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(AP) -- The clock is ticking on the contracts
of marquee drivers like Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer,
Jeff Burton, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya, all of whom are
poised to hit NASCAR's version of free agency as this season
unfolds.

Danica Patrick doesn't know her plans for 2012 and beyond,
either.

 If this was NASCAR's mid-2000s zenith, it would be a formula for
one of the more active free agent markets in recent memory.
Instead, the economy is sagging and NASCAR's popularity has
slipped.

Several drivers have been asked about their contacts in the
run-up to Sunday's Daytona 500, and most said they expect to
re-sign with their current teams.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)