The world of auto racing is ripe with intriguing storylines ahead of its 2010 season. Fans of NASCAR will be treated to the historic chase for five in a row by Jimmie Johnson while the F1 adjusts to changing world markets and a brand new points system. Much like F1, the Indy Racing League is struggling with the cost of racing cars and is dealing with the part-time departure of its most-marketable stars, Danica Patrick.

SPORTSNET.CA asks five questions ahead of what is sure to be an interesting calendar year for auto racing.

1. Can Schumi return to glory?

The top story in auto racing for 2010 is unquestionably the return of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher to competitive racing after a three-year absence.

The German, who won five straight titles with Ferrari from 2000-2004, almost made a comeback last year. He was set to drive in the 2009 European Grand Prix after Felipe Massa was severely injured, but he called it off after he determined he would not be fit enough in time for the race. However, the racing itch wasn't a fleeting one. In December Schumacher signed a deal with Mercedes to drive full-time alongside Nico Rosberg in 2010. And he wasn't about to dabble -- it was a three-year contract.

The question is, at the age of 41, can he return to the dominant form he once had? Early signs are pretty good. On Monday, Mercedes unveiled its new W01 car at a testing session on Cheste Circuit in Valencia, Spain, and Schumacher set the third-fastest lap time, beating even his teammate Rosberg's time.

"It was just like old days," Mercedes principal owner Ross Brawn said. Later, Schumacher's former teammate Rubens Barrichello had some advice for Rosberg, whom he believes will need to do a lot to get Brawn's attention while Schumacher is on the team: "Get out of there -- that is the only thing I can tell (Rosberg)." Schumacher has even said he may continue to race even beyond the current three-year deal. He obviously thinks he's got plenty left in the tank.

Schedule alert: F1 season begins Mar. 14 with the Bahrain Grand Prix

2. Will Danica light it up in stock cars?

It might not be the biggest story in NASCAR, but it's certainly the most intriguing. Danica Patrick will make the move to stock-car racing in 2010, with her debut coming this weekend at Daytona Beach in the ARCA series race on Saturday. She will then compete in her first Nationwide Series race at Daytona on Feb. 13.

After that will come two more Nationwide events the following two Saturdays before heading back to her full-time home, the IRL. She'll continue to mix in some stock-car races part-time -- a dozen in total for the year. How will she do?

Of course, it's too early to tell, but some, including NASCAR driver and former IRL champion Tony Stewart, have high hopes for her.

"Obviously she's got talent," Stewart said. "She's been successful in every form of racing she's been in so far and I don't see why she wouldn't be successful (in NASCAR)." Her recent successes attest to that. In 2008, she got the "Anna Kournikova" monkey off her back when she captured the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female to win an IRL race. Last year, she placed third in the Indy 500, the highest finish by a woman.

If the move doesn't work out, she can always strive for a potential acting career as a part-time endeavour, which she'll get going with an upcoming guest appearance on CSI: NY. In the episode, which will air Wednesday, Feb. 10, she plays the competitor of a racing star who dies in a car explosion in which tampering is involved.

Now, don't get any ideas.

Schedule alert: Nationwide season begins Feb. 13 with the Camping World 300 at Daytona

3. Will Indy Racing League emerge from its turmoil?

Okay so that may be a bit of a bleak quandary, but while the series Patrick is entering flourishes, the one where she made her name continues to struggle. Last week a lack of sponsors forced IRL founder Tony George to shut down operations on his IndyCar team Vision Racing, which was not expected to compete in the series in 2010. This came after George, the former long-time president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, had already been ousted from that position last June amid job cuts and economic concerns.

On Tuesday, the IRL hired Randy Bernard, the former head of the Professional Bull Riders Inc., as its new CEO. The move raised eyebrows as Bernard admittedly has never attended an IndyCar race. That's the bad news. The good news? He had very little personal experience with bull riding when he took over that post at age 28, and 15 years later he has built it into a multi-million-dollar enterprise with national television exposure.

IRL will need every bit of that entrepreneurial experience if they are to cope with its current difficulties, including lagging fan support and renewed talk of a possible breakaway series.

Schedule alert: IRL season begins Mar. 14 with the Sao Paulo Indy 300

4. Who - or what - can stop Jimmie?

When you think of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the first question that comes to mind is: will Jimmie Johnson five-peat?

As amazing as it is to think that the man was able to win four straight Cup titles, one wonders what could possibly prevent him from winning yet again. NASCAR has come up with some ideas. Call it the Johnson effect, or just simply competitive thinking, but the organization has massaged some rules this year in the hope of opening up the competition. One of the rules was to allow bump-drafting at Daytona and Talladega; the idea being for drivers to show more aggression. The result could mean more crashes, more chaos, and thus more chances for other drivers whose initials aren't J.J. to emerge victorious.

The question is, can others take advantage? Will another driver, who simply goes by the letters Jr., ever capitalize on the potential he once showed? The younger Dale Earnhardt has only one win since May 2006, and last year he didn't even make the Chase for the Championship.

Denny Hamlin is the popular preseason pick to dethrone Johnson, if only for variety. But will a torn ligament he sustained playing basketball last month hamper him, even if he's opting for surgery after the season?

These questions will begin to get answered Saturday night as the NASCAR season officially gets underway with the Budweiser Shootout in Daytona.

Schedule alert: NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins Feb. 6 at Daytona International Speedway

5. Will a Canadian city bid farewell to another race?

In 2009, the Canadian Grand Prix, which had been held annually in Montreal since 1961 and its race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was a fixture on the Formula One circuit since 1982, was dropped from the F1 schedule amid a dispute with FIA. It marked the first time since 1958 there was no Formula One race in North America.

Fortunately for Canadian racing fans, a five-year deal was reached last November to bring the race back to Quebec through the 2014 season. Of course, it didn't come for free; it will cost the Quebec provincial government $15 million annually to host the race. Meanwhile, this is the final year of a three-year contract to host the Edmonton Indy, and city councilors voted in December to commit to it despite an operational deficit of $9.2 million the past two years.

And with numbers like that, there's a good chance it will not return in 2011. Not unless more tickets can be sold or more government grants can be issued. Racing fans, take note.

Schedule alert: The 2010 F1 Canadian GP will be held June 13 in Montreal

Schedule alert: The 2010 Edmonton Indy will be held July 25 in Edmonton