NASCAR Talk

As I mentioned in a previous post, today I am going to countdown what I think were the top ten NASCAR moments, news stories, and happenings of 2007. I imagine you won’t agree and that’s great. Leave me some comments and debate on what you would have had on your list.

10. The Car of Tomorrow Debuts

Last year when the announcement was made that the Car of Tomorrow would be run starting in the 2007 season, you’d have thought NASCAR would have just up and ended with all of the hullabaloo made over the car. In the end it worked out fine, even if there are some teams that have the new car design figured out better than the others. It will be interesting to see the 2008 season with the Car of Tomorrow at every race.

9. Toyota Makes its Nextel Cup Debut

Once again, there was some big opposition to letting a foreign car manufacturer compete in an American sport, but Toyota pushed ahead and fielded several teams in the 2007 season. However, their success in the truck series just didn’t spill over into the Cup series and their teams struggled to even make the field week after week. If they want to be competitive, they’re going to have to up their game (bringing over Gibbs Racing is a great start).

8. The Open Wheel Driver Invasion Begins

With all of the money and accolades going into the NASCAR series, it’s no wonder that open wheel drivers want to feel the love and get their share of the green by jumping over to the stock car leagues. Juan Pablo Montoya ended up being the Raybestos Rookie of the Year, clearing the way for many other open wheel superstars to make the jump at the end of 2007 and into 2008.

7. Carl Edwards Shoves Matt Kenseth

What in the world is happening over at Roush Fenway Racing? Just a couple of years ago, they were on the top of the heap with all five drivers in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. In 2007 they struggled and tempers boiled over as Carl Edwards confronted Matt Kenseth after a race on pit road. Carl shoved his teammate Matt and it became the talk of the garage.

6. Jimmie Johnson Dominates the Chase Races to Win Back to Back Championships

As I said over and over again this past season during the Chase, I was sick of talking about Jimmie Johnson, but I really had no choice because the #48 Lowe’s Chevy team just dominated the other people in the Chase. Jimmie ended up winning his second consecutive Nextel Cup Championship because of their dominance.

To see the rest of the list, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, NASCAR 2007 Review

5. Kasey Kahne is Sued.

That big mean Kasey Kahne pushed down a security guard at Homestead because he wouldn’t let his brother Kale into the driver’s motorcoach area. Apparently, Kasey is stronger than he knows because the security guard fell to the ground and his blood pressure rose and he was taken to the hospital and still has not returned to work. Now there is a lawsuit filed by the security guard against Kasey which has turned into a PR nightmare for Gillett Evernham Racing and Kahne’s new sponsor Budweiser.

4. DEI absorbs Ginn Racing

I don’t know if anyone saw this merger coming. I know displaced drivers Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin were thoroughly surprised by their ouster. The mid season merger saw only the #01 team with driver Mark Martin kept on at DEI, meaning Nemechek and Marlin were without rides for the rest of the season.

3. Bill France Dies

After a long struggle, Bill France passed away this year. France is always given the credit for elevating NASCAR to the heights it enjoys today. His son Bryan took over the reigns and now leads the way.

2. Michael Waltrip Fined 100 Driver’s Points and $100,000

I suppose he wanted a good start for Toyota to the 2007 season, but adding what seemed to be jet fuel to the race car is never a good idea. Michael Waltrip’s #55 Toyota was inspected and found to have a strange liquid in it that seemed to be jet fuel additive. He started off the season with -100 points and was fined a whopping $100,000 for pulling that trick. The team was never really able to recover from that huge blow right at the beginning of the season.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Announces He is Leaving DEI

I really debated on whether or not to put this at number one, but it seemed to be the story that everyone was talking about this entire season. It started off with a some fighting between Jr. and his stepmom/team owner Teresa Earnhardt. It was time to renegotiate his contract, and Jr. threatened to walk if he didn’t get the majority share of the company. Teresa wasn’t willing to give up that much, and Jr. started looking around for a new ride. He found it over at Hendrick Motorsports, a proven winning team and now will be driving the #88 Amp/National Guard Chevy in 2008. Was it the right choice? I guess we’ll find out!

That’s it! Now it’s your turn! Tell me what is right and what is wrong with my list in the comments section below.