2008 Season Review Part I

There will be more to come shortly (certainly within the next 2 or 3 days). After I have reviewed all drivers I will try to review overall organization performance as well as the chase, NASCAR, and the 2008 season as a whole. I encourage anyone reading this to respond with their thoughts and comments.
To clarify each driver is listed by number, followed by the name and final points position in parenthesis. A star means a driver raced on a part-time basis (less than 26 races).

#00 Michael McDowell (40)*: Michael McDowell quickly became a household name, but not for the reasons he had hoped. After a firey crash during qualifying at Texas Motorspeedway (Spring) he went on a media tour around the country on various morning news programs. [Only started 20 races]

#01 Reagan Smith (34): Ragan Smith had a strong showing at the end of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. In a controversial finish it was Smith vs. Tony Stewart; NASCAR ruled in favor of Stewart after it appeared Stewart had forced the 01 below the line, instead NASCAR relegated Smith to 14^th.

#02 Joey Lagano (64)*: The young “phenom” and Nationwide Series standout was able to make only 3 starts, none of which had decent finishes. Originally Lagano was supposed to run as many as 7 races, but after several missed attempts due to rained out qualifying Lagano's foray into the Sprint Cup Circuit was cut short until the 2009 Season.

#07 Clint Bowyer (5): Bowyer was able to once again make the chase, and although he didn't have quite the finish as last year the 07 team was able to prove to be a contender once again. Bowyer's lone win came at the spring Richmond event where he took the lead from 3^rd place after Kyle Busch wrecked Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - giving the lead to Bowyer with 2 to go. The 07 Chevy was able to hang on through the Green/White/Checkered finish to win.

#1 Martin Truex, Jr. (15): Truex had a mediocre season with no wins. He signed a one year extension with DEI after rumors he would end up at the new Stewart-Haas Racing.

#2 Kurt Busch (18): After 500 miles into the season Busch appeared to be having a great season after pushing teammate Ryan Newman to win the Daytona 500. However, the older Busch brother was able to win the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (New Hampshire, Spring).

#5 Casey Mears (20): Mears again went winless in his last year for Hendrick Motorsports and had only one top 5. Mears will be in his fifth different car in as many years next season when he moves to Richard Childress Racing.

#6 David Ragan (13): David Ragan was the most improved driver, hands down, even receiving compliments from Smoke towards the end of the year. Despite the successful year, Ragan was unable to achieve his first career win.

#7 Robby Gordon (33): Robby Gordon had another up and down year. The team was only able to achieve 3 top tens as they fought a legal battle with Gillette-Evernham Racing. Gordon's team is uncertain on which manufacturer the team will run in 2009.

#8 Aric Almirola (42)*: Almirola made 12 starts this season and was able to get only one top ten in a car dominated by Mark Martin. Almirola takes over the unsponsored 8 car full time in 2009.

#8 Mark Martin (28)*: Martin had a fantastic season, despite not winning, he acrued 11 top tens and 4 top fives. Due in part to a successful year Martin will go full-time again, this time in a Hendrick Chevy next season to make one more bid for the championship.

#9 Kasey Kahne (14): Kasey Kahne had another quiet year other than his summer hot streak. Kahne was able to win the Sprint Cup All Star Race after transferring from the Showdown via the fan vote, giving the #9 Dodge team the momentum to win a fuel mileage race in the Coke 600 the following week.

In The Rearview: Sharpie 500

Bristol is BACK! This race is exactly what the series as a whole needed! It's not the Bristol that Earnhardt, Wallace and Labonte clashed on, it's the new Bristol, with Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards. Hands down Bristol was the best race of the summer.

Why was the Sharpie 500 so important?

1) Good racing, it showed that even while a track is "multi-groove" it can still pinch nerves and make tempers flare. Multi-car wrecks, bumps and runs and taps and pushes. It's all back, but seemingly on a smaller scale

2) Clash of the Titans: The two sereies points-leaders, Kyle Busch and Edwards dukin' it out on the last lap and after the race. In case you missed what's being refferred to as "the bump heard 'round the world" Carl pulled a classic and textbook perfect bump-and-run on Kyle Busch coming out of turn 1 on the final lap. Edwards said he asked himself "would he do that to me? and the answer was 'he has before" so Carl slid Busch up the racetrack, not to the favor of Busch, who after the race colided with Edwards, and then Edwards proceeded to take the 99 Office Depot Fusion and spin Kyle around to loud cheers from the crowd.

3a) This is what the sport has been missing, and Carl admitted, basically, there is a true rivalry now between Kyle Busch and Edwards, light, and dark; good and evil, I think it' obvious to see which is which, but I'll leave that up to you.

Smooth Sailing: Clint Bowyer, even after involvement in the wreck with newley named teammate Casey Mears and Michael Waltrip, was able to push his 07 Chevrolet to a 7th place finish, he's back in the chase hunt. With a decent finish next week at Autoclub speedway, Bowyer should have no problem landing in the chase at Richmond.

Uh-Oh: once again, Clint Bowyer, after the aforementioned wreck, Bowyer stated, in a rather nonchalant manner, over the radio "Michael Waltrip is the worst driver in NASCAR, period...I can't believe NAPA signed back on" At the time, however, he had no idea Mears had just said in an interview that the 5 spotter said "Clear, clear, clear" when in fact, Michael was still close enough to Mears that he was not clear. Bowyer later apologized on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain. This is proof that the temper and emotion is back at Bristol

Time to pack it up: Kasey Kahne, after the devastating race for Kahne, being in the Mears/Waltrip collection, Kahne is over 60 points out from 12th, making the chase at this point will require a bad week from another bubble driver.

What in the world?: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. passed many cars on the initial green flag, although that's ok, to the outside, on restarts, a competitor must be in his starting position when they cross the line the first time. Earnhardt Jr was a lap down and was being rather aggressive to lead-lap drivers after his pass-thu pit penalty.

That's my take on the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motorspeedway. I'll have a brief reaction to silly season announcments later this week and any penalties that may be levied, specifically to Kyle Busch, as he was called to the NASCAR trailer for his shenanigans.

all images used with permission