Well, stay tuned, because the action on and off the track will heat up as the summer gets longer. Here's a look into the future:

The

We already know Ernie Irvan is going to a different racing team, but what about Robby Gordon? (Allsport)

announcement on Tuesday that Ernie Irvan will not be driving for Yates Racing next season is the first domino to fall in what will eventually be a huge chain reaction. Anything is possible.

Most probable is that IndyCar hotshot Robby Gordon will be leaving the Felix Sabates team. If he does, he'll likely be out of NASCAR racing, with a good chance that he will race on the Indy Racing League circuit as a driver-owner.

TWO OTHERS MIGHT WELL leave NASCAR soon, both car owners. Chuck Rider, winless since 1987, could sell the No. 30 Pennzoil team or perhaps even just close the doors. One of those developments would make driver Johnny Benson Jr. an attractive replacement for several other teams. Another owner who could bail out is Greg Pollex, a partner in the No. 97 John Deere Pontiac team with St. Louis Rams quarterback Mark Rypien.

Also leaving the sport will be the R.J. Reynolds company, whose sponsorship of NASCAR under its Winston brand helped stock car racing become the success it is today. Winston will leave with much fanfare as the racing community will try to give back some of the support it has received over the years.

The likely replacement as title sponsor for NASCAR's highest circuit will be McDonald's. Maybe the drivers will be racing to win the Big Mac Cup.

Another long-time NASCAR icon that will soon depart the circuit is the Thunderbird. Ford has announced its plans to discontinue production of the model, meaning NASCAR teams must drop the Thunderbird by the 1999 season. Could a four-dour Taurus be in NASCAR's future? Ford and NASCAR officials are trying to work something out.

ANOTHER LIKELY DEVELOPMENT is the end of Geoff Bodine's career as a team owner. He's hurting for money and has already announced that he has put his operations up for sale. He would like to remain as driver, but don't be surprised if that doesn't happen. In fact, don't be surprised if Bodine is forced to sit on the sideline for a while before hiring on with a new ride.

Sterling Marlin will soon be leaving his ride with the No. 4 Kodak team. He could replace Gordon with Sabates, hooking up again with crew chief Tony Glover. The two combined to win two Daytona 500s.

But don't expect Sabates' operation to leapfrog the Morgan-McClure operation that Marlin will be leaving. Watch for them to pick up a top driver for 1998 and win a couple of races.

Morgan-McClure had been talking about adding a second driver for 1998, but that won't happen since Marlin is out. One team that is quietly looking for another driver is Jack Roush. No, Jack doesn't have plans to can any of his drivers (Mark Martin, Ted Musgrave or Jeff Burton), but he does want to add a fourth car to his team.

ONE STRONG CANDIDATE is Ward Burton. No matter what happens, the situation is bound to be an odd one. Roush is contemplating fielding a GM car, so that he can have the best of all possible worlds. Common sense and NASCAR tradition will prevail, however, and Roush will still be fielding Fords if he adds another car to his empire.

One sure bet is that a Chevrolet driver, not counting Jeff Gordon, will eventually win a race this season. Ford drivers have nine victories in 16 races, with Gordon posting the other seven in his Monte Carlo. Among the Thunderbird contingent, seven drivers have won, but just Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin -- with two victories each -- have more than one. John Andretti, Jeff Burton, Ernie Irvan, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace have one victory each.

Andretti and Burton won't be the only two drivers to get their first Winston Cup victory this year, though Ricky Craven won't be the next (as everyone keeps predicting). Watch for one of the threesome including Jeremy Mayfield, Ted Musgrave and Michael Waltrip (currently running ninth through 11th in the points race, respectively) to break through. Also don't be surprised if Johnny Benson, last year's top rookie, gets his first career victory.

WHILE ON THE TOPIC of rookies, expect the rookie chase to turn into a dogfight. Robby Gordon, many experts preseason pick, will continue to drop. The Green brothers, David and the late-starting Jeff, will make a hard run at Mike Skinner, currently the front-runner. However, watch for Skinner to squeak past competition and capture the award.

And watch for Skinner's teammate, Dale Earnhardt, to be one of the Chevrolet drivers who will join Jeff Gordon as a race winner this season. Dale's victory will be much celebrated, but he will quickly follow it up with a second victory as he makes a strong run for the title.

But his gallant attempt will fall short. Terry Labonte will repeat as Winston Cup champion, battling Mark Martin down to the wire. Jeff Gordon will be in the hunt too, and he'll win a bunch more races.

But he, too, will fall short as Labonte claims the title without winning a single race all season. That would be one insane way to end a crazed season.

Happy Racing.

Mark Zeske covers motorsports for the Dallas Morning News and is editor of Beckett Racing Monthly.

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