The Chase: Kenseth and Gordon get in, Kahne and Ragan Are Out- This was not a good year for veteran drivers. Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth were all shut out in their bid to grab the checkered flag in 2008. In spite of the futility, all three showed that veteran consistency good enough to get in the Chase.
David Ragan- once described as a “dart without feathers” by Tony Stewart- made major strides in 2008. Ragan cut down on the DNF’s and was more consistent presence in the top 10. Ragan just missed the top 12- though he managed enough improvement that Stewart declared Ragan his choice as “driver of the year.” As for Kahne, trouble followed his mid-season wins. Unfortunately, the wild swings in performance kept Kahne out the Chase.
Busch’s Title Hopes Hit The Wall- At one point in the season, Kyle Busch looked liek a NASCAR juggernaut, seemingly a winner in anything with wheels. Nationwide, Truck Series, you name it- Busch appeared as though he might pull of a never-achieved triple crown. To concentrate on Cup racing, Busch spent gradually less time in the other two series. That strategy seemed to pay off until Chase began. Weak performances- including a dead last finish at Dover led Shrub to declare “We’re done.” Busch rebounded with 3 straight top 10s down the stretch to end 2008 on a higher note.
Biffle Breaks Through- As Busch’s stock was going down like the Dow-Jones, Biffle’s stock was a rocket to the top. After a number of strong finishes, the former CTS and Nationwide champion posted back to back wins at Dover and New Hampshire. Biffle’s performance was strong enough to keep him in serious contention for the Cup, only relenting after Jimmie Johnson became to hard to catch.
Stewart Conquers Talladega- Some cynics contended that Tony Stewart would rather tank than win a race for Toyota. Stewart disproved that theory with long-awaited win at Talladega. After years of near misses, Smoke out-dueled Regan Smith on the final lap. There was some controversy, as Smith was forced underneath the yellow “out of bounds” line by Stewart. NASCAR ruled Stewart the winner, giving the two-time champ his final win at Joe Gibbs.
Ups and Downs For Edwards- If one were to make a chart of Carl Edwards’ performances in the Chase, they’d be jumpier than Darrell Waltrip on two cans of Red Bull. Edwards made a quite ill-advised pass attempt at Talledega that landed him in the dog house with Kevin Harvick and he no doubt doused a promising run by teammate Greg Biffle. After following that up with a weak performance due to engine problems at Lowe’s Motor Speedway- Edwards appeared finished.
Demonstrating an incredible will to win, Edwards embarked on an incredible 5-race run to cap off the 2008 season. Cousin Carl posted wins at Texas, Atlanta and Homestead and earned top 5s at Phoenix and Martinsville in attempt to pick off Jimmie Johnson’s title run. The long odds didn’t deter Edwards, and by golly, he darn near pulled it off. Edwards also came up just short in his bid to overtake Clint Bowyer for the Nationwide Series title.
Financial Woes Spill Into Sports- After months of sputtering, the American economy downright stalled in September. Among the hardest hit sectors has been the automotive industry- virtually a hand-in-hand sponsorship partner with NASCAR as long as there’s been a NASCAR. CEO Brian France has assurances from at least 2 of the “Big 3″ (Ford and GM) that they aren’t going anywhere, although its safe to say team support and the sponsorship dollars won’t be what they once were.
NASCAR Bans Testing- NASCAR is beginning to take it early steps to brace for an economic storm that is likely to get worse before it gets better. It’s been recently announced that NASCAR will ban testing at NASCAR tracks in 2009. What effect that has on teams remains to be seen, as it is obvious many teams, generally the “Have Nots” of NASCAR are struggling to master the new car.
Cutting Back- Do you want a sure sign things are bad financially? Even Hendrck Motorsports, the New York Yankees of NASCAR are making layoffs.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. To Merge With Chip Ganassi- We probably haven’t seen the last of moves like this. Two teams who occupy that middle ground between elite and start-up team up to hedge against hard times. Amry announced the end of their relationship with DEI as they will sponsor Ryan Newman’s ride at Stewart- Haas. Texaco is ending their long standing relationship with Ganassi as a cost cutting move. Rookie Of The Year Regan Smith appears caught in a numbers crunch- rideless at this point for 2009. Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya headline the new group. Paul Menard was headed for Robert Yates before this move was announced.
Jimmie Johnson Makes History- Win a NASCAR championship, and you lay claim to “good driver” status. Win two, and you’re one of the best. Win three, and I think you can start using labels like “Legend.” Now- couple three championships with the fact it was done in successive seasons- and you’ve attached to yourself all kinds of brilliance. Only once in NASCAR have three straight championships been won- Cale Yarborough achieving the feat in 1976, 77 and 78.
With the title, Johnson puts his name up with elites like Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon, Yarborough and Waltrip. I won’t be the one to say he’s better than anyone in that group- though you’d be hard pressed to keep him out of this company if he wins one more.
