Toyota's Nextel Cup debut
Toyota's entry into Nextel Cup in 2007 represents the first full-time foreign manufacturer in NASCAR's top-tier series. How will Toyota fare in its first season? With a roster that includes a mix of veterans such as Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Jeremy Mayfield and Dave Blaney, coupled with younger drivers like Brian Vickers, David Reutimann and A.J. Allmendinger, the pieces are in place to have some success in 2007.

Car of Tomorrow phase-in
NASCAR's vision of the racing chassis of the future is scheduled to make its debut at Bristol in March, the first of 16 races in 2007, followed by 26 more in 2008. With built-in safety features and the ability to run at multiple tracks with a minimum of modifications, NASCAR officials believe the Car of Tomorrow will save teams money over the long term.

The return of ABC/ESPN
NASCAR says so long to NBC and returns to ABC and ESPN for the first time in six seasons. In a sport where it seems nearly everything has been done before, is there anything new to show? We'll find out at Indianapolis in July -- and during Busch Series events all season.

Future of the Busch Series
With Anheuser-Busch's long-time sponsorship of NASCAR's No. 2 series ending with the 2007 season, there are a number of questions left to be answered, not the least of which includes: Who will be the new title sponsor, and how will ESPN's role in the selection process play out?

Juan Montoya's impact
How big an impact will former Formula One and Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Montoya have in NASCAR? It's a huge feather in NASCAR's cap to add a driver of Montoya's prestige and world-wide popularity. It's something akin to when Emerson Fittipaldi left Formula One to drive open-wheel cars in the United States -- a move that paved the road for many other foreign-born drivers in the sport.