NASCAR teams face quite a bit of change this season -- starting with a new car for Sprint Cup contenders.

Drivers and crew chiefs have made moves, young talent is moving into all three national touring series and NASCAR has altered its testing policy.

All of these moves will affect not only individual drivers, but the season overall. So which changes will have the most impact in NASCAR in 2013?

Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota each bring new NASCAR-mandated models to the track this season. The Gen-6 cars are designed to be racy while putting the stock back into the stock-car aspect of the sport. So far, reaction to the cars has been positive by drivers. Already tested at Charlotte Motor Speedway (where Dale Earnhardt Jr. is checking out his car, pictured) in December, the cars will be tested at Daytona International Speedway next week as teams continue to adjust and adapt to the 2013 models.

Fresh off its first NASCAR Sprint Cup title, Penske Racing is not only adjusting to the 2013 cars but is also doing so with a new manufacturer. After winning the championship driving for Dodge, the team is shifting to Fords this season. Dodge has left NASCAR. The question is, will changing manufacturers in a year when every team is dealing with an altered car help or hurt the transition.
 

After spending his entire NASCAR Sprint Cup career with Roush Fenway Racing, Matt Kenseth (pictured, left, with crew chief Jason Ratcliff, center, and Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Jimmy Makar) announced during the 2012 season that he would move to Joe Gibbs Racing for the coming season. He’s joining a team that is also a perennial Chase for the Sprint Cup contender but one which could benefit from both Kenseth’s experience and ability to turn in consistent performances. Will this move vault Kenseth to his second career Cup title?
 

Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Danica Patrick (pictured, right, with team owner Tony Stewart) are moving to the Sprint Cup Series full time, bringing renewed attention to rookie drivers. Each has found a level of success in the Nationwide ranks – Stenhouse is the two-time defending series champion and Patrick finished 10th in the standings last year, best ever for a female driver – and moves into Cup with an established, successful Cup operation. Each is also popular with fans, drawing more attention to their efforts as they navigate the waters of first-year series contenders.
 

This season, the testing rules alter for the Cup drivers. Instead of being banned from testing at tracks where NASCAR’s premier series compete as they have been since 2009, each Cup organization will have four tests available at the tracks where the series competes. With the new car, and with several crew chief/driver changes being made in the offseason, these tests could have a huge impact on teams trying to gain ground over the course of the season.
 

Roush Fenway Racing didn’t enjoy its usual success in 2012. Certainly Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle were formidable, running at or near the top of the standings for much of the season and combining to win five races and make the Chase, but each found setbacks early in that final 10-race segment while teammate Carl Edwards (pictured, right, with team owner Jack Roush) went winless and failed to make the field at all. Now Kenseth is gone, Biffle continues his quest to become the first to win titles in each of NASCAR’s elite divisions, Stenhouse moves to Cup and Edwards is joining ranks with former Kenseth crew chief Jimmy Fennig. That’s a lot of movement in a short time.
 

Joey Logano (pictured, right) emerged in the NASCAR ranks as an 18-year-old sensation expected to excel quickly. He won two Cup races with Joe Gibbs Racing, but this year moves to the defending champion Penske Racing organization. He’ll work with teammate Brad Keselowski (pictured, left) in an effort to gain ground quickly and make the Chase for the first time. Will the change allow Logano to reach the lofty expectations that were pinned to him from the start? A quick look at his growth in success last season – especially his nine Nationwide wins – makes this an intriguing possibility.

Elliott Sadler (pictured), after finishing as runner-up in the Nationwide Series the last two seasons, is moving over to the dominant Joe Gibbs Racing operation. He’ll be joined there by Brian Vickers, another former full-time Cup driver returning to the series where he won the title in 2003. Vickers will also continue sharing the No. 55 Cup ride with Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip. Sadler and Vickers should enjoy their run in the Nationwide ranks this year – perhaps winning races on a regular basis with this group. Will they battle for the championship?
 

Is there a shift in momentum in the NASCAR ranks? There are a lot of young drivers starting to make their mark in the NASCAR ranks. Parker Kligerman, now with Kyle Busch Motorsports, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney (pictured) and Ryan Truex have been gaining attention and finding success in their young careers. Look for more from these blossoming stars this season.
 

Kurt Busch is with his third team in three seasons, but he and his Furniture Row Racing group were already gaining notice late in the 2012 season. He joined the team for the final six races – and earned top-10 finishes in the final three. Will this be the move that gives Busch the ability to contend for his second Cup title?