2010 Team Rankings: Hendrick still king of the hill

The start of the 2010 NASCAR season is still a few weeks away and everyone is tied for first place at this point.

That won't last for long.

Despite the optimism that sweeps the garage area at this time of year and the many offseason changes and personnel swaps that took place, the reality is the Sprint Cup Series pecking order hasn't changed a whole lot.

Rick Hendrick's crew starts the season in a familiar spot -- No. 1. (Getty Images)

There are still powerhouse organizations, middle-of-the-pack teams and other operations just trying to survive from week to week.

Before we tackle the prospects for each individual driver in the coming season and who will make the Chase, let's look a little deeper into the top 10 teams ready to field entries for the 2010 campaign:

No. 1: Hendrick Motorsports

Still the king of the hill and showing no signs of slowing down, the Hendrick dynamo promises to continue on in 2010. The championship will come through this organization, whether it's Jimmie Johnson's fifth straight title, Mark Martin finally capturing his elusive first crown or Jeff Gordon finally completing his "Drive for Five," nobody will be surprised if Rick Hendrick places Cup trophy No. 10 on his mantle come November.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s pivotal year and quest to right the ship that has turned into the "Titanic" since he joined Hendrick two years ago will no doubt be a major focus again this year. Look for another dominating performance from this perennial super team.

No. 2: Joe Gibbs Racing

JGR has gained the respect of many within the garage area as the logical choice for unseating Johnson and Hendrick based on the team's stellar run at the end of last season. Denny Hamlin has emerged as the preseason pick to possibly upset the Hendrick apple cart. Despite his tendency to hurt himself on the basketball court, as he did again last week when he tore the ACL in his right knee, the Virginia native is a safe choice to become the first non-Hendrick driver to win the title in the past five years.

Teammate Kyle Busch will have a new crew chief in Dave Rogers, who Joe and J.D. Gibbs hope brings consistency to the 18 team. And young Joey Logano will try to continue his improvement after a strong Rookie of the Year campaign. It's a strong trio that JGR believes will kick down that door to the championship.

No. 3: Stewart-Haas Racing

The impressive first year by this team has set the bar pretty high, but owner/driver Tony Stewart is fine with it. He won four times last year and led the regular-season standings after 26 races. Teammate Ryan Newman recovered from a brutal start to make the Chase as well. With the Hendrick affiliation resources and equipment, both drivers have a great shot at making the Chase and competing for a championship.

No. 4: Richard Childress Racing

After a complete flop in the first half of 2009, RCR dialed things up big time in the second half. Jeff Burton ended the year with two straight second-place finishes while teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick were in or around the top 10 more often than not. There will be one less car in the stable in 2010 with the departure of Casey Mears due to sponsorship issues, but that contraction might actually help a leaner and meaner RCR perform even better this season.

No. 5: Roush Fenway Racing

Team owner Jack Roush will tell you that 2009 wasn't as bad as many people made it out to be and that a slight move here and better luck there would have resulted in a much better season. But any way you slice it, ending the year with only three wins from its stable of five drivers, with the guy who led the series in victories in 2008 being shut out, is a disappointment. Other than losing a team to get under the NASCAR mandate of a four-car cap, RFR comes back intact and determined to return to prominence.

No. 6: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Juan Pablo Montoya's stirring run to get into the Chase was one of the more compelling stories of last season. Although he ultimately failed to win or contend for the title after the midway point, that performance demonstrated how far EGR had come since the merger of Chip Ganassi Racing and DEI. Jamie McMurray comes on board to take Martin Truex Jr.'s spot in the team's No. 1 ride and the two-car tandem should be in contention for a Chase spot.

No. 7: Penske Racing

They are the only Dodge team left in the garage and Roger Penske sees that as an advantage. Kurt Busch made the Chase and won races with a lame-duck crew chief last year and now has Steve Addington calling the shots after Pat Tryson's defection. Controversial Brad Keselowski will no doubt bring much attention to the team as he takes the wheel of the No. 12 Dodge while Sam Hornish Jr. hopes for the same magic Montoya displayed in his third year after leaving open-wheel racing.

No. 8: Michael Waltrip Racing

They were a surprise last year with David Reutimann winning a race and JTG Daugherty affiliate Marcos Ambrose showing steady improvement. Truex Jr. and Tryson come into the fold this year to take Waltrip's full-time spot and there is a distinct possibility one of the trio sneaks into the Chase.

No. 9: Richard Petty Motorsports

Now that the merger between RPM and Yates Racing is complete, the four-car stable left in its wake will have to prove that the work to join the teams together and switch to Ford was worth the effort. There is plenty of upheaval still working itself out, not the least of which is when Ford's new engine will be put into place full-time. Kasey Kahne is still the anchor of the team and with his contract up at the end of the year the motivation to have a stellar season and up his stock will be high. Elliott Sadler, A.J. Allmendinger and Yates holdover Paul Menard round out the squad, which needs a good start to the season from a confidence factor alone.

No. 10: Red Bull Racing

Brian Vickers gave this team much to smile about with his trip to Victory Lane last year at Michigan and his subsequent Chase spot. Rookie teammate Scott Speed, on the other hand, suffered through a rough freshman campaign. TRM needs Speed to perform better to help Vickers or the entire organization could suffer a letdown after a solid 2009 effort.