OK, there were 57 NASCAR Sprint Cup cars at the first weekend of Speedweeks. How many cars will there be at California and Las Vegas? — Terry S., Rockford, Ill.

Well, we’re just going to have to wait and see for sure, but by my highly unofficial count, it will be between 43 and 45. You have the top 35 in NASCAR Sprint Cup owner points, plus the following teams that have said they will run the full 2009 schedule or at least the first few races: Phoenix Racing, No. 09; Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 14; Kirk Shelmerdine Motorsports, No. 27; Tommy Baldwin Racing, No. 36; Jeremy Mayfield Motorsports, No. 41; Richard Petty Motorsports, No. 44; Gunselman Motorsports, No. 64; Prism Motorsports, No. 66; and NEMCO Motorsports, No. 87. There may well be one or two others that come aboard or fall off this list.

Who’s going to win the Daytona 500? — Steve C., Marietta, Ga.

To my mind the field for the 2009 Daytona 500 is more wide open than it’s been in years. It’s clear that with the new-generation NASCAR Sprint Cup car, there is no obvious favorite like Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have been five or six years ago. I predict that this year’s Daytona 500 will be very much like last year’s 500 and Saturday night’s Bud Shootout — a tight race that comes down to a last-lap pass. And if two teammates can hook up, as Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch did last year, that could make all the difference.

But if I’m pressed to pick a winner, I’ll take either Kyle Busch or Mark Martin. Busch had the fastest car for most of last year’s race, and Martin’s been completely re-energized by his move to Hendrick Motorsports. And, oh yeah, he’s got a wicked-fast car.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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