Under consideration: abandonment of the "yellow-line" rule at Talladega and Daytona. At the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega in 2008, Regan Smith passed Tony Stewart beneath the yellow line in the final laps for the win but was disqualified. (Photo: Getty Images)

- NASCAR officials are apparently about to end their "wing experiment" on the generic cars of the Sprint Cup Series. Returning to a "blade spoiler," which is included on the new Nationwide Series design, is expected to increase downforce. The change is likely to be announced on Jan. 21 and implemented sometime in late March.

- The merger of Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing is expected to be announced on Jan. 19. The merger has the effect of increasing Ford's presence in the Sprint Cup Series.

- Abandonment of the so-called "yellow line rule" and "no-bump-draft zones" at Daytona and Talladega is apparently also being considered.

- Madhouse, The History Channel's series about short-track racing at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., has been criticized for stressing fights and feuds at the expense of the positive aspects of local racing.

- ESPN3 is scheduled to be operational in June, specializing in three-dimensional sports coverage. The good news? NASCAR is made for 3D. The bad? The programming requires viewers to buy expensive new equipment.

- Would a return to the spoiler (as opposed to the wing) help Dale Earnhardt Jr. improve his performance? Most don't expect the change to make much of a difference. Statistically, though, it's fair to note that Earnhardt Jr.'s performance has suffered since the advent of generic cars.

- Instead, proposed rules changes are being celebrated, as usual, as being "for the fans." The official line goes something like this: The racing is great, but somehow the fans don't like it, so we're making changes to please them.

- Robby Gordon continues to race his Hummer off-road vehicle through Argentina and Chile, showing flashes of brilliance but suffering repeated difficulties. It looks like a victory in The Dakar (which, by the way, is in Africa, not South America) will have to wait until another year.

- Dakar, by the way, is the capital of Senegal. The rally once began in Paris, ended in Dakar and involved transport by boat across the Mediterranean Sea. Security concerns led the rally to be moved to South America.

- The Daytona 500 is only a month away.