Over the last few weeks there have been a number of changes in the landscape of the Sprint Cup Series. Teams have merged, drivers have changed teams, been released and in one case reinstated. Perhaps never before in recent history has the starting line-up for the Daytona 500 - just 34 days away - been such an unknown.

To help clear things up, we at HardcoreRaceFans.com have put together a list of the probable contenders for the 2009 season.

CAR      DRIVER                   SPONSOR                     OWNER

00   David Reutimann       Aaron's (part time)               MWR
07   Casey Mears             Jack Daniel's                         RCR
1     Martin Truex Jr.        Bass Pro Shops                     EGR
2     Kurt Busch               Miller Lite                             PR
5     Mark Martin               Kellogg's/Carquest                HM
6     David Ragan              UPS                                   RFR
7     Robby Gordon           Jim Beam (13 races)             RGM
8*   Aric Almirola              TBD                                    EGR
9     Kasey Kahne             Budweiser                           GEM**
10   AJ Allmendinger        TBD                                    GEM
12   David Stremme         Alltel                                    PR
14   Tony Stewart           Office Depot/Old Spice           SHR
16   Greg Biffle                3M/TBA                               RFR
17   Matt Kenseth           DEWALT                               RFR
18   Kyle Busch               Mars/Interstate Batteries         JGR
19   Elliott Sadler             Best Buy/Stanley Tools           GEM
20   Joey Logano             Home Depot                         JGR
21   Bill Elliott                  Motorcraft (?)                        WB ***
24   Jeff Gordon              DuPont/National Guard/Pepsi   HM
26   Jamie McMurray         Crown Royal/Irwin Tools          RFR
28   Travis Kvapil              TBD                                     YR
29   Kevin Harvick             Shell/Pennzoil                        RCR
31   Jeff Burton               Caterpillar                              RCR
33   Clint Bowyer             General Mills/BB&T                  RCR
38   David Gilliland            TBD                                     YR
39   Ryan Newman           U.S. Army                             SHR
41   TBD+                      Target (?)                             EGR
42   Juan Pablo Montoya   Wrigley's (19 races)                EGR
43   Reed Sorenson         U.S. Air Force/PVA.org            GEM
47   Marcos Ambrose        Little Debbie's/Kingsford          JTGDR
48   Jimmie Johnson         Lowe's/Kobalt                        HM
55   Michael Waltrip          NAPA                                    MWR
77   Sam Hornish Jr. (?)    Mobile1                                  PR
78   Regan Smith             Furniture Row                         FRR++
82   Scott Speed             Red Bull                                 RBR
83   Brian Vickers             Red Bull                                 RBR
88   Dale Earnhardt Jr.      AMP/National Guard                 HM
96   TBD                        Texas Instruments DLP             HoFR +++
98   Paul Menard              Menards                                 YR
99   Carl Edwards             Aflac                                      RFR

Key: EGR (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing), FRR (Furniture Row Motorsports), GEM (Gillett Evernham Motorsports), HM (Hendrick Motorsports), HoFR (Hall of Fame Racing), JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), JTGDR (JTG-Daugherty Racing), MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing), PR (Penske Racing), RBR (Red Bull Racing), RCR (Richard Childress Racing), RFR (Roush Fenway Racing), SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing), WB (Wood Brothers Racing), YR (Yates Racing)

* - Reports are beginning to surface that Aric Almirola's ride is not as secure as once believed. As a young driver with little Cup Series experience, Almirola and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing are reportedly having trouble finding sponsors for the No. 8 car. Bobby Labonte has been linked to this ride, while no official word has been given as of yet.

** - Gillett Evernham Motorsports is in the process of completing a merger with Petty Enterprises. The new team will be a four-car team and may undergo a name-change prior to the start of the season. Reports are the team may become Richard Petty Racing.

*** - The Wood Brothers are cutting back on their schedule in an attempt to remain competitive in an unfriendly business market. By running only twelve races in 2009, the Wood Brothers look to stay afloat while remaining a staple in the sport.

+ - The No. 41 ride for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is one of the final pieces to the Cup Series puzzle. Many reports have Bobby Labonte in this ride for next season, but again nothing is set in stone and his name is now popping up for various other rides.

++ - Like the Wood Brothers, Furniture Row Racing is committing to only twelve races in 2009. Regan Smith is expected to be officially announced as the driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet within the next few weeks and this combination should produce some good results.

+++ - Despite previous reports, it appears Hall of Fame Racing is in fact still in business and planning on attempting the Daytona 500. No driver has been announced and the manufacturer is still up in the air. Unless something comes together quick for this team, it appears there will be little on-track action in 2009.

While this list is simply an estimate as to what the 2009 season will look like, there are still a number of pieces yet to fall in place. The details of the Earnhardt-Ganassi merger and the GEM-Petty Enterprises merger are still being worked out. Former Daytona 500-winning crew chief Tommy Baldwin recently announced the formation of his own team, however no driver, car number or sponsor have been announced. Drivers like Bobby Labonte, Dave Blaney, Patrick Carpentier, Scott Riggs, Joe Nemechek and Ken Schrader - just to name a few - are still without rides.

With the Daytona Speedweeks just over a month away, the Sprint Cup Series line-up is still very much an unknown. Be sure to check back to HardcoreRaceFans.com regularly to get the latest news on who's driving what and where in 2009.