The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion will be ...

Tuesday marks the last quiet day at Daytona before action resumes. So, with a little break in the action, I figured this would be a good time to reveal my picks for who will win the title, who will make the Chase and who won't.

Here's how I see 2010 shaping up.

1. Denny Hamlin _ It’s his time, his year and his chance to replace the tag “potential’’ with that of “champion.’’ Even a knee injury in January won’t deter him: “Nobody wants it as bad as me … PERIOD,’’ he wrote on his Twitter account shortly after his injury.

2. Jimmie Johnson _ His reign has to end sometime. Doesn’t it? Then again, maybe not with the way he dominates the Chase. He has won 30 percent of all the Chase races. That’s nearly twice as high as his winning percentage for all races.

3. Tony Stewart _ Theory is that team put so much into the start of last year making sure it put Stewart in a good position in the points that it couldn’t maintain that pace. Feeling is this team won’t feel such early pressure and will be strong later in the year.

4. Mark Martin _ Was last year the dream year that just fell short of a championship or a prelude?  For him to finally score that championship, his team can’t afford to repeat the reliability issues it had early last season.

5. Carl Edwards _ To go from nine wins in 2008 to none last year was among the biggest shocks in the sport. Can he recover or will the “Baby on Board’’ sign (wife is due after Daytona 500) slow him down this year?

6. Kyle Busch _ Missing the Chase last year also was among the bigger stories last year.  That and he finally admitted he needed to grow up and do a better job dealing with difficult situations on the track. If he keeps his composure, there’s no telling where his talent will take him.

7. Juan Pablo Montoya _ Remarkable job of making the Chase and then starting strong before results slipped away. He wants to repeat that effort to prove that last year was not a fluke. For two-car operation, that could be a challenge. Then again, Montoya could be the guy who could pull it off.

8. Jeff Gordon _ He finished second eight times last year and had only one win. Since 2007, he has seven wins and 15 runner-up finishes. Key is finding a way to turn those runner-up finishes into wins. Otherwise, he’ll likely be watching someone else celebrate a title and his championship drought will continue.

9. Kurt Busch _ New crew chief (Steve Addington). New teammate (Brad Keselowski joins Busch and Sam Hornish Jr.). No other Dodge teams (Richard Petty Motorsports went to Ford). There’s a lot of question marks about this team. Busch could excel and challenge for a title or stumble and struggle to make the Chase. He’ll be worth watching.

10. Jeff Burton _ Strong finish at the end of last year _ four consecutive top-10 finishes _ shows that this Richard Childress Racing team seems to be on track after issues with the car last year kept him and his teammates out of the Chase.

11. David Reutimann _ Michael Waltrip Racing team is gaining momentum. Scored first career win last year by capturing Coca-Cola 600. Now is time to step it up and make the Chase. This team shows signs it can do that.

12. Greg Biffle _ Roush Fenway Racing officials say they’ve fixed the problems that kept them from challenging for a title. If so, Biffle could be a lot higher. Underrated as a driver.

Five to watch: Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer.

OK, so who's your pick and do you agree or disagree with my picks?

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