Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team have become an unstoppable force in NASCAR. Winning the past two championships has put the No. 48 team on the verge of becoming a dynasty, the most recent since his teammate Jeff Gordon won three championships in four years from 1995-1998. Drivers like Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, who are go for broke kind of guys, have had their problems in the Chase. Neither is in the championship hunt right now, and you have to believe that putting one of those guys next to a more conservative guy like Johnson would increase the tension halfway through the Chase.
But instead, Jeff Burton has worked his way up to second in the standings, 69 points behind Johnson. We have two conservative veterans going head-to-head for the title 2008 champion. Johnson is going for his third consecutive championship, while Burton is going for his first championship. I think both drivers want it equally bad, as Johnson is on the brink of tying the legendary Cale Yarborough for most consecutive titles and the only thing that Burton is missing on his resume is a championship.
I know that a lot of people weren’t even picking Burton to make the Chase at the beginning of the year. But, like usual, Burton got off to a hot start, and he stood second in the standings through the first quarter of the season, all but guaranteeing himself of a spot in the Chase. But a mediocre summer stretch had people doubting that Burton could go out and contend for the championship. But now, on the brink of five top tens and a victory in five Chase races, Burton finds himself knocking on the door of Jimmie Johnson. Burton is the most consistent and conservative driver in the sport, and that has both helped him and hurt him in recent years. He has made the Chase the past three seasons, but he finished 7th in the standings in 2006 and 8th in 2007. Back in 2006, Burton was leading the Chase through five races, but bad luck sent him down to 7th. And Johnson went on to win the championship.
Two years later, Burton still has what it takes to win the championship. Burton doesn’t have a lot of speed, as his inability to qualify well indicates. But Burton is one of the smoothest and savviest drivers out there, and he usually finishes in the top ten. When he does qualify well, Burton contends for the win. He started fourth at Lowe’s, and he went on to win the race. I think that indicates that Burton, even at 40, is still one of the most talented drivers in the garage. I’m not saying that Burton is going to be in the title hunt come Homestead, but he is right there, and it is a three-man race as it stands.
Occasionally I enjoy watching old races on ESPN Classics. It seems like yesterday that it was 1999, the year that I began watching NASCAR. I knew exactly who Burton was back then, and ten years later, I’m happy that he’s still contending for championships. In 1999, though, I had no idea who Johnson was, or who Edwards or Busch was. Back then, Jeff Gordon was what Johnson is today, but now, it’s time for Gordon fans to face that he’s no longer the top dog in NASCAR. He and Burton have both been overcome by the younger drivers. But that doesn’t mean they’re still not competitive, and Burton’s style of racing has put him right in the thick of the championship. All sports are rapidly changing, but with NASCAR, a driver can be competitive until their 45 or 50, whereas a baseball player is usually done at 35 and a football player is often done at 30.
I honestly think that Johnson is on his way to a third consecutive title. But Burton is not going to go down easily. He always stays out of trouble and manages to finish out races with a top ten finish. Still, nobody steps it up at crunch time and performs better in the clutch than Johnson and the No. 48 crew.
I’d love nothing more than to see a veteran like Burton, who’s been trying for so long to win a championship, take it all home this year. When I think about Burton’s basic style of racing, I don’t really see a champion, but when I see Burton race like he did last Saturday night, I see a champion. It is still Johnson’s to lose, but Burton has put himself in place to become the points leader if the No. 48 team does slip up. That’s not a frequent occurrence, but nothing is impossible. Two years ago, when Burton had a 96 point lead going into Martinsville, people thought that the title was his to lose. And he did lose it. Johnson can just as easily lose it, and someone will be there to take it from him if he does.
It’s good for the sport when a veteran like Burton, Gordon, Tony Stewart, or Mark Martin does well. The traditional fans, at least, enjoy the fact those guys whom they rooted for ten years ago can still get it done on the racetrack. The wave of young talent over the last few years has been overwhelming, starting with Edwards, then Busch, and in 2006, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. But those aforementioned veterans have not gone away just yet, and one of those guys is standing second in the point standings. Burton is arguably the most well-respected driver by his peers, and he does not have any haters among the immense NASCAR fan base. Perhaps no driver other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. would benefit NASCAR as much by winning the championship. I’d like to see it happen. It can happen, but there’s a huge obstacle standing in the way: Jimmie Johnson, the greatest “postseason” driver in the history of the Chase.
Everything was great in the world of NASCAR until the afternoon of the 2001 Daytona 500. It was on that day that Earnhardt died in a head-on collision with the wall---on the last turn of the last lap. Earnhardt was so close to finishing out the race with a top-five finish. Instead, NASCAR lost one of the greatest drivers in history.
Earnhardt’s death on the racetrack can be compared to Brett Favre passing away playing football or Ken Griffey Jr. being killed in an accident on the baseball field. Those guys are legends in their respective sports, and they seem invincible in the eyes of the fans. Everyone knows that accidents do occur and professional athletes get killed playing sports. We just never expect it to happen to a guy like Earnhardt. We never expect it to happen to a legend. Considering his career statistics and the way he raced and intimidated drivers on the track, Earnhardt seemed invincible. Until that fateful afternoon, he was.
Every NASCAR fan mourned the loss of a legend that day and in the days following. Earnhardt was the face of a sport that had become immensely popular across the nation. Everybody knew who he was, but nobody knew what direction the sport would take following his death. But Earnhardt’s legacy carried on through Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), the organization that he had started up in 1980. What many people failed to notice the day Earnhardt died was that Michael Waltrip, in his first start with DEI, won his first career race. It doesn’t happen too often that a driver pushing the age of 40 wins their first race in their first start with a new organization, and that win just happens to be at the Daytona 500. The following race took place at Rockingham, North Carolina. Everybody still had heavy hearts about the loss of Earnhardt. But those thoughts took a brief hiatus when Steve Park, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., took home the checkered flag. It all seemed too much like fate to be a coincidence. While NASCAR was going through a period of great sadness, Waltrip and Park’s back-to-back victories managed to become a huge feel-good story. Two races later, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick, the driver tabbed to replace Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing, scored a victory in just his third career start. Third, ironically the same number that Earnhardt had sported since 1984. Harvick barely edging out Jeff Gordon to win at Atlanta became as much of a feel-good story as DEI’s back-to-back victories. But the ultimate feel-good story came later that year, at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. overcame the grief of losing his father and scored a victory at the same place where his father had lost his life. Earnhardt and second-place finisher Michael Waltrip celebrated together in the infield under the lights, and that was arguably the greatest moment in the history of the sport.
In the same year that Earnhardt died, the organization that he had created rose to national prominence. On the brink of Earnhardt’s death, DEI managed to score three monumental victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the most popular driver in the sport, and DEI became the most popular organization in the sport. The 2001 season was the most depressing season in NASCAR history, but unlike some sad stories, this one ended on a high note.
Throughout the years, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity became even more immense. Remarkably, Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity soared past his father’s own popularity. He was the most recognizable driver in the sport. But Earnhardt wanted a championship more than he wanted popularity. And the sad fact was, DEI’s success was dwindling downward. Earnhardt was up-and-down for years, and his shaky relationship with his step mom caused problems within the organization. In 2007, Earnhardt failed to land a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second time between 2005-2007. His teammate, sophomore driver Martin Truex Jr., did manage to land a spot in the Chase. It was in that summer that Earnhardt decided a change was necessary and left the organization his father had founded a long time ago. It was a sad moment for NASCAR fans everywhere. But ultimately, Earnhardt had to do it in order to achieve his goal of winning a title.
Earnhardt landed at Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 88 car. While Earnhardt soared as high as second in the point standings and recorded a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, his former organization was left to dwindle and die.
In 2008, DEI has fielded four teams and none of those four teams have scored a win. Martin Truex Jr. currently sits 15th in the point standings, a disappointment compared to his 2007 season. Mark Martin has been solid in the No. 8 car that Earnhardt left, but he hasn’t raced fulltime. Paul Menard and Regan Smith, driving the Nos. 15 and 01, respectively, have been mediocre at best. It gets worse, though. Martin, following in Earnhardt’s footsteps, is going to race for Hendrick Motorsports next season. Menard is bolting to Yates Racing. Truex is entering his contract year in 2009, and if the performance at DEI doesn’t improve, he’ll surely walk out the door, as well.
Let’s take a look at the 2009 roster for DEI: Martin Truex Jr. will for sure be in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. That is the only hope for DEI next year, as Truex is a top-notch driver, and the No. 1 car is the only one with guaranteed primary sponsorship. Aric Almirola, who is currently splitting time with Mark Martin, will drive the No. 8 fulltime. There’s a good chance that the inexperienced Almirola will experience growing pains next season, and it gets worse considering the team has no sponsorship lined up. Regan Smith may not return to the 01 car, and that’s another team that has no primary sponsorship. With Menard leaving the No. 15 and taking his sponsor, Menards, with him, there’s another team at DEI without sponsorship. Without a qualified driver, it’s hard to attract sponsors. And without sponsors, it’s hard to acquire a solid driver. It’s the vicious cycle of marketing and money that NASCAR has become. DEI has four cars, one primary sponsor, and two guaranteed drivers lined up for next year. That’s not pretty.
If Martin Truex Jr. somehow wins the championship next year, Almirola turns out to be a top twenty-five driver, and the organization acquires two solid drivers for the 15 and 01 cars, then DEI still has some life in them. But if Truex leaves, Almirola fails to do anything, and the organization can’t even get a hold of any sponsors for the other two cars, then it will be the end of one of the most recognizable organizations in NASCAR.
DEI has come a long way since the end of the 2000 season. They lost the founder and owner of the organization at the beginning of 2001. But the teams stayed on their feet, and by the end of the year, DEI”s success was a great story. Earnhardt Jr. is what kept DEI alive ever since that year, though. He had a few spectacular seasons, and he won a lot of races. But DEI just kept declining, and Earnhardt decided to go somewhere where he could win a championship. When Earnhardt left, fellow driver Tony Stewart claimed that “the organization would become a museum.” That comment might have been a little premature, but it’s looking like it will come true. Having the sport’s most popular driver racing for them kept DEI afloat. Losing him sunk them to the bottom. Losing both Truex and Martin would blow up their ship. Unfortunately, NASCAR has changed drastically since the death of Earnhardt. So has the organization that he founded. Without Earnhardt Jr. around, there’s not a quick fix for DEI. It’s sad to say, but the end came for Earnhardt and the end is coming for his organization, as well.
Dale Earnhardt was one of the greatest racers to ever drive on a NASCAR racetrack. Earnhardt won seven championships, which is tied for the all-time lead beside the legendary Richard Petty, and he also won 76 races en route to becoming one of the most hallowed names in the history of sports.
We have all been fortunate enough in recent years to watch one of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR drive his butt off every Sunday. I'm talking about Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota. Since his rookie year of 1999, Stewart has been one of the best drivers in the sport. His two championships puts him among some legendary company. We all no by now that Stewart is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year to form his own organization. After a year that Stewart would describe as "nightmarish," it was good to see him be able to get one last victory in that orange No. 20 car. Stewart and his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, have been together since day one. For a whole decade, Stewart has had the same crew chief, number, sponsor, and owner. It wouldn't have been fair for him to walk out of Gibbs without one last victory. And making it more special was the fact that it came at Talladega, a place where Stewart has come so close to winning so many times. This is a special way for Stewart to cap off his relationship with JGR. We can all relish about Stewart's victory, but this article isn't really about Stewart. It's about why Stewart won a race he shouldn't have won.
Putting the start/finish line at the end of the front straightaway was one of the smartest ideas anyone ever had. That's made for some great finishes throughout the history of the racetrack, especially nowadays when last lap passes are almost a guarantee. This past Sunday, Stewart had the lead for almost the entire front straightaway until Regan Smith came charging under him. Stewart threw him a block, forcing Smith below the yellow line. Instead of backing off, Smith went full throttle and blew past Stewart, crossing the line in first place. Granted, though, NASCAR made another wrong call. They said that because Smith passed below the yellow line, the victory was void. The bottom line is that Smith was forced down there, so he had every right to pass Stewart below the yellow line.
NASCAR's response to Smith gets me even more aggrevated, though. They told him that he could have backed off the throttle and basically let Stewart win the race. Smith might not be the top-caliber driver that Stewart is, but no driver will back off the throttle a few yards from the checkered flag. It's pretty funny that every driver and fan knows that, but NASCAR apparently doesn't. Every driver wants to win, and the fact that NASCAR penalized Smith for not backing off is ridiculous.
I'm going to bring up a point here that might sound ridiculous, but I don't think it's all that far-fetched. There was a Talladega race not too long ago when Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed Matt Kenseth below the yellow line, and NASCAR ruled that he was forced down there. Earnhardt didn't have to relinquish the spot back to Kenseth. But NASCAR, inconsistent as usual, said that Smith's pass was void. Anybody with eyes can see that he was forced down there. So what I'm hearing is that it's okay for Earnhardt to pass below the yellow line but not for Smith to. Maybe NASCAR is trying to appease the fans. NASCAR has all the power in the world when they make these calls, and they can go whichever way they choose. Stewart has more fans than Smith, Earnhardt has more fans than Kenseth. When you need to help out Stewart, say that Smith should back out of the throttle. When you need to help Earnhardt, say that poor Little E was forced below the yellow line. Call me crazy, but I think that NASCAR intentionally took that win away from Smith in order to give the more popular driver the victory.
I wouldn't think this way at all if NASCAR would just completely get rid of the yellow line rule. It's a horrible rule. At every venue on the NASCAR circuit, drivers can pass below the line---except the restrictor plate tracks. NASCAR is going to receive a lot of grief for their call, and they darn well should. If they're not going to abolish the yellow line rule, then they need to get the calls right. Regan Smith won that race fair and square. If they were to abolish the rule, then all 43 drivers could use the track as they please. And also, no drivers would have to back off when going for a win or be penalized if they don't. There's a lot of flawed rules in NASCAR, and this one may seem miniscule. But it did cost Smith a victory, which would've been huge for his career and the entire DEI organization. I think this rule needs to be abolished, because I don't want to see any more drivers get robbed of victories they earn.
Dale Earnhardt was one of the greatest drivers to ever drive a car on a NASCAR racetrack. Earnhardt won 7 championships, tied for the all-time lead beside the legendary Richard Petty, and 76 wins en route to becoming one of the most hallowed names in the history of sports.
Everything was great in the world of NASCAR until the afternoon of the 2001 Daytona 500. It was on that day that Earnhardt died in a high-on collision with the wall---on the last turn of the last lap. Earnhardt was so close to finishing out the race with a top-five finish. Instead, NASCAR lost one of the greatest racers in history.
Earnhardt’s death on the racetrack could be compared to Brett Favre passing away playing football or Albert Pujols being killed in an accident on the baseball field. We all know that accidents do occur and professional athletes do get killed playing sports. We just never expect it to happen to a guy like Earnhardt. He was a legend, after all. Considering his stats and the way he raced on the track, Earnhardt seemed invincible. Until that fateful afternoon, he was.
Many fans mourned the loss of a legend that day and in the days following. But the next weekend, when Steve Park, racing the No. 1 for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won at Rockingham, it seemed like fate. Michael Waltrip had won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race the week before---at NASCAR”s most historic and infamous track, the Daytona 500. And that had been Waltrip’s first race with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. It doesn’t happen too often that a driver pushing 40 wins their first race at the Daytona 500 in their first start with a new organization. But it happened on February 18, 2001. So while NASCAR was going through the saddest event in its history, Waltrip and Park’s back-to-back wins became a huge feel-good story. That was, until two weeks later, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, when Kevin Harvick, the driver tabbed to replace Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing, scored a victory in just his third career start, ironically the same car number that Earnhardt had sported since 1984. Harvick barely edging out Jeff Gordon to win at Atlanta became as much of a feel-good story as DEI”s two victories. But the ultimate feel-good story came later that year, at the Pepsi 400 in July, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. overcame the grief of losing his father and scored a victory at the same place where his father had lost his life. Earnhardt and second-place finisher Michael Waltrip celebrated together in the infield under the lights, and that was arguably the greatest moment in the history of the sport.
In the same year that Earnhardt died, the organization that he had created grew to national prominence. On the brink of Earnhardt’s death, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. drivers scored three monumental victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the most popular driver in the sport, and DEI became the most popular organization in the sport. The 2001 season was the most depressing season in NASCAR history, but unlike some sad stories, this one ended on a high note.
Throughout the years, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity became even more immense. Remarkably, Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity soared past his father’s own popularity. He was the most recognizable racer in the sport. But Earnhardt wanted a championship more than popularity. And the sad fact was, DEI had not been the same since that 2001 season. Earnhardt was up-and-down for years, and his shaky relationship with step mom Teresa Earnhardt caused problems within the organization. In 2007, Earnhardt failed to land a spot in the Chase for the second time in the past three years. His teammate, sophomore driver Martin Truex Jr., did land a spot in the Chase. It was in that season that Earnhardt decided a change was necessary and left the organization his father had founded in 1980. It was a sad moment for NASCAR fans everywhere. But ultimately, it was time to forget about Dale Earnhardt Sr. and focus on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career.
Earnhardt landed at Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 88 car. While Earnhardt soared as high as second in the standings and recorded a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, his former organization was left to dwindle and die.
This season, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has fielded four teams and none of those four have scored a victory. Martin Truex Jr. currently sits 15th in the standings, a disappointment compared to his 2007 season. Mark Martin has been good in the No. 8 car that Earnhardt left, but he hasn’t raced fulltime. Paul Menard and Regan Smith, driving the Nos. 15 and 01, respectively, have been unspectacular. There’s teams out there that would love to have Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. racing for them, but those two guys aren’t going to be with the organization much longer. Martin, following in Earnhardt’s footsteps, is going to race for Hendrick Motorsports next season. Menard is bolting to Yates Racing. Truex is entering his contract year in 2009, and if the performance at DEI doesn’t improve, he’ll surely leave as well.
So let’s take a look at the 2009 roster for Dale Earnhardt, Inc: Martin Truex Jr. will for sure be in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. That is the only hope for DEI next year, as Truex is the only Chase-caliber driver on the roster, and the No. 1 car is the only one with guaranteed primary sponsorship. Aric Almirola, who is currently splitting time with Mark Martin, will drive the No. 8 fulltime. There’s a good chance that the inexperienced Almirola will falter next season, though, and it gets worse considering the team has no sponsorship lined up. Regan Smith might not return to the 01, and that’s another team that has no primary sponsorship. With Menard leaving the No. 15 and taking his Menards sponsorship with him, there’s another team at DEI that has no primary sponsorship. Without a qualified driver, it’s hard to get sponsorship. And without sponsorship, it’s hard to acquire a solid driver. It’s the vicious cycle of marketing and money that NASCAR has become. DEI has four cars, one primary sponsor next year, and two guaranteed drivers lined up for next year. That’s not pretty.
If Martin Truex Jr. somehow wins the championship next year, Almirola turns out to be a top twenty-five guy, and the organization acquires two solid racers to drive the No. 15 and No. 01, DEI still has some life. But if Truex leaves, Almirola fails to do anything and the organization can’t even get sponsors for the other two cars, then it will be the end of one of the most recognizable organizations in NASCAR.
DEI has come a long way since the end of the 2000 season. They lost the founder and owner of the organization at the beginning of 2001. But the teams stayed on their feet, and by the end of the year, DEI’s success was a great story. Earnhardt Jr. is what kept DEI alive ever since then. He had a few spectacular seasons, and he won a lot of races. But DEI just kept declining, and Earnhardt decided to go somewhere where he could win a title. Having the sport’s most popular driver racing for them kept DEI afloat. Losing him sunk them to the bottom. Losing Truex and Martin would blow up their ship. Unfortunately, NASCAR has changed dramatically since the death of Earnhardt. So has the organization that he founded. Without Earnhardt Jr. around, there’s not a quick fix for DEI. It’s sad to say, but the end came for Earnhardt and the end is coming for his organization, as well.
Anyone who follows politics to the slightest extent know that the United States economy is in a shaky state right now. Prices on just about everything are soaring through the roof. And what we must understand about the economy is that when it's in bad condition, the repercussions are felt all throughout the sports world.
I feel like the best example of that today is NASCAR. The attendance problems are becoming more and more noticeable in the sport, and it is directly related to the economy. And now, with the financial crisis and the possible impending economic crash, these problems in the sports world are only going to get worse.
Brian France, though, just doesn't get it. The summer race at California has had a laughable attendance rate over the past few seasons, and France thinks that the problem will be solved by moving the California race to the fall and moving the fall Atlanta race into California's old spot. That's not the solution. People aren't willing to spend the amount of money it takes to go to a NASCAR race. First of all, you have the price of gas. Gas is $2.00 higher per gallon than it was five years ago. No one wants to take a long road trip anymore. You have to stop at motels on the way to the track. If you have a family of four, motel prices are ridiculously high. And then, if you buy some food and a souvenir at the racetrack, you have an insanely expensive weekend. The working class people that have always been NASCAR's primary source of fans just don't want to blow money out their butts when they can stay at home and watch the exact same race. A weekend at the racetrack is a fun time, but as prices continue to rise, more and more fans are going to choose a weekend at home instead.
It's not like the fans aren't loyal to NASCAR. Extreme traveling expenses, higher ticket prices, whatever it be, does not make me any less of a NASCAR fan. I love the sport just as much as I used to. And it's not as though NASCAR can lower ticket prices to meet our needs. After all, NASCAR is a business, and like all other businesses, they have to keep up with the economy.
As much criticism as NASCAR receives for straying away from its roots, they really don't have a choice. They're a global industry now, and there's no way to stop the trend without directly affecting the stability of the sport. The Car of Tomorrow has been a major target for the average critic, but the fact is, the new car lowered prices for team owners. And that's what it's all about: the money. At the same time, the new car has not done anything else that NASCAR promised it would, except of course the safety factor. The car hasn't improved the quality of racing, and it hasn't at all leveled out the competition. To put it simply, there's 12 drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and those twelve drivers are spread among only four different organizations. Those teams experiencing that kind of success right now are fine and dandy, but the small-time teams like Petty Enterprises, Bill Davis Racing, and the Wood Brothers are struggling to keep up. Because the economy is so bad and NASCAR has become so big, sponsorship is hard to find for teams that don't perform well. What's really concerning, though, is that just recently, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates shut down its No. 40 team due to lack of sponsorship. Yates Racing, who only ten years ago was arguably the greatest organization in NASCAR, has struggled with finding sponsorship all season long. Those are middle-class teams, and they've struggled due to the rough economy. I'm not saying that's an omen for what's coming, but it's not a positive sign.
There's quick fixes for this problem, though. Look to Ray Evernham for an example. He owned a team by himself, which is perfectly fine for him. The man is one of the best in the sport with the racecars. But he didn't have the financial menas to make Evernham Motorsports the giant that Hendrick Motorsports or Roush Racing was. So, George Gillett, a firm billionaire, bought majority ownership of the organization, giving the team a stable financial state. And the truth is, teams like Bill Davis Racing and Yates Racing might ultimately have to acquire financial partners in order to remain in the sport. This recent trend is good for team owners and drivers, but how are fans going to react when a legendary team like the Wood Brothers need to merge with an investor in order to put a team in the race? For traditional fans, at least, it'll be a sad moment. But nonetheless, it is inevitable.
Obviously, these big-money guys like Gillett think that NASCAR is a good investment. When you look at how far NASCAR has come in such a short time, it's pretty phenomenal, and the growing popularity of the sport will continue to attract these investors. But with that popularity comes some consequences. I mean, there's no denying that money and marketing now officially run the sport. It's not a good ole' Southern sport anymore, and it never will be again. If you want proof of that, just look at the racetracks on the NASCAR circuit right now. Several tracks like Rockingham and North Wilkesboro have been replaced by West Coast or Midwestern tracks. And why is that? NASCAR had to spread across the nation in order to get more fans and hence, more money. If NASCAR had stayed with its Southern roots, it wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is today. Just wait ten years, and by then, you'll be watching the Sprint Cup drivers racing at international venues.
Yeah, NASCAR has changed drastically in recent years, and more changes are on the horizon. What we have to do is stop criticizing NASCAR and understand that they're doing what they have to do to keep the sport running well in this time of economic troubles. Whether it be directly or indirectly, a poor economy affects every single one of us. So let's all rally behind NASCAR so that the sport we love can thrive in these trying times.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup has been pretty good to the fans thus far. After all, the man thoroughly dominated the entire season, Kyle Busch, is 12th in points with pretty much no shot at winning the championship. Also, we have four guys within 80 points of each other, and only three of those four were in real contention last year. Burton and Edwards had made the Chase, but they weren't contenders at all. Personally, I don't like the Chase format. I think it's kind of unfair. But I like the way this Chase is setting up. It's not like last year where one organization completely dominated. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were the only ones with a shot to win the title last year. I think we're going to have a good matchup this time. So I wrote a bit about all the Chasers, and afterward I wrote in parenthesis I wrote where I think they'll finish in the final standings.
1. CARL EDWARDS, #99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford (5390 points)
I didn't know what to think of Carl Edwards coming into the season. Edwards is a supremely talented driver, and Roush-Fenway Racing as a whole is catching on at the right time. Edwards wants the title worse than anyone, but sometimes that's not always a good thing. (2nd position)
2. JIMMIE JOHNSON, #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (5380 points)
Is anyone really betting against Johnson winning it all again? There isn't a better team than the No. 48. I don't think Johnson is the best driver, but the No. 48 team as a whole is the best in the business. No one steps it up at crunch time better at crunch time than Johnson and Knaus. Don't be surprised if they win another four races. (champion)
3. GREG BIFFLE, #16 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford (5380 points)
I think that missing the Chase the past two years really got to Biffle. He wants to feel like what he's doing is relevant. But now he has his focus back, and he's showing glimpses of his 2005 campaign. The No. 16 team is better than the No. 99 and No. 48 right now, but that might not last for ten races. (3rd position)
4. JEFF BURTON, #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (5308 points)
Burton is a very savvy driver, very smart and very talented. But Richard Childress Racing isn't as strong as the other three organizations. It just doesn't seem like Burton's cars are fast enough. He's going to rack up the top tens in the Chase, but that won't be good enough to win the championship. (6th position)
5. KEVIN HARVICK, #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (5289 points)
Harvick is the strongest RCR driver. He has as much momentum as anybody, with six straight top tens. If two of those had been victories, that would be an even bigger momentum booster. I'm not sure how Harvick feels about not being able to win. They're strong, but not as strong as the top three in points. (5th position)
6. CLINT BOWYER, #07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (5284 points)
Right there again. Bowyer is amazingly smooth and consistent. Because Bowyer doesn't finish in the top ten on a regular basis and he nveer finishes in the top five, don't expect him to be a real title threat. But don't consider him a pushover. (10th position)
7. TONY STEWART, #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (5277 points)
I still think Smoke is the best driver out there. I just don't believe he's as focused as he needs to be right now, and the No. 20 team needs to get his head back on straight. They'd love to win a title one more time, but Stewart isn't balanced right now. They need to get momentum, because when Stewart's on a roll, he's hard to stop. (9th position)
8. JEFF GORDON, #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (5272 points)
Just isn't his year. Gordon has all the tools to be a champion again, but I think the mentality of this No. 24 team is going to be to go all-out and try to win rather than play it safe. That might cause for some bad finishes. But their main priority will be to figure out what has been the knocking problem all year. (11th position)
9. DALE EARNHARDT JR., #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (5261 points)
I consider Jr. to be an also-ran favorite. He's going to put up some solid runs, but I don't know if the team is good enough to win the title. I know Earnhardt wants it bad. That's why he left DEI. All the pieces are in place, but the No. 88 team doesn't rank superior right now. (4th position)
10. MATT KENSETH, #17 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford (5223 points)
Kenseth might be getting hot at the right time, but look at the nine drivers ahead of him. I think that Gordon is the only one who stands out that the No. 17 team is better than right now. Expect this team to come back with a vengeance in 2009. But it's hard to get it going when you've had 26 races of mediocrity. (7th position)
11. DENNY HAMLIN, #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (5197 points)
I can't see them getting it done. Fast cars, but I'm not sure the No. 11 is as strong as some other Chasers. Hamlin's still got a lot of maturing to do. Until he does mature, he's not going to be able to step it up at crunch time. I think he was more focused in 2006 than he is now. His Cup career hasn't been as consistent since then. (12th position)
12. KYLE BUSCH, #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (5180 points)
Kyle won't finish in last. This team is not done winning races, but they're not done having problems. He's going to go his hardest from here on out, and he tends to get in trouble when he does that. He's had a great year, but he's not going to win the last 8 races. That doesn't happen. (8th position)
NASCAR began the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2004, because the year before Matt Kenseth had utterly dominated the series. NASCAR thought that the Chase would add a boost of excitement to its premier series. Ten drivers within fifty points of each other with ten races to go. They thought it sounded terrific.
But now, let's look at where the Chase is in 2008. Clearly, NASCAR doesn't believe the Chase has worked to the fullest extent. Isn't that why they expanded the Chase field from 10 to 12? Brian France verbally admitted that the Chase needed some work, and that was his plan.
The Chase got off to a good start in 2004. Ratings were up, and when all was said and done, the championship fight came down to the last lap of the last race, with Kurt Busch winning by eight points over Jimmie Johnson. But then in 2005, the Chase didn't provide the excitement that it did in 2004. Tony Stewart thoroughly dominated the Chase and won the championship. In 2006 and 2007, Jimmie Johnson won the championship. In 2007, there was some excitement, as Johnson came back and won the title with the help of four consecutive victories at Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, and Phoenix. It was the first time a driver had won four straight races since Jeff Gordon in 1998.
But now, we're at a crossroads with the Chase for the Sprint Cup. TV ratings have not gone up like NASCAR expected them to. The Chase has granted NASCAR more criticism than anything else they've ever done in the past. Essentially, NASCAR has made a lot of bad decisions over the past five years. The Chase was one of those bad decisions. NASCAR was on top of the world in 2003. TV ratings were through the roof. NASCAR had become a giant in the world of sports and marketing. Then, for some reason, NASCAR decided to go and change its course by making a playoff format. I've said it before and I'll say it again: NASCAR is not Major League Baseball. It's not the National Football League. It had never had a playoff format, and yet, its popularity had reached insane heights.
Jeff Gordon has his haters out there, no doubt. But no one can deny that Gordon was robbed of a championship two times because of the Chase. Had the Chase not been in place, Gordon would've won the title in 2004 and 2007. And if that had happened, Gordon would have six championships, only one behind the seven shared by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. I know for a fact that there's people who are happy that Gordon doesn't own six titles. But at the same time, I don't know that there's people who would actually call the Chase fair. A driver can dominate all season, but then enter the Chase with a slim lead, or no lead at that, and not win the championship despite a 26-race domination.
Look at Kyle Busch. Much like in Gordon's case, there's people who'll be happy about the Chase this year. Because it's going to prevent one of the most hated drivers in the sport from winning the championship. Busch thoroughly dominated the regular season, and had it not been for the Chase, he would've been well on his way to being the 2008 champion. But now, after two finishes of 34th and 43rd in the first two races of the Chase, Busch can pretty much kiss his chances of being the 2008 champion goodbye. As happy as that will make some people, it's not fair. And Busch does deserve to be the champion.
I don't really understand what NASCAR is waiting for. Are they waiting until Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominates the regular season then loses in the Chase? Imagine the protest if that were to happen. But you know, is there any playoff format that's fair? I mean, an MLB team can win 120 games in the regular season and then lose in the playoffs. That's as unfair as a dominant driver losing in the Chase. But again, NASCAR is not like other sports. It's auto racing, not baseball or football. You don't see the Indy Racing League or Formula One coming up with some type of playoffs. The Chase for the Sprint Cup has officially run its course, much like the top 35 rule in the Sprint Cup Series. It's a bold move, but I think that the Chase should be taken out of the series. In fact, I think that there's a lot of things in NASCAR that should be taken out. Go back to the good old school style of NASCAR. Return to the old-fashioned excitement that we all witnessed fifteen and twenty years ago. With all due respect, NASCAR has become fairly vanilla in recent years. One of the few exciting things in the sport is a young man named Kyle Busch. And he was just robbed of a title that he was worthy of. So let's take the Chase out of the series before more drivers ger robbed of championships that they officially earned.
Im going to Mizzou to get a degree in journalism. I want to be a sportswriter. Im hoping to be a newspaper columnist, and one day a nationally renowed writer. Baseball is my main area of expertise. It's always been my pasttime. I have a beautiful girlfriend named Danielle and a large family that I love very much. My hobbies include playing baseball for fun, golfing, fishing, bowling, watching sports, writing about sports, hanging out with family and friends, and driving fast sports cars.
