I looked at the calendar today and realized the Daytona 500 was roughly a month away. For any self-respecting race fan that's great news, especially after the last few months of this ecnomic mess.

It's been a difficult offseason for NASCAR with numerous teams folding, merging or selling out. This may have been little more than the tip of the iceberg. How many cars will we see fall by the wayside as the season progresses? The majority of the top 35 Sprint Cup teams still lack full sponsorships for the entire 36-race schedule, and we haven't even mentioned the Nationwide and truck series.

But, hey, let's leave the gloom and doom in the pits for awhile. We'll have to deal with it soon enough.

Today let's have some fun and rank the top 10 drivers for 2009 and the top 10 drivers who will likely disappoint:

TOP 10

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON (left):  Can you say four straight championships? He's the best, and so is crew chief Chad Knaus.

2. KYLE BUSCH: He's only driver/team that can realistically unseat the 800-pound gorilla in the No. 48 car.

3. CARL EDWARDS: Edwards is THAT close to being recognized as an elite driver. All he needs is a championship asterisk by his name — but it's not coming this year.

4. DALE EARNHARDT JR.: He faded miserably late last season. He needs to prove himself once and for all, because there are no more excuses about not having the equipment or other resources. The "overrated" whispers in the pits are growing louder.

5. GREG BIFFLE: He has the uncanny knack of being in the right place at the wrong time and getting T-boned or sideswiped in the most unusual incidents. The man has no luck at all. If that ever changes, he could be a champion.

6. JEFF GORDON: If No. 24 stumbles out of the gate, look for crew chief Steve Letarte to get a pink slip. There is no earthly reason for Gordon not to have won a race last year. He's actually No. 3 on the Hendrick depth chart right now, and that's a crime.

7. DENNY HAMLIN: Hamlin is another driver plagued by poor performances from the rest of his team, but he's also a loudmouth who has to learn when to keep his yap shut. It's one thing to criticize your teammates behind closed doors, but it's quite another to air your dirty laundry on national television.

8. DAVID RAGAN: Here's my semi-sleeper of the year. Ragan and crew chief Jimmy Fennig have meshed very well and should maintain the momentum they built in 2008.

9. MARK MARTIN: His last hurrah. The nicest guy in NASCAR makes one final push for a championship with Hendrick resources behind him.

10. MATT KENSETH: We've seen this picture before. Slow start. Great second half. He'll make the Chase, even though you won't notice him until about August.

TOP 10 DISAPPOINTING DRIVERS

 
1. TONY STEWART, right: Former champ is starting his own team at the worst possible time. He might be lucky to be finish in the top 20 in points.

2. RYAN NEWMAN: Stewart's new teammate has an even lesser chance of succeeding. Long, long season for those two boys.

3. CLINT BOWYER: Great person, but his 15 minutes of fame might have come in 2007-08. He's ripe for a major tumble.

4. KEVIN HARVICK: "Happy" has been running a lot of people the wrong way in recent years. Both his on- and off-track demeanor have taken turns for the worse in recent years, and so has his performances. He (barely) qualified for the Chase in 2008, logging only seven top-five finishes.

5. MARTIN TRUEX JR.: DEI has merged with Ganassi, which means even more confusion will be surrounding this once-budding star.

6. KURT BUSCH: His career continues a downward spiral in the shadow of brother Kyle's success.

7. KASEY KAHNE: At one time, I thought he could be a Cup champion. I don't think that way anymore.

8. JEFF BURTON: Methinks Mr. Burton's career has started to reverse itself again. By the way, whatever happened to Ward Burton? I sure do miss his post-race interviews.

9. JOEY LOGANO: So much is expected of this rookie, it will be impossible for him to deliver.

10. BOBBY LABONTE: He's now with the No. 96 team and has no more chance of winning than he did with the Pettys.

No. 1: Change in ownership ushers in new era at 8000 Broadway

(The most important events, individuals and decisions from the last 10 years at Quincy Raceways)

For more than 30 years, the Scott family and Quincy Raceways were synonymous, one in the same. You could count on seeing Albert, Bob, Jeff, Jan … someone named Scott who was making certain there were enough hamburgers in the concession stand, enough banking in the turns or picking up the trash on Monday mornings following another Sunday night of racing.

That all changed just before the start of the 2007 season when the Scott family sold the facility to Tony Rhinberger and Mike Karhoff. Rhinberger was a longtime car sponsor and track supporter, and Karhoff was a former modified and late model driver.

The change in ownership was significant in two positive ways.

First, it allowed the Scotts to ease out of a venture that had dominated their lives since 1975, permitting family members a new personal freedom they had never known. To own and operate a race track means from sometime in March through the end of September you have no life, other than taking care of the track. Weekend getaways were for other people, and holidays did not exist.

Any race fan in the Quincy area owes the Scotts a ton of gratitude for conceiving, developing and maintaining the track that has become a social fixture in the community. Let's face it, that old dirt track is an important part of many lives.

Some of the fans' and drivers' disagreements over the years with the Scotts are legendary, but the bottom line remains: That track would have never existed without the vision of the late Albert Scott, and it would have faded into history without the ensuing contributions of his son, Bob, and grandson, Jeff (plus other family members).

The Scotts did a magnificent job providing a facility for so long that so many enjoyed and may have even taken for granted. I hope they are enjoying their "new" life, especially on the weekends.

The timing was perfect for the change in ownership. The arrival of Rhinberger and Karhoff brought new ideas and changes. Capital improvements were planned and carried out, not to mention a change in some of the racing infrastructure. It was an exciting time and remains an exciting period more than two years later.

Rhinberger became sole owner before the start of the '08 season and has continued to upgrade the facility and position the track for the future. He deserves much credit for steering the facility through a tumultuous 2008 when $4-a-gallon gasoline was the norm and the U.S. economy showed the first signs of a recession that currently engulfs us all.

This could be one of the most challenging seasons ever at the track, depending on the fallout of unemployment and the price of fuel. Rhinberger is confident, however, Quincy Raceways can weather the storm. That's a tribute to both his vision and leadership, and the same kind of both the Scotts provided all of those years before.

No. 2: Michael Long's back-to-back domination the stuff of legends

(The most important events, individuals and decisions from the last 10 years at Quincy Raceways)

For those who thought Michael Long's over-the-top 2007 season might have been a once-in-a-lifetime thing, or even a fluke, they could only sit back and soak in round two of No. 18's domination in 2008.

Never before in track history had a driver strung together such a continued run of success and did it with such a methodical, systematic precision. For the last two summers, Long's back-to-back championship efforts so dominated the modified series the only "race" was for who would be the first loser.

"We're out here just runnin' for second," said rival Tony Dunker, a two-time track champ himself and one of many unable to keep up with Long since the start of 2007.

The shadow of Long stretched so far as to intimidate drivers who did not even run at 8000 Broadway, and nor would they. I specifically know of one track champ in this region who would not race in Quincy last year because he did not want to be embarrassed by Long.

There was one specific feature race last summer when if not for a late caution Long had an outside chance to lap the entire starting field. When the yellow flew, there were only four cars remaining on the lead lap and No. 18 was well ahead of all of them.

Long has won 31 features and 71 overall races in the last two seasons — and that's just in Quincy. Those numbers that are simply mind-boggling. That would be a great career for most drivers.

Does Long have a third straight season of this caliber left in him? We'll find out, beginning April 5.

Next: We conclude The Broadway Bullring Top 10 with the single-most important event/decision at the track in the past decade.

No. 3: Burgtorf has given new meaning to consistency

(The most important events, individuals and decisions from the last 10 years at Quincy Raceways)

I once asked some of Mark Burgtorf's chief challengers at Quincy Raceways what his secret was. After all, how could one driver be so dominant for so long?

"Mark has more laps on this track than anyone else," Denny Woodworth said. "He knows this track better than anyone."

I'm sure that explains a big part of why Burgtorf has dominated an entire division since George Bush Sr. was president. And I'm also certain that natural, God-given ability has had something to do with it, too. So have great equipment and a great crew. All of those factors (and more, I'm sure) have contributed to the single most successful extended run of any driver in any division since the track opened in 1975.

Burgtorf has won seven of his record 14 track championships in the past 10 years, most in convincing fashion. Having talked with him after many of the victories that led to those titles, it has never ceased to amaze me at how he attacks each night, each race, each lap. There's an incredible method to his success. It is no accident.

How many more titles will Burgtorf win? Realistically, it probably depends on how often he wishes to race at 8000 Broadway. He's at the stage of his career when he will occasionally skip a Sunday night to chase a big purse or a new challenge at another site, and when you miss one week of points racing, it can cost a driver a championship. Burgtorf missed one points week in 2008 and finished 25 points behind first-time champ Jason Frankel.

Burgtorf probably has at least another 15 years in his career, and I would be surprised if he does not retire with at least 20 track championships. Whenever he does pull No. 7 off the track for the final time, one certainty is already cast in stone.

There will never be another like him.

THE BURGTORF DYNASTY

2008: Jason Frankel

2007: Mark Burgtorf
2006: Mark Burgtorf
2005: Mark Burgtorf
2004: Lonnie Bailey
2003: Mark Burgtorf
2002: Brent Slocum

2001: Mark Burgtorf
2000: Mark Burgtorf
1999: Mark Burgtorf
1998: Mark Burgtorf
1997: Mark Burgtorf
1996: Mark Burgtorf
1995: Mark Burgtorf
1994: Mark Burgtorf
1993: Mark Burgtorf
1992: Mark Burgtorf

No. 4: After 13 titles, 'Hank the Crank' knew when to step away

(The most important events, individuals and decisions from the last 10 years at Quincy Raceways)

Hank DeLonjay stands next to his son, Steven.

One of the things I admire the most about Hank DeLonjay and his racing career was how he went out. He retired while still at the top of his game. So many of our favorite sports stars have to be dragged off the field, court or track, never knowing when to step away.

Remember Richard Petty's final years in NASCAR? Those were sad. Or how about Michael Jordan finishing up his playing days with the Washington Wizards? That was a crime.

"Hank the Crank" went out on his own terms. He wanted to oversee the driving career of another DeLonjay — his son, Steven, who at 16 years old nearly won the 2008 modified track championship in his rookie season. He finished a close third behind Michael Long and Tony Dunker.

When Hank called it a career after 2007, he took with him 13 track championships, including 10 in the modified division. It would have been 11 if not for Robbie Reed's miracle run down the stretch in 2006.

Hank also won three titles in the old sportsman division, where he was rookie of the year in 1977. Thirty seasons after winning that first award he pulled into the pits for the final time at Quincy Raceways as a driver, but he's still there every Sunday night — with Steven.