At first, I was going to do a top 5, but I soon realized that beyond about 2-3 major headlines, there were several others that were close. Rather than spend all night trying to rank them, I have elected to put a list together that goes more or less follows a chronological order. As I reviewed the list in my head, while out on my afternoon run (one of the advantages of going to and coming home from work so early) is that this will easily take more than one post.
This may be a little scattergun, but here goes:
Dale Jr. debuts in style at the Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duals- Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s move from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports was THE story in 2007, and Junior seemed to justify that move right off the bat with a great showing in the opening events at Speed Week.
Newman Wins the 50th Running Of The Daytona 500- After a winless streak, “Rocket” Ryan Newman, one of NASCAR’s most prolific qualifiers- got back in the win column by winning the “Great American Race.” Drafting help came in the form of Newman’s teammate, former champion Kurt Busch.
California Rains Wash Away Momentum- It never rains in California? Bah! If there was anything more persistent than the rain at Fontana for the second week of the season, it was NASCAR’s insistence in running the race on Sunday. Rain created “seepage” on the track, and created hazards that resulted in an early wreck for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The race was stopped near its midpoint, before Carl Edwards took the checkered flag on Monday.
Adjusting To The “Car Of Tomorrow”- NASCAR’s “new” car began running full-time in 2008, providing for a difficult transition for race teams. Strict regulations on allowable adjustments made engineers and crew chiefs feel as they were dancing on the head of a needle. Fans complained the new car ruined the racing. While there were several uneven performances in the early season, the racing seemed to improve over the course of the season, even though it is the belief of championship crew chief Chad Knaus that NASCAR would do well to allow a little more latitude for teams to make adjustments because there is so little room to make meaningful changes to the car to improve handling.
Safety Tests- One of the fundamental purposes for the new car was to improve safety that we may never again endure the loss of a driver or watch them suffer the kinds of injuries that marred the careers of Ernie Irvan and Bobby Allison. After tangling with Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon bent the inside wall at Las Vegas. The 16-year veteran believes it was the hardest lick he’s taken in his career. Gordon walked away from it.
Michael Mc Dowell offered NASCAR its most spectacular crash of 2008 while preparing for the spring race at Texas. The rookie and former ARCA star got loose, hit the wall and rolled multiple times before his wild ride was done. Mc Dowell returned to race later in the weekend in a back-up car.
Edwards’ Team Caught in The Act- Carl Edwards early season momentum came to an abrupt halt after a post-race inspection at Las Vegas revealed a loose oil tank lid. Edwards was docked points and crew chief Bob Osborne was suspended.
Tire Troubles- Outspoken veteran Tony Stewart was none-too-subtle in his criticism of Goodyear tires. “Smoke” held the manufacturer responsible for shoddy workmanship and suggested that it might be time for NASCAR to send Goodyear packing as other racing series had done.
While Stewart later apologized to the workers of Goodyear for the severity of his comments, the former champion raised an issue that would surface later in the season.
Toyota Rises To The Next Level- Critics of the entry of the Japan-based manufacturer enjoyed something of a chuckle as Toyota was something of a NASCAR joke in 2007. Though Jason Leffler and David Reutimann won races in the Nationwide series, Toyota sailed very rough seas in its maiden voyage. Kyle Busch put an end to the futility with a series-first victory at Atlanta. All told, Toyota won 10 Sprint Cup events in 2008- all through Joe Gibbs Racing, who signed on with the maker of the Camry at the end of 2007.
Speaking of Busch…..JGR’s newest team member reeled off a dominating string of wins. Regarded as a promising, but hard-to-handle upstart, Bush was released from HMS to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. If Busch were looking to prove that Rick Hendrick had made a mistake, he was making a strong argument to that effect. The younger brother of Kurt Busch won 8 Cup races, 10 NNS events and 3 CTS victories.
Check back tomorrow. In tomorrow’s installment, we’ll take about other headlines Busch made as well as look back at the mid-season hot streak forged by Kasey Kahne, the winless streak of Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the resurrection of Jimmie Johnson.
