It was a sign of better things to come when NASCAR announced last week that 300 seats will be made available for “fans” at the Dec. 4 NASCAR Sprint Cup banquet at Wynn Las Vegas. It's he first time the event is being held in Las Vegas.

Granted, the 300 will be shared by participating drivers, teams, sponsors and Cup racetracks. It’s a good start to possibly moving it to a bigger venue on the Strip in 2010.

Rumors are that a bigger fan event could be held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the Wednesday afternoon preceding the banquet. If that doesn’t happen I’ll blame NASCAR for being the stumbling block because I know it’s something the speedway wants to host.

My picks: Chase, Countdown

Here are my picks for drivers to win championships this year in Cup and NHRA.

With my billfold: Jimmie Johnson in Cup; Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) in NHRA.

With my heart: Mark Martin in Cup; Antron Brown (TF), John Force (FC), Kurt Johnson (PS).

I feel the need to explain my “heart” picks so you don’t think I have favorite drivers (I do, but you’ll never know who they are!)

Martin is the class of sports whether it's racing, baseball or pingpong. He’s been a runner-up four times. And at 50, he’s running out of time.

In NHRA, Brown is a classy guy driving for a classy team, and it would be another plus for drag racing for an American of African descent to win a major title. Force has won the crown 14 times but hasn’t won a race title in 34 events, and who can forget the death of Eric Medlen in 2007 and Force’s devastating crash six months later. Johnson can win this one for dad Warren, who did not qualify for the Countdown.

I am not picking anyone in Pro Stock Motorcycle because if the class can’t run in all national events then it’s not a real pro class.

Continuity beneficial

Martin is the top seed in the Chase for the Cup and, more importantly, he has eliminated one major distraction.

On Friday, it was announced that Martin signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that takes him through 2011. So for at least a year or maybe two, the 50-year-old won’t be asked if he’ll be back on the track the following year.

“That shouldn't come as any big surprise," Martin said Friday of the extension. "Who would want to quit?"

Martin, in his 27th season of NASCAR, has retired part time and full time over the last few years. He ran a partial schedule in 2007 and '08 and the time off re-energized him. Then came an offer to drive for Hendrick, and Martin has thrived with four wins this year.

Uncertainty a hindrance

Kurt Busch is racing with a lame duck crew chief in Pat Tryson, and Kasey Kahne is about to be part of a merger between his Richard Petty Motorsports and the Yates Racing team.

Neither development will provide a boost for their Chase efforts.

Tryson will leave Busch and Penske Racing after the season to join Michael Waltrip Racing as crew chief for Martin Truex Jr., who will join the team after this season.

Tryson cited personal reasons and insisted Friday he did not want to leave Busch.

"The reason I came to Penske Racing was because of Kurt Busch, and the No. 1 reason to stay at Penske Racing is Kurt Busch," Tryson said. "So my decision ... had nothing to do with Kurt Busch. I had to do things for me, for my personal reasons. For things that I want to accomplish in my career that don't have anything to do with who is driving the race car."

Whatever. It will be a distraction for Busch and Tryson.

Just like Kahne must deal with his team’s merger and the loss of RPM vice president Mark McArdle, who left the team this week after an apparent falling out with RPM co-owner George Gillett.

Kahne and crew chief Kenny Francis are trying to focus on the task at hand but it’s hard to ignore all the shuffling in the background. Kahne’s contract is up at the end of 2010 and bet on him being a free agent.