Busch Continues to Dominate, Top Drivers Still Winless

What an interesting year we have had here in the Sprint Cup. Seems like everything has gone wrong.

But has it really? Or has the "so-called norm" been disrupted?

Let's take a look at this season's differences...

Last year, Hendrick Motorsports—primarily 2007 Champion Jimmie Johnson and runner-up Jeff Gordon—dominated the Sprint Cup season. Tony Stewart was happily driving a Chevrolet.

Kyle Busch finished the year fifth in points, but only on the strength of one win. The newly started Toyota teams were struggling mightily. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. didn't win a race, and failed to finish quite a few.

My, what a year can do...

Fast forward to 2008, the day after Chicagoland's first-ever Sprint Cup night race. Jimmie Johnson has won...once. Jeff Gordon has not won. Tony Stewart is leaving his Joe Gibbs Racing team, which is now a Toyota team, for his own team next year. He is also winless.

Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Martin Truex, Jr. are all winless. Kyle Busch, on the other hand, has now won seven times. He is your points leader and appears to be well on pace for a championship.

Toyota drivers Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers are in the Top 15 in points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has already recorded a win at Michigan and stands second in the points.

So what will happen next? We know that Stewart needs another driver for his new team. We know that Richard Childress is expanding next year. We know that Casey Mears is without a job, and so is someone at Roush-Fenway Racing. Ryan Newman and Martin Truex, Jr. both appear to be on their way out the doors of their respective teams.

These are just the team changes that we know or have heard. Not to mention, we have a lot of races left in this season. Some crazy things are bound to happen.

I guess we will just have to wait and see.