NASCAR Preview 2015 (or "How To Tell The Difference Between Tony Stewart & Jimmy Spencer In Five Easy Steps")

Well, it's that time of year, kids...love is in the air (and bondage too, if you're into that "Fifty Shades..." stuff), winter is winding down and NASCAR is back to pull us out of our collective early February sports doldrums. The whole Daytona spectacle kicks off this weekend with the Sprint Unlimited and pole qualifying for the 500, so I figured what better time than a snowy V-Day to give you my five things to look for in the 2015 Sprint Cup season...
1) Is Danica Patrick going to finally show up or continue to make fools of us all? Yes, we know she's a marketing machine (and yummy to boot) but we're all still waiting for her to actually MATTER as a Sprint Cup driver. She seemed to make a bit of progress at the tail end of the 2014 season...can she generate some kind of momentum off of that and put together more than two or three decent races in 2015???

2) Will Tony Stewart regain his championship form? Tough times for Smoke over the past eighteen months or so...can he recover physically and emotionally from what he's been through? A black flag at the initial Daytona weigh-in could be interpreted as a good thing (Stewart's back to causing trouble again) or a bad thing (he's even more out of shape than usual). Sports Frenzy's rooting for you, Tony...
3) Will Jeff Gordon go out on top? Mr. Whinebag had a great year in 2014 and there's no reason to think he won't be a championship factor in 2015. Is it really that hard to see him winning the Sprint Cup in his final year as a full-time driver? For those of us who hate the runt, yes...otherwise, not in the least.
4) Now that he's switched teams, will Carl Edwards finally realize his potential? Joining Joe Gibbs Racing should give him a nudge in the right direction, but sometimes he seems like a slightly more talented male version of the aforementioned Danica Patrick...lots of marketing savvy, little fight and fire. Put down the $5 foot-long and win a title already, Carl!!!
5) In its second year, will the new Chase format gain more fans or detractors? Lots of grumbling about the "elimination" concept seemed to emanate from the camps of many of the top drivers during the off-season - will we see yet more tweaking after this year or will the powers-that-be in NASCAR finally stick with a specific "playoff" format for an extended period of time?