All Jacked Up

Dandy Dozen

Posted by: Jason Randall

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 8:37 AM

It was quite a season this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Not only did Jimmie Johnson win his third consecutive title, I won my fantasy league by four points (which is much more important). Anyway, here's my top 12 moments of the year:

1. Jimmie’s triple
Jimmie Johnson showed why he belongs in the conversation with the greatest drivers of all time. His dominance in the Chase is a credit to not only him and his equipment, but to all the guys in the garage and the over-the-wall crew. It also shows that crew chief Chad Knaus is the best in the business. Johnson is the first to win three Cups in a row since Cale Yarborough did it from 1976 to ’78.

2. Kyle’s regular season
Kyle Busch was amazing during the first 26 races (eight wins), and NASCAR’s newest villain is here to stay. His Chase results didn’t match his performance during the regular season, but mechanical problems had a lot to do with it. He’ll be back.

3. Gordon’s drought
It’s rare to see four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon go through a season without a win, but that’s what we got in 2008. The winless season broke a streak of 14 consecutive years with at least one win. And actually, since 1994, the 24 has had at least two wins in each campaign.

4. Little E’s ups and downs
Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports to give himself a better chance to win a title. Things started out well with a win in the Bud Shootout and another in the first Gatorade Duel, but his first and only points win didn’t come until June 15 at Michigan. He had a win in his grasp May 3 at Richmond, but Busch spun Earnhardt in the closing laps and that’s when Driver 18 truly became NASCAR’s bad boy.

5. Stewart moving on
Tony Stewart announced that he’s
leaving Joe Gibbs Racing after a
championship-laden run with the Home Depot team. Gibbs’ decision to switch to Toyota was the last straw, and Stewart is heading back to Chevrolet.

6. Big problems at Dodge
Dodge had a dreadful season in 2008, qualifying no cars in the Chase. The problems stretch to all the teams running the Dodges, from Ganassi to Evernham to Penske. Ryan Newman’s Daytona 500 win was one of the few highlights.

7. Kasey’s All-Star momentum
OK, so Dodge did have a pretty darn good run in May thanks to Kasey Kahne. Kahne won the All-Star event and then came back to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It was here when many thought the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge could make a splash in the Chase. Oops.

8. Debacle at Indianapolis
Tires have been a problem throughout the season, but Goodyear’s biggest failure came at one of the biggest races on the circuit. The 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was a nightmare thanks to tires that were going away barely 10 laps into a run. It’s something NASCAR absolutely must fix in 2009.

9. Martin back in the mix
After a few part-time seasons, veteran Mark Martin will return full time in 2009 with Hendrick Motorsports. You don’t necessarily have to be a diehard Mark Martin fan to want to see him win a Cup.

10. Edwards-Harvick fight
Tempers boiled over during the Chase with Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick getting physical in the garage. Pictures showed Harvick getting Edwards in a headlock as Edwards lost his balance. For conspiracy theorists who think racing is getting closer to pro wrestling, this caused quite a stir.

11. The Biff on fire
Greg Biffle went from an also-ran in the Chase to a real contender right away when he took the first two races. He couldn’t keep the momentum up, but those wins along with a handful of other nice runs in the final 10 events made his paycheck look a lot better at the end of the year.

12. Michael McDowell’s crash
The crash of the year came in qualifying in early April at Texas Motor Speedway. Michael McDowell walked away from a horrific crash that had the car rolling several times with parts flying every which way. Here’s a YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4oSZIm3YAw.

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