The Nextel Cup regular season is officially half over, which means it's time to say goodbye to Darrell Waltrip and the rest of the Fox commentating crew as race coverage switches to TNT and ABC. It also means that championship contenders are starting to emerge and intriguing storylines are developing as speculation and rumors run rampant. For those that have been too busy to follow NASCAR closely or for those that just can't keep up with the sport's high speeds, I'll fill you in with what has been happening on the track and in the garage.

For starters, the biggest story so far this year finally has closure. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the most sought after free agent in NASCAR history, announced that he is joining Hendrick Motorsports for at least the next five seasons. The car number and sponsor are still undetermined, but if I were Dale Jr. and team owner Rick Hendrick, I would change both. Junior has been voted the most popular driver for four consecutive seasons, and that's a lot of fans that will have to buy new t-shirts, hats and diecast cars if their No. 8 Budweiser apparel becomes obsolete.

While it will be interesting to see how Dale Jr. performs next season, I will be even more interested to see how the fans react to Jeff Gordon. There has always been a distinct line between Gordon and Earnhardt fans and now the two are teammates. It was only a few weeks ago that Gordon's car was pelted with Budweiser cans when he won a race at Talladega to pass Dale Sr. in career victories. Michael Waltrip rode Dale Jr.'s coattails to immense popularity when the two were teammates, maybe Junior can do the same for Gordon and turn the jeers to cheers. One thing is certain; Rick Hendrick has created the NASCAR version of the Dream Team.

Speaking of Rick Hendrick, his team isn't too shabby this season even without Dale Jr. Jeff Gordon and the entire Hendrick Motorsports team are good – really good. I mean like 1995-96 Chicago Bulls good. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won 10 of the 14 races this season, five of the six Car of Tomorrow (COT) races and all four members of the team have visited victory lane. The COT was supposed to tighten competition and add parity to the sport. So far the only competition this season has been between Hendrick teammates. Gordon sits atop the point standings and has four wins this season. He leads the series with six poles, 10 top-five finishes, 12 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 6.6. Defending series champion Jimmie Johnson also has four wins this season, and Kyle Busch and Casey Mears have each captured a checkered flag. At this point, the Hendrick bunch look like the class of the field and Gordon and Johnson appear to be the favorites to claim the 2007 Nextel Cup.

Every sport has to have a cellar dweller, and the Toyota teams have been bringing up the rear in the Nextel Cup series all season long. The manufacturer's first year of competition has been forgettable to say the least. The Toyota teams aren't even able to qualify for races on a consistent basis, let alone perform well on the track. Dave Blaney is the highest-ranking Toyota driver, and he sits 37th in the standings. Michael Waltrip was supposed to be the poster boy for Toyota, but he started the season with a cheating scandal at Daytona that cost him 100 points, and he has qualified for just two of the 14 races this year. Quite frankly the Toyota teams are irrelevant right now, but as a Cincinnati native, it is comforting to know that there is a sports team worse than the Reds.

The surprise of the year has to be 48-year-old Mark Martin. He made headlines when he left long-time car owner Jack Roush after last season to drive the No. 01 Chevy on a part-time basis for Ginn Racing, and made even more headlines with a near win at the Daytona 500 – but he didn't stop there. Despite sitting out three of the first 14 races, Martin sits 12th in the standings and would qualify for the Chase for the Cup if the season ended today. Memo to any driver below Martin in the standings, especially supposed championship contenders like Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne:  you might want to start a title run by scoring more points than a driver that has been sitting on his couch for three weeks during the year. Martin planned on this season being an opportunity to have fun as he eases toward retirement, but at his current pace he is going to give himself another chance to claim his first Nextel Cup title.

The team most in need of some kind of lucky charm is Joe Gibbs Racing. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin sit sixth and third in points, respectively, but neither driver has a victory. Both Stewart and Hamlin have led countless laps and even led the most laps at multiple races, but they just can't close the deal. Mechanical failures, problems on pit road, fuel mileage and ill-timed cautions have all combined to keep the Gibbs cars from reaching victory lane. At Bristol, the two combined to lead 437 of the 500 laps, but one blown engine and one fuel intake problem later it was Kyle Busch that captured the checkered flag. It is only a matter of time before a Gibbs car wins a race, and both Stewart and Hamlin will have multiple wins before the year is up. Team owner Joe Gibbs is known for being a very religious man, so my suggestion is to say a few prayers to the patron saint of NASCAR and try to turn his team's luck around.

Finally, Kevin Harvick wins the award for being the driver I'd most like to hang out with. Harvick hasn't been all that consistent this year, but he won both the Daytona 500 and the All-Star challenge. The two wins paid Harvick a combined $2,542,008, contributing to his season winnings that exceed $4 million. Harvick's nickname is "Happy" and so far this season he has millions of reasons to smile. Harvick can feel free to give some of his winnings back to his shareholders – starting with myself. Just send cash or a check. I'm not picky.

That about brings you up to speed on the NASCAR season – no pun intended. There won't be any driver changes in the second half of the season that rivals the Dale Jr. signing, but there is still plenty of excitement to look forward to. As the Chase draws closer, the pressure will mount and tempers will wear thin. Fans can look forward to a few good driver feuds before the season ends, and the new 12-man Chase format should liven things up during the final 10 races when the standings get reset. As Ricky Bobby once said, "If you ain't first, you're last!"