By J.D. Hellman

As NASCAR begins its unofficial second half of the season--two races ahead of the mathematical second half--one must ask how different it will be than the first 16 races already in the books?

Saturday's Coke Zero 400--or as it was known in the prime of the sport, the Firecracker 400--traditionally separates the first and second half of the seasons when drivers and teams return to tracks for the second time.

The 20 remaining races this season essentially boil down to two independent 10-race portions.

The first 10-race stretch, from Daytona to Richmond, are the last 10 chances drivers will have to qualify for the playoffs--formerly known as the Chase for the Cup.

And then there's the other 10 races that make up the playoffs, which will determine the 2017 NASCAR Cup champion.

Here's the five top storylines to keep an eye on this weekend in Daytona:

One season, 10 races: That's pretty much how it stacks up for all drivers who have not won a race this season (plus Joey Logano, whose win at Richmond was encumbered and does not count as an automatic playoff berth). Other winless drivers--including Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kasey Kahne, along with a talented field of rookies--have to go for broke in the next 10 races. The significance and importance of this is that desperation will continue to grow each weekend as long as they remain winless.

Second verse, same as the first: This weekend marks the start of the Cup series returning to tracks for a second time this season. Of the remaining 20 races, 13 are at tracks that have already hosted a race in 2017. Six are at one-time tracks during the next 20 race weekends: Kentucky, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, and Darlington during the regular season plus Chicagoland and Homestead during the playoffs. Five of the next 10 pre-playoff races are at repeat performance tracks this season. Those tracks are especially crucial for drivers who have not won this season but have good career marks on them. Both of New Hampshire's races are run in the second half.

Saying goodbye to Dale Jr.: Those repeat visits to tracks will also be particularly poignant and meaningful to NASCAR's most popular driver and his fans. Retiring at the end of this season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. begins the start of his final pass through most of NASCAR's tracks, and none is more important than this weekend's race at Daytona. The two-time Daytona 500 winner hopes to win yet another Coke Zero 400 and add one last Daytona win to his career record book as well as the Earnhardt family racing annals. It would also qualify him for the playoffs and potentially give him a chance to steal win his first--and last--NASCAR Cup championship.

Earnhardt has recently started to rebound from the horrible struggles he had during much of the first half of the season. In his last five starts, he has finishes of 10th (Charlotte), 11th (Dover), ninth (Michigan), and sixth (Sonoma). That compares to just one top five and no other top 10s in Earnhardt's first 11 starts.


(Danica Patrick may be waving goodbye to NASCAR in the second half of the season. Brian Fluharty, USA Today)

Danica, we hardly knew you? With so much attention being focused on Dale Jr., we not only will be seeing NASCAR return to tracks for a second time this season but also may be waving goodbye to Danica Patrick at each track. Stewart-Haas Racing still has not re-signed Patrick, whose contract expires at the end of this season. And given her lack of success since coming to the Cup series, an argument can be made that she has been an anchor holding down SHR's chances for even greater success with a different and more successful driver in the No. 10.

With her longtime patriarch GoDaddy.com long gone (the past two seasons), Patrick is no longer a gimme when it comes to a high-dollar sponsorship. And if SHR signs someone such as Kyle Larson or Ryan Blaney--which are both distinct possibilities--there definitely would no longer be any room at the SHR inn for Patrick.

A different TV look and perspective: This weekend also marks the annual changeover from Fox Sports to NBC Sports. Thankfully, we won't have to hear, "Boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racin' boys," for the rest of the season. Don't be surprised if you may have heard that phrase for the final time ever as well as see some major changes to the Fox lineup for 2017. Already gone is written content on FoxSports.com, which eliminated all writers and content on the day following NASCAR's Sonoma race (the site will be solely video from here on out). There are also numerous rumors floating around that Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds, and Jeff Hammond may have made their final appearance on Fox.

If Dale Earnhardt Jr. decides to go with Fox instead of NBC for a potential post-racing career in front of the camera, he would be reunited with former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon--not to mention become a perfect replacement for Waltrip, who is far too old to be relevant to the sport's efforts to attract new, young fans. Don't be surprised if the other Waltrip, Michael, and his infamous pre-race gridwalk is also forever history. Fox had so many races that set records--for low viewership--this season that it would not be a surprise to see a massive cutting of on-camera talent. If no one was safe at FoxSports.com, how can anyone feel safe on the TV side when it comes to NASCAR content?

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