Rolling into Daytona this week, the Cup Series reaches the official halfway point of the year. With seventeen of the thirty-six races in the books, it is time to take a look back on the season that was so far and the top 10 stories that made headlines.

1. Petty's Move To Save Business:

The iconic and legendary Petty Enterprises announced last month that Boston Ventures, an equity firm that owns Six Flags, Motown Records and The National Inquirer had purchased the majority of the family business. The partnership was made less than a year after the team was forced to make the move from Randleman to Mooresville in order to stay competitive. The announcement was not necessarily a surprise to those throughout the NASCAR Nation, but instead the ultimate proof that NASCAR is an ever-growing, ever-changing business that occasionally goes racing.

2. Humpy's Fall:

In what was a surprise announcement, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler retired from his position following this May's Coca-Cola 600. Wheeler, who is unmatched in terms of promoters and showmanship, was one of the most successful and well-liked figures that has ever graced the sport, but in the end it seems personal differences with boss Bruton Smith was not enough to overcome. While Wheeler will no longer be involved with the track he helped grow into what it is today, he will still be involved in the sport. Shortly after his departure, Marcus Smith - Bruton's son was named as Wheeler's replacement - no coincidence there.

3. Kyle Busch's Dominance:

Who would have thought that after joining Joe Gibbs Racing and making the switch to Toyota that Kyle Busch would go on such a tear? No one doubted the youngster's abilities, but since the move, Busch has proven he knows how to win and can do it in any type of race car at any type of track. He has wins in all three of NASCAR's top series and has won on short tracks, road courses, mile-and-a-half tracks, Speedways and Superspeedways. Busch has more bonus points than any other driver and heading into the second half of the season appears the man to beat. The question is, can he continue this momentum for the rest of the season and be there when it matters most in the Chase?

4. Jeff Gordon Winless So Far?:

One of 2007's most successful drivers, Jeff Gordon has been on slump thus far in 2008. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is currently sixth in the standings with seven top-5s and eight top-10s and no wins. When compared to this time last year - when Gordon already had eleven top-5s, fifteen top-10s and four wins - the four-time series champ it has had a season full of struggles and disappointing runs. Gordon's successful runs have been off-set by three DNFs at Daytona, Las Vegas and Texas and by continually struggling to adapt to the new car week-in and week-out. The driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet has not had a bad year overall, but is definitely frustrated at this point. This team will begin to hit its marks sometime soon, and when they do, look out.

5. "It's The Economy Stupid":

This one is not in NASCAR's hands, but is definitely showing its effects on the sport. With the economy going through some rough times - that's an understatement, I know - NASCAR is feeling the pinch. With gas prices soaring over $4/gallon across the nation, attendance at tracks have taken a hit. Holes in the grandstands were very visible in Atlanta and Michigan, while open seats could even be seen at Bristol in March. Fans are beginning to cut back travel plans and that has definitely hurt attendance. On the flip side, TV ratings are up for the first time in years. This proves that no matter the economy, fans still crave their racing.

Another issue the economy has touched is that of sponsorship. Teams are struggling more than ever to secure sponsor deals and have even opted to multiple primary sponsors to secure rides. Teams such as Yates Racing (more on them later) and Robby Gordon Motorsports have been forced to race plain cars and pay out of pocket due to a lack of sponsorship. With no real change in sight, this is sure to become a much larger issue before the end of the season.

6. Kentucky Bets On Bruton:

Shortly after Humpy Wheeler's retirement, Bruton Smith addressed members of the media leading up to the Coca-Cola 600. Instead of shedding light on his president and general manager's sudden retirement, Smith was there to brag about his newest purchase - the Kentucky Speedway. Admittedly one of the 'biggest announcements' Speedway Motorsports Inc. has ever made, Smith purchased the 1.5-mile speedway from Kentucky Speedway LLC, led by Jerry Carroll.

Carroll and his associates have been involved in a lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. in an attempt to secure a Cup date for Kentucky since 2005, and for them, this was a way to secure that Cup date while continuing their legal battle. Although NASCAR officials made it clear Kentucky will not be on the schedule in 2009, expect to see the series visit the track for the first time by 2010 at the latest.

7. Tony Stewart's Luck & Distractions Lead To No Wins:

Much Like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart's year so far has been full of disappointing finishes, poor luck and media hype. Stewart made headlines in April when he made it known he was interested in exploring his options for 2009. With one year left on his contract at Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart expressed interest in becoming a part-owner in a team and leaving the company he has been with for over ten years. It has been said Stewart will join Haas CNC Racing as a part-owner, but just this weekend the two-time champ expressed interest in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ride.

Whether this has had a major effect of Stewart's finishes is doubtful, but his poor luck has definitely been a factor. Stewart has had four finishes of 35th or worse and has had the best car on a number of occasions only to walk away disappointed. Learning lessons from 2007, Stewart was good on gas and on his way to his first Coca-Cola 600 win until a flat right front tire forced the team to settle with an 18th-place finish. Just this week, Stewart led the most laps in New Hampshire only to get bit by fuel mileage and rain. The stretch of the season is approaching the time of year when Stewart comes alive and if he can stay focused on his mission for this year and catch a break here or there in terms of luck he should find Victory Lane once again.

8. Yates Racing's Success Despite Sponsorship Woes:

One team hit hard by the economic crunch has been that of Yates Racing. Fielding two cars, team owner Doug Yates has struggled to put together sponsor deals while his drivers have had success on the track. Travis Kvapil is currently 19th in the series standings with three top-10 finishes driving the No. 28 Ford Fusion. Often running a white unsponsored car, Kvapil has had an array of sponsors help out when they could.

David Gilliland has had a bit more of success when it comes to sponsors, but has also at times gone with the white unsponsored car. Gilliland has one top-5 and two top-10s and is in the 22nd-spot in the standings. "Overall, our performance has definitely been up and now we're selling what we've shown we can do," Gilliland told HardcoreRaceFans.com.

9. Draft? What Draft?:

At Daytona in February and more prominently at Talladega in April, we saw something new in terms of restrictor-plate racing. For the first time in years - perhaps ever - two cars were able to hook up running nose-to-tail and run faster than the freight-train of cars lined up in the draft. One of the best at this new trick was Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin.

"A lot of it has to do the with fact when you get bumpers sealed together; it creates a false opening on the car in the back, so it's really like a qualifying run for the car in the back," Hamlin explained after the race at Talladega. "So you get any kind of break from there and you actually make contact, it's almost suction, especially if you have a radiator fan on; it sucks up even more than what it would normally. It's just kind of something that you learn over the course of time. Yesterday I was able to do the same thing and take a car that was running 24th, whoever was in front of me, pushed them passed the 23 cars out front and it was enough to figure out ways to keep it looked in there."

10. Silly Season? Already?:

Each year 'Silly Season' plays a major role in how a season unfolds. Last year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sent shockwaves through the NASCAR Nation when he announced that he was leaving DEI. In 2008, Tony Stewart has become that leading figure. His announcement earlier in the year - as discussed above - in addition to an opening for a fourth car at Richard Childress Racing has had a ripple effect throughout the garage.

Some of the names being thrown around already include Stewart, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman, among others. To make matters even more complicated, Hendrick Motorsports made headlines last week by announcing Casey Mears would be out as the driver of the No. 5 in 2009. Regardless of how this all turns out, it has the possibility of having a major effect on the remainder of the 2008 season.