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10 things to expect in '08 (cont'd)
RAYGAN SWAN
The cameras keep rolling in 2008 where pop culture abounds and personalities prevail.
Here is what I am predicting to happen beyond rule changes and Chase races.
1. NASCAR's pretty-boy status ramps up in 2008
Reality show Dr. 90210, He's So Vain, premiers on Bravo featuring drivers who confess their plastic procedures. Michael Waltrip barrels through a box of botox injections; Dr. Phil calls Kurt Busch for an intervention.
2. Pit-box princesses, you're all due for a feud
Not since Nicole Lunders vs. Eva Busch have we seen that Tammy Wynette Stand by Your Man mentality erupt in the pits. My prediction: Battle of the fashion models; Ingrid Gordon vs. Chandra Johnson. The two have a spat over who makes the best NASCAR wife without uttering a single word.
3. A Tony Stewart volcano
Seemingly Smoke is going through a small identity crisis. Fans can't tell if he wants to be a poster boy for healthy eating maintaining a tempered tone or the constantly offensive, aspiring member of Hell's Angels. Teetering between characters is a recipe for disaster (read more). Prediction: Stewart, in true Michael Simko fashion, does a flying drop-kick to the chest of the first ESPN reporter to ask him about his longer hairdo.
4. Transformation of Juan
With a full season of NASCAR under his belt, former Formula One driver Juan Montoya is acclimating to a more homespun culture. His sponsor Wrigley requires the Colombian to spend 24 hours in the Talladega infield. He shows up the following week in Richmond sporting a faux pony tail-trucker hat combination and foregoes his late night trips to Taco Bell for Bojangles.
5. More baby making in 2008
It appears Tiger Woods performs better with a baby at home as does Jeff Gordon. To secure his third consecutive Cup title, Jimmie Johnson announces his first child is due this summer. The sport of NASCAR spurs a second Baby Boom.
6. No driver retires in 2008
In fact, Ricky Rudd comes out of retirement and saves Yates Racing with a huge sponsorship deal touting Slipper Socks. Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett call a news conference to announce a sponsorship deal with AARP and their lifelong commitment to racing. Rusty Wallace quits his TV gig and pilots his son's Nationwide ride; Steve Wallace enrolls at UNCC.

7. NASCAR is due for a flick
This time, in 2008, Michael Moore defines the life and struggles of a pit lizard. The cameras follow seven ladies vying for the affection of a Cup driver and their scheme to land the highly coveted position on the pit box. Who will settle on a Nationwide driver and stalk David Stremme? Sales for Liz Alison's book glorifying the life of a pit lizard go through the roof.
8. An Ashley Judd sighting!
Finally, celebrity wife of Dario Franchitti attends a NASCAR race. Broadcasters run a split screen, one of the track and the other of Judd in the pits for the entirety of the race. NASCAR ratings soar through the roof.
9. Kasey, Kasey, Kasey
On the path of destruction, shouldering the pressures of the Budweiser sponsorship, Kahne's criminal escapades continue past the infamous track shove in Miami. In 2008, donning black hair and black nails, Kahne loses all composure causing the sport's largest rumble in the pits rivaling the Pistons-Pacers brawl in 2004.
10. A new marketing angle
NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France changes his mind about getting "back to the basics" and goes full throttle after the mainstream fan base after finagling a deal with Long Island, N.Y., to construct a new track.. P-Diddy sings the national anthem accompanied by a gospel choir at the inaugural event and Paris Hilton resurrects the trophy girl gig in Victory Lane.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.
| What: Daytona 500 Viewing Party | |
| When: 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 17 |