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Through 10 races, here are 10 things we’ve learned:

1. Kyle Busch is on fire: He has seven top-10s and two wins in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing. And it’s not just in the Sprint Cup series that he has distinguished himself, although that’s clearly what defines him. Busch is also third in the Nationwide standings with three victories and sixth in the Craftsman Truck series, where he has two victories in four starts.

Busch still has not decided whether he will run the full Nationwide series since the Cup series is his priority, but why not keep a good thing going?

2. Silly season begins earlier: Six months remain in the Sprint Cup season, but already the drama about who will be switching teams has begun. It got underway a few weeks ago, just before the Talladega race, when Tony Stewart, who is under contract with Gibbs through 2009, said he has had conversations with other teams. He was very elusive about his future and even indicated that he might be interested in ownership.

Then there’s Martin Truex Jr., who may or may not be locked up for at least another season at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

What about Richard Childress Racing’s fourth team in 2009? Who will be in that seat? Bobby Labonte, heavily rumored to be that guy, apparently is sticking with Petty Enterprises.

Will Casey Mears, the “forgotten” member of Hendrick’s team, be back?

3. Gibbs-Childress slugfest: The Cup championship might be a two-team race between Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing. RCR’s Jeff Burton was leading the points until this week. Burton is now second, and teammates Clint Bowyer, who won Saturday night at Richmond, and Kevin Harvick are fourth and fifth, respectively. JGR first-year driver Kyle Busch now leads the standings, while teammates Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart are sixth and eighth, respectively.

4. Don’t overlook Carl Edwards: Well, first of all, that’s hard to do, since he has that patented back-flip off his car following a win — and we’ve seen three of those this year. Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing team have had a solid handle on the intermediate tracks this year, and even without crew chief Bob Osborne, who was suspended six races for a rules violation after Edwards’ win at Las Vegas, the team has remained steady.

Edwards has six top-10s as the series heads to Darlington, which, after a paving job, apparently has an intermediate-track type of feel, according to drivers who tested there. If that’s the case, keep an eye on Edwards.

5. Drug testing: After Craftsman Truck series driver Aaron Fike revealed to ESPN the Magazine in April that he used heroin on the day of races, Sprint Cup series drivers said they would be strongly in favor of mandatory drug testing. As it stands now, NASCAR will drug test if there is reasonable suspicion. NASCAR officials recently said they will look into the possibility of stricter drug testing.

The good news is that Fike’s admission has encouraged discussion. Driver Kevin Harvick isn’t waiting for NASCAR. He recently developed a drug-testing policy for his team. Perhaps more will follow.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still winless: The pressure is on — or is it? One of the big stories of the early Cup season has been Earnhardt settling into his new digs at Hendrick Motorsports. Clearly, he is comfortable there and is enjoying himself.

He is third in points but hasn’t won. In fact, his winless streak now stands at 72 races, covering two years. He appeared on his way to snapping that streak Saturday night at Richmond, site of his last victory, until a late-race incident with Kyle Busch.

7. Burden on fans: Has the high cost of fuel hurt racing fans who want to attend races? Of course it has. Roger Curtis, president of Michigan International Speedway, said a few months ago that he doesn’t anticipate a sellout of the Sprint Cup race on June 15 because of the current state of the economy. Gas prices are nearing $4 a gallon, which will make race fans think twice about attending their favorite races.

Attendance has been down at tracks this season, and the Associated Press recently reported that more than half the fans who will attend the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., on May 25, will travel more than 250 miles to get there. No wonder tracks are being affected.

8. Open-wheel transition: No one said it would be easy for drivers with open-wheel backgrounds to make the move to Sprint Cup racing.

Juan Pablo Montoya, with one Cup season under his belt, has done well. He is 16th in points, having spent last week in 12th before the race at Richmond. Montoya’s 2007 experience had clearly paid off.

Sam Hornish Jr., the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, has been steady this season. Although he believes he should have had better performances, he is 34th in points, not a minor accomplishment since one of his goals was to remain in the top 35 for qualifying purposes.

Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 champ, has had a tough time, having endured a broken foot at Talladega from an accident during the Nationwide race. Patrick Carpentier is 41st and Jacques Villeneuve never even had a chance to get this season started.

9. Is Jeff Gordon struggling? The four-time Cup series champion is 13th in points, just outside the Chase for the Championship cutoff. He is in a far different situation than he was a year ago, when he was dominating the series.

Gordon chalks up much of what has happened this year to bad luck. He has yet to win and has lacked the type of consistency that set him apart a year ago. Gordon has four top-10 finishes. Of course he wants a win, but he needs to boost the number of top-10 finishes so he can make a solid move into the top 12.

10. New cars: Two accidents this year have given credibility to claims the new Sprint Cup series car is safer. Rookie Michael McDowell’s terrifying wreck during qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway made all the highlight shows, and while most expected the worst, he managed to climb from the car and walk off with a slight limp. Jeff Gordon endured what he called one of the hardest wrecks of his career with five laps left at Las Vegas. The car did its job, but Gordon did question the lack of SAFER walls at the track.

This has generated conversation about tracks doing more regarding walls, but what can’t be lost is that the new car has lived up to its improved safety claims.