The racing season is now so close, you can almost smell the nitro in the air.

The Winternationals, the first event of the 2003 NHRA season, will officially light engines Thursday and with it comes an almost endless torrent of questions as to how the many changes that have occurred over the offseason will shape the campaign to come.

Let's take a look ahead to this weekend's expectations in the three professional categories setting up shop at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.

	Dixon

Top Fuel
Any time a driver has the kind of title run Larry Dixon enjoyed in 2002 and comes back the following year with little in the way of new personnel, equipment, ownership or sponsorship, he automatically assumes the role of favorite to repeat. That's the cross that Dixon, his tuner Dick Lahaie, and the rest of Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's team will be bearing in 2003.

Unlike the 2001 and '02 title tussles that were essentially Dixon vs. Kenny Bernstein epics, there will be strong competition across the board for Dixon to handle this year with every driver who finished in the top-10 last year, except for the retired Bernstein and Andrew Cowin, charged and ready for the 23-race schedule. Clay Millican, the IHRA franchise player, is also on tap to run a significant number of NHRA events during the first third of the schedule.

Preseason testing revealed that Tony Schumacher, Doug Herbert and rookie Brandon Bernstein have cars that can run quick and fast. Rhonda Hartman-Smith and husband John have made serious changes to their mechanicals and their test numbers have been outstanding, too. Cory McClenathan, who was not among the top tier drivers who tested this year, will almost certainly be dangerous in Darrell Gwynn's dragster with John Stewart tuning, while Doug Kalitta may be on the verge of a breakout season.

But Dixon, who also tested well, will have the same infrastructure behind him as he did last year and if he comes to Pomona as well-prepared in '03 as he was last season, the race could belong to him.

	Force

Funny Car
Things got hairy for 12-time champion John Force last year thanks to a career-year by young teammate Tony Pedregon. Force's title was his 10th straight, a pro sports franchise record, but his margin of victory over Pedregon was a mere 78 points.

Much has happened since last season. Team Castrol sports new Mustang bodies, which seemed to run well in testing, although Force, Pedregon and third driver Gary Densham plowed into several cones during Las Vegas testing and had the team's body repairmen working overtime.

But the biggest story entering the first race of 2003 is the three-car brigade at Don Schumacher Racing, which will team Whit Bazemore, Gary Scelzi and Scotty Cannon together in the sport's only other three-car operation.

Sure, there will be other strong teams throwing themselves into Force's path in 2003. Prudhomme will field cars for Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr.. Del Worsham and teammate Johnny Gray will be strong. Alan Johnson and Bruce Sarver recently announced they will run the entire 23-event slate, pending a new sponsor. And don't forget Dean Skuza, who is looking for a new sponsor, Cruz Pedregon, with his new tuning team of Rob Flynn and Dave Fletcher, and Frank Pedregon, who is back with Jim Dunn.

Force won the chase last year, stringing together seven more victories. He also had just one driver, Pedregon, to stay ahead of for the title. If Bazemore, Scelzi and Cannon have the right team chemistry and unshakable moral to keep it all together, things could become crowded atop the standings. Pomona will be our first indication.

	Coughlin

Pro Stock
A person could lose a lot of money betting on how the Pro Stock championship will pan out this season. Preseason testing has been a smorgasbord of performance, especially in Houston where the cream of the crop engaged in its annual Pro Stock Superbowl. There, the time slips revealed that 2003 will be a battle royale with defending champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. square in the sights of some worthy adversaries who ran career-best passes.

General Motor's frontline teams, such as Warren and Kurt Johnson, Ron Krisher, Mark Pawuk (with new crew chief Bob Glidden), Jim Yates, Team Jeg's, Bruce Allen and Tom Martino have shown tremendous preseason strength. Meanwhile, Mopar's newly aligned teams, including the Larry Morgan/Gene Wilson and Allen Johnson/Darrell Alderman tandems along with the David Nickens/Bo Nickens/Kenny Koretsky trio, are all in position to challenge.

And Scott Geoffrion's quick laps in Las Vegas testing aboard Hurley Blakeney's Mustang -- due to be replaced soon with a slipperier Ford Escort --could give that relatively new team solid darkhorse status.

But if ever the Golden Rule of drag racing applied, it clearly does in Pro Stock. Driving will be an even greater X-factor in determining the champion than it ever has before. We know everyone has horsepower and we know the elapsed times and speeds will be sensational. But drivers who lose on holeshots, let their cars move around too much or suffer inopportune redlights will fall by the wayside. And that could play right into the hands of the class's best driver, Coughlin.

Bill Stephens is an NHRA reporter for ESPN and covers the NHRA for ESPN.com.