NASCAR Drivers Who Will Be the Hottest Newsmakers in the Nationwide Series

The crop of drivers running for the NASCAR Nationwide championship is replete with young driving talent and full of the personalities and storylines that may make for one of the most competitive and exciting seasons we have seen in the second-tier series for some time.

Certainly the usual suspects from the Cup series will still make their appearances, sans Carl Edwards, who claims he will try and sit the season out.

Those same Cup drivers will also continue to dominate many of the races and steal wins from the series regulars.

The presence of some new blood in the series is likely to spice things up considerably.

We saw in the 2011 season that the young guns of the Nationwide series are gaining strength with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. being one of the hottest drivers. He is also last year's series champion.

The 2012 season should be full of exciting racing with the new generation of racers proving their worth, as they make the tough trek to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion will continue driving the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in 2012.

This is a driver with immense talent that he has learned to harness after being yanked from his ride by his boss, Jack Roush, because he was a bit too wild and tearing up too much equipment.

Working in the shop at RFR gave this driver time to realize the error of his ways, and he came back in 2011 as a star performer in the second tier of NASCAR racing.

Look for wins from this driver, despite the Cup drivers and the tough competitors.

2. Elliott Sadler

Elliott Sadler took a step back from the Cup series to the Nationwide series in 2011 and ended the season as runner-up to the champion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Sadler raced for Kevin Harvick Inc. in 2011, which has since ceased to operate and has been merged into Richard Childress Racing.

Sadler is trying to prove that he is worthy of making his way back to full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He will be driving a fourth RCR car in the Daytona 500.

Look for this driver to run for the title that he missed by one slot in 2011, and look for his full-time return to Cup racing at some point in the not to distant future.

3. Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch will join his brother, Kyle Busch, to run a Toyota out of Kyle Busch Motorsports. They plan to run the car for the full season and the owner's championship.

The edgy brothers will have a car sponsored by an edgy sponsor, Monster Energy.

Kyle Busch has more wins than any other driver in the Nationwide series and will probably only run about 13 races with his older brother driving the remaining races.

The older Busch brother has only run 12 Nationwide races, but won three of them and had 10 top-10 finishes.

This is going to be a a very potent and exciting team that is guaranteed to win quite a few races. They will be a serious threat to Nationwide regulars as well as the Cup drivers.

4. Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick will continue to be in the spotlight as she competes in her first full-time season of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Patrick will be behind the wheel of her GoDaddy.com No. 7 Chevrolet out of JR Motorsports. She will also drive 10 Cup races for Tommy Baldwin Racing to get her footing in the top-tier series before returning to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013.

Patrick had the highest finish of any woman in NASCAR with her fourth place finish at Las Vegas in 2011.

This driver is not just a pretty face but a strong female who is serious about proving herself as a driver in NASCAR.

She will take a few hits along the way, but she has also gained a lot of respect and friendship from many of the Nationwide regulars.

One thing is for sure; if someone plays rough with her on the track, they will get it back.

5. Austin Dillon

Austin Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, drove the iconic No. 3 to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship in 2011, and now he brings the No. 3 to the Nationwide Series.

Dillon will be driving the AdvoCare/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. He feels great pride in being the driver to pilot the black No. 3.

With first class equipment, talent as a driver and the desire to make it to the Cup level, you can bet Dillon will be a tough competitor during the 2012 season.

6. Sam Hornish Jr.

The 2011 season was the first time Sam Hornish Jr. didn't contest a full season in his professional career as a driver in 10 years.

The Penske Racing driver took a step back to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and now he is ready to run for the championship with strong sponsorship for his No. 12 Dodge from Alliance Truck Parts and a new and very strong sponsor, WURTH.

Hornish is ready to prove himself and validate the belief that Roger Penske has in him. Look for him to follow the example of fellow Penske driver, Brad Keselowski, and become a contender for top finishes and wins.