Racing's four wheeled Olympics, also known as tThe NASCAR Sprint Cup is here. After last weekend's Daytona 500, here are the initial standings for this years races.

1. Jamie McMurray
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Greg Biggle
4. Clint Bowyer
5. David Reutimann
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Matt Kenseth

The season is just gearing up. Find out more about the scheduled races for the rest of the season after the jump.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

There's good news and bad news about this list. The good news is that we live in a world where a great show like Lost, now in its fourth season and in a new time slot, can still come in at #4. The same thing with 60 Minutes, which has been on forever. The bad news? We live in a world where Deal Or No Deal takes up three of the top twenty spots (including two in the top ten). Ugh.

1. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
2. American Idol - Weds (FOX)

You might think that Kelly Clarkson has it all. With two Grammy awards, five #1 singles, and over ten million copies of her latest record sold, what more could she ask for? Well, a "NASCAR. How bad have you got it?" commercial of course. The spot is part of a big deal the two have signed.

The relationship kicks off February 18th with Clarkson headlining the NEXTEL Tribute To America, live on Fox, before the Daytona 500. The commercial will combine race footage with Clarkson's performance and feature a song from her upcoming third album. She's in good company working with NASCAR. Other musicians that have been part of the promo series include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jewel, Lenny Kravitz, Leann Rimes, and Sheryl Crow.

Have you been sitting there on your couch thinking, "Good grief, it's January 7th already, when is NASCAR going to start?" Well, if you have, you need to find a couple more hobbies, but the good news is that the Speed channel is kicking off its NASCAR season this week with NASCAR Preseason Thunder. The season just gets longer and longer.

They will be covering Nextel Cup testing at Daytona. You can get a schedule of the shows on the Speed website. The actual race isn't until February 18th, but Speed knows where their bread is buttered. NASCAR is to them like the football team is to Notre Dame. It pays for everything else.

My early season predictions are for Jimmy Johnson and Tony Stewart to come out strong. Denny Hamlin will prove that last season wasn't a fluke. Kurt Busch will be back in the hunt now that the #2 team has had a season to gel. The #24 team will remain inconsistent, possibly leading Jeff Gordon to fire his crew chief. Robbie Gordon will crash some people, but it won't be his fault. And Michael Waltrip will continue to get all kinds of camera time despite never even getting a whiff of being competitive.