may never be broken. However, the question of whether or not he can repeat as champion will be asked and asked again until most everyone is sick of talking about it. At some point, Smoke will definitely get sick of repeating himself. It would not be a major surprise to see a sound-bite of his going viral that sees him berating another helpless reporter. Better question should be, who will be the reporter that gets harassed by Stewart?

How Short is Kyle Busch’s leash?

The short answer to the question is that he will not have a huge margin for error. His best bet is to avoid any conflict at all costs and to keep his mouth shut about different incidents, including Kevin Harvick. The tenuous standing with NASCAR may result in a slow start for Busch; he will have to curb his aggressiveness which is partly what makes him a great driver. As soon as Kyle Busch is involved in his first incident, questions will explode as to what NASCARS, M&Ms, and Joe Gibbs Racing will do with the younger Busch.

Darian Grubb+Denny Hamlin= ????

I figure I will stay in the Joe Gibbs Racing organization for just another topic that has developed this off-season. JGR replaced Mike Ford with the reinging NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief, Darian Grubb. This definitely drew a lot of attention and will put some extra pressure on Grubb to get results fairly quick. While the expectations of Joe Gibbs Racing have not been expressed in the public, it is assumable that they hired Grubb to get te No. 11 Toyta bback to its 2010 form. While this has been a heavily discussed topic since it was announced in early December, this story will continue to develop for the better part of 2012.

Kasey Kahne Heads to Hendrick Motorsports

Based on Kahne’s stellar performance in the 2011 Chase, he was not a contender for the championship, Hendrick Motorsports has to be excigted about the prospects of putting him in one of their rides. The media and fans are already excited to see what Kahne can do. Better funding and better equipment, Kahne has a great chance of being in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2012.

How Will NASCAR Change Two-Car Tandems?

The general consensus at the superspeedway tracks is that its boring and produces random winners. NASCAR has recognized this and pledged to make an effort to change it. The question being asked by fans is How. One way could be to remove the restrictor plates, but for safety concerns this is an unlikely option. Perhaps in the weeks leading to the Daytona 500, NASCAR will unveil its official plan to truly change a formerly exciting for of racing that has become unpopular to the fans, but to the drivers as well.

Fuel Injection

This topic will be discussed until the checkered flag of the Daytona 500 has been waved. NASCAR has finally removed the carburetors from its cars and switched to a more modern fuel injection system. Whoever wins the Daytona 500 will love it, while others will dispise it. Either way, all the teams have had a chance to test it and see how differently it performs in terms of fuel conseravation and overall mileage. The real testing ground will begin in race condtions at Daytona.

What Will Brian Vickers Do?

With the doors of Red Bull Racing being closed after the last race of the 2011 season, Brian Vickers was without a job. He is currently unemployed and was never considered a leading candiate to replace Kurt Busch in the No. 22. While Vickers mentions through social media that he is working on things for the 2012 season, he is not mentioning as to what route he will be heading. Could the former Busch champion head back to the Nationwide series? Guess we will have to wait and see.

What Will David Reutimann Do?

Former Michael Waltrip Racing driver, David Reutimann is in the same spot as Vickers. He is not at the top of any lists to get a new ride and was given much less warning than David Ragan to try and find one. The best he can realistically hope for is to make a last minute deal to drive either a NASCAR Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series vehicle. Either way, Reuitimann will be taking a serious pay-cut in 2012.

Where Will David Ragan Do?

Roush-Fenway Racing scaled back to a three-car team for 2012 as UPS was no longer willing to sponsor a car fulltime. That was bad news for the UPS driver. Like Reutimann and Vickers, he is currently unemployed. According to many, he was a lead candidate to replace Kurt Busch in the No. 22 but A.J. Allmendinger will be in the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge next season. Ragan may be spending another season in the Nationwide Series.

Will Carl Edwards Be the Next Denny Hamlin?

In 2010, Denny Hamlin had the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead going into the last race of the season. We all know what happened next, Jimmie Johnson captured his fifth title. Carl Edwards did the same thing in 2011, though he was even closer to the title than Hamln and did not surrender the points lead. Edwards just didn’t win enough races. Edwards’ season will be followed closely in 2012, as he emerged as a perennial Chase contender and a serious championship contender. During the 2011 season, Denny Hamlin did not rebound well from his near-miss at the title. What will Carl Edwards do? Will he improve to win the 2012 title? He will be asked that question a lot during Daytona SpeedWeeks and throughout the course of the season.