Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox
Your guide to the new year's biggest sports stories, from Dale Earnhardt Jr's bold move, to Brett Favre's big decision, to the Celtics' rebirth.
NASCAR: Junior Jumps
When the 2008 season starts in NASCAR's renamed Sprint Cup Series, most of the talk will be about Dale Earnhardt Jr's great expectations. Even questions of whether Jimmie Johnson can three-peat as champ will pale next to guesses about Johnson's new Hendrick Motorsports stablemate, who shocked the sport with his defection from Dale Earnhardt, Inc, the company his late father built. Junior won his fifth straight Most Popular Driver award last season, but his fans are aching for him to hoist more hardware, and team owner Rick Hendrick is feeling the pressure. "My main concern is that people don't get disappointed too early," he says. "Give us a chance to get it all figured out." Junior comes to Hendrick with crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr and a bitter taste after his substandard 2007. (He
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