NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch (Right) with crew chief Pat Tryson (Left) and Roger Penske (Center) celebrate in victory lane at Atlanta, March 2009. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

7. Penske Racing hires Kurt Busch. Busch, the 2004 champion, has helped Penske Racing through a rough patch and moved it back into the top tier of Cup competition. The 2009 season, his fourth with the organization, netted a fourth-place finish in the standings, his best since winning the title.

8. Evernham Motorsports hires Bill Elliott. In building his new organization, Evernham found a veteran to work with young Kahne. The run effectively resurrected the career of the 1988 champion. He won four times in three seasons with the group.

9. Dale Earnhardt Inc. hires Michael Waltrip. Waltrip had competed in 463 races without a victory when he joined forces with long-time friend Dale Earnhardt. He went out and won the season-opening Daytona 500 in his first race with the team but lost Earnhardt in a fatal crash in that event. He would win three more times , including another Daytona 500, with DEI before forming his own team.

10. Red Bull Racing hires Brian Vickers. Vickers spent three full seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, winning once in a controversial restrictor-plate finish in which he tagged and wrecked teammate Jimmie Johnson. He joined the new Toyota-backed Red Bull team for the 2007 season and endured a year of struggle and setbacks. In 2009, though, he led the team to new heights in winning a race and making the Chase For The Sprint Cup.

SceneDaily.com • Jeff Owens Possible\ New Years resolutions for NASCAR