A few NASCAR stories of interest...

Here are a few stories to whet your appetite for the upcoming season:

CHASE'S DOZEN BEING FINALIZED
NASCAR is planning on allowing 12 drivers into the Chase for the Nextel Cup, without a provision for how many points a driver is from the lead. They are also likely to give ten more points for race winners. NASCAR ran models which determined more than ten points would create runaway scenarios.
The changes are expected to be announced during the Lowe's Motor Speedway media tour beginning on Jan. 22.
Source: ESPN.com

BUSCH BREAKS 190 IN CAR OF TOMORROW
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (TICKER) -- Kurt Busch proved that NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" can be more than effective today.
Busch dominated Wednesday morning's Preseason Thunder testing session at Daytona International Speedway, clocking 191.188 miles per hour in a Penske Racing South Dodge Avenger.
The 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion, Busch became the first driver to eclipse 190 mph at the Preseason Thunder. He did so while driving the "Car of Tomorrow," a newly designed racer which will be used in 16 events this season.

MAKE OR BREAK SEASON FOR NEWMAN
Ryan Newman 2006 season statistics Wins: None Best Finish: Second (Sonoma)Top-fives, top-10s, DNFs: 2, 7, 3

2006 RecapNewman's season could best be described by one word: frustration. Despite winning two poles and starting in the top 10 a total of 15 times, his average finish was a miserable 20th. Ironically, the best finish in '06 for the former sprint car star was on the road course at Sonoma. Statistically, 2006 was his worst full season in Nextel Cup in terms of laps led, top-fives and top-10s.
2007 OutlookWhat's nextFor Newman, there is only one way to go from here: up. He'll start the season with a new crew chief in Mike Nelson, who worked with Newman in the final two races of '06. It will be a tough battle for Newman to get back to where he was in 2003, when he won eight races and was a contender for the title, but he has the tools and the talent to do it.
Best-case scenario: The early reviews of the Nelson-Newman pairing have been good. Newman's success in '07 will depend greatly on his ability to have a strong relationship with Nelson and on Nelson delivering to Newman the same kind of car at the end of the race as they start with. If this duo clicks, look for Newman in victory lane and the Chase.
Likely scenario: This likely will be a make or break season for Newman. Despite his past success, NASCAR is a "what have you done lately?" sport. Should Newman continue to stumble, he'll find himself looking over his shoulder as some younger driver catches team owner Roger Penske's attention.
Beware: Newman absolutely has to have a fast start to the season to erase any lingering doubts that he and his team still can be considered among the top dogs of the sport.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR reporter. Send Bob a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.