NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season began on February 10, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 18 of that same year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. The 2007 year has been an exciting year full of drama, action and controversies.
For a second-straight season Jimmie Johnson served up championship numbers — but his 2007 end game was simply superb. Johnson & Co. made the most of a new point system, which placed a premium on winning by scoring 10 victories in 2007, six triumphs coming during the regular season, which vaulted him over teammate Jeff Gordon at the start of the Chase for the Nextel Cup 10-race stretch. However, capping off the post-season with four consecutive wins was nothing short of spectacular, if not a bit embarrassing for the competition who will feel the sting of the No. 48’s spanking long into the New Year. Joey Logano who won the cup championship was ecstatic after his win. “I think he did a great job,” Harvick said of Logano. “The track was very conducive to side-by-side racing and we were fortunate to have that, but he did a great job and didn’t run over anybody.” Logano, who tallied 2,123 points to win the Busch East title ahead of Sean Caisse (1,957) and Peyton Sellers (1,862), wrapped up his season in October with a victory in the Toyota All-Star Showdown, an event billed as the “Daytona 500 of short-track racing” in Irwindale, Calif., where he finished ahead of Sellers. Finally a taste of what you can expect in the coming season in 2008. Just like the fans, most in the garage are eager to see how Dale Earnhardt Jr. will fit in at “clean cut” Hendrick Motorsports. Will he win out of the gate? Will Hendrick break under the weight of his popularity? Even Dale Jr’s competition cannot wait to watch this drama play out from the comfort of their nearby haulers.
The 2007 season can be characterized as a year of transition for NASCAR, and it was not necessarily a good one. The Earnhardt Jr. saga lasted nearly 11 months and clearly affected the performance of his team. His absence from Victory Lane and from the Chase for the Nextel Cup field did not make Jr. Nation very happy. The Nextel Cup Series will be renamed the Sprint Cup Series, and the Busch Series will become the Nationwide Series — the latter sponsor change sending fans into a tail spin over what to call the “Buschwhackers.” The Bud Pole Award will be no more and the final Budweiser Shootout will be run in February 2008. Undoubtedly, the off season will produce many more storylines to watch for next year. The only given in NASCAR is drama and I, for one, cannot wait to see what unfolds in 2008.
Filed under: Sponsors, Teams, Points Chase, News
