Beech Tree News Network

NASCAR has the shortest, and busiest off season in all of sports. Big-time stock car racing ends right before Thanksgiving, and resumes just after Valentine's Day. Preseason testing basically begins on the Monday after the final race, with mandatory testing at Daytona in January.

NASCAR for years has also had an active 'silly-season'. That's the time of the year when drivers jockey to fill open seats, owners court drivers, and most of the behind the scenes action takes place. Like other sports, the moves made during this time often determine which teams will contend for championships in the upcoming season.

This season the silly season started early. In May it was announced that Kevin Harvick would move to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. That started the dominoes toppling. Ryan Newman will move from Stewart to Childress for 2014. Kyle Larson will replace Montoya with Gannasi Racing. The list goes on and on.

However the most important moves won't involve drivers. This is the time of year when owners raid the pit crews and garage staffs of opposing teams. How your favorite driver's team fills those spots might make the difference between winning and losing.

The top target on most teams radars will be the crew of the six-time champion winning #48 team. Rick Hendricks has been a master at keeping this team together, and things probably won't change this year, but he will have to match some offers, and possibly replace an employee or two before winter is over.

The next ripe targets have to be the other Hendrick crews for Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kasey Kahne. After that the raiders will go for the Joe Gibbs crews, and possibly for some of the Roush/Fenway crews.

Doing a lot of the raiding, or attempting to at least, will be Stewart-Haas Racing. SHR was dismal in 2013. The team managed just two wins, was never a serious contender, and ended the season limping down the stretch. As if that's not enough, the team will add Kurt Busch in a fourth car in 2014, and will need to assemble an entire team for their new #41 car.

Besides team movement, there are some other big stories to watch in the NASCAR off season.

NASCAR has to find a sponsor for their Grand National Series. The equivalent of A minor-league for NASCAR had been sponsored by Nationwide Insurance, before they announced they wouldn't renew their contact. So far nobody is really beating down NASCAR's door to take on the series.

NASCAR also has to weigh some rule changes in the off season. Lack of mechanical grip in their race cars has tuned most races into a high proved game of follow-the-leader. With the bodies on the cars nearing aerodynamic perfection there's very little adjustability in the cars, and that means less passing, practically no side-by-side racing, and an overall poor racing experience for fans.

The sanctioning body also has to find a way to boost TV ratings. Despite a return to traditional noon starting times for most races, NASCAR's ratings have continued to slip. Most complaints seem to center on too many commercials, and TV packages that have moved races from broadcast outlets to cable networks.

NASCAR also has to address driver-development. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are now the elder statesmen of the sport, and there aren't a lot of hot youngsters waiting in the wings. Austin Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, will make his debut in 2014, and in 2016 it's likely that Chase Elliott, son of Awesome Bill, will join the Cup ranks in a Rick Hendrick car. Other than that the cupboard is pretty bare for new talent.

Possibly the biggest story in the off season will deal with what number will be in the door of Austin Dillon's car for RCR. Dillon takes over for Kevin Harvick in the #29 car. However many people close to Richard Childress think he might revert the car back to the #3 and bring that number back to Cup racing for the first time since Dale Earnhardt's death in the 2001 Daytona 500.

It's only four weeks until winter testing at Daytona. Between now and then a lot of answers will come to light that will shape the course of the 2014 Sprint Cup season.

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I suppose it's time for an update on my NFL picks. Like a lot of teams in the league, I started strong, and now I'm fading. After going 9-7 last week I've slipped to 119-71 for the season, and a lackluster .626 winning percentage.

This week I missed the Thursday night game, so I'm already in the hole. My other picks are; Bengals, Packers, Patriots, Jets, Lions, Steelers, Bills, Chiefs, Ravens, Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, Seahawks, Saints, Bears.

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