http://www.cbssports.com/autoracing/story/12585211/hendrick-dominance-roush-failure-among-memorable-09-eventsWhile we're still digesting this year's Thanksgiving feast, let's do the same with the 2009 NASCAR season, which is finally in the rearview mirror.
Jimmie Johnson's historic feat of winning four consecutive championships will make 2009 a year for the NASCAR record book. But there are other items that will also be remembered, not all of them fond fondly. We'll review the year in more detail as the winter months roll on, but here are a few leftovers to nibble on this long holiday weekend.
Hendrick domination ...
Johnson's title was just the tip of the iceberg in Hendrick Motorsports' complete domination of the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. With teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finishing behind Johnson in the points standings, Rick Hendrick became the first owner in NASCAR's 62-year-history to have drivers sweep the top three spots. Throw in the Hendrick satellite organization at Stewart-Haas Racing, which saw Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman make the Chase, and the organization made up nearly half of the playoff field. And unless someone in the garage takes a drastic step forward, 2010 shows no signs of the Hendrick juggernaut slowing down.
... except for one
The lone driver missing from the Hendrick party was, of course, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who limped through what certainly had to be the most disappointing season of his Cup career. Although a midseason crew chief change, inserting Lance McGrew on top of the pit box in place of the beleaguered Tony Eury Jr., brought minor flashes of success, Junior was never in serious contention for a win. McGrew will stay with the 88 team in 2010, but if Earnhardt doesn't improve, his tenure with Hendrick will go down as one of the sport's all-time great busts and could send NASCAR's Most Popular Driver to either an early retirement or at the very least a shot at elevating his JR Motorsports Nationwide Series effort to a Sprint Cup team.
House of Roush collapses
One of NASCAR's other powerhouse teams suffered through an amazing drought in 2009, with Roush Fenway Racing's quintet of drivers finding Victory Lane just three times –- two from Matt Kenseth, who started the year with back-to-back victories at Daytona and Fontana. Jamie McMurray's victory at Talladega was the only other Roush success in a year that somehow saw Carl Edwards, who led the circuit with nine checkered flags in 2008, get shut out. Roush will contract to four teams in 2010 under NASCAR's new cap but needs to find whatever magic disappeared in a hurry to have any chance of challenging Hendrick or Johnson.
Montoya on the move
It took nearly three years, but Juan Pablo Montoya finally showed the stock car world the excellence behind the wheel he was known for in open wheel racing. Montoya and crew chief Brian Pattie put together a structured plan during the regular season to make the Chase, and once the playoff season began, the flamboyant Colombian removed the reins. Montoya was aggressive and fun to watch as he took a no-holds-barred approach to winning races and contending for the title. He ultimately came up short but proved Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing had a bright future with Montoya piloting its No. 42.
Rubbin' and racin'
The return of some good old-fashioned feuds, which many fans felt had vanished in the age of multi-car teams and the COT, brought some spark back to the sport. Jeff Gordon and Montoya got extremely chippy with each other at Martinsville in a battle that included some spirited on-track battles as well as an entertaining war of words. Montoya and Tony Stewart put an exclamation point on the season with their exchange during the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead. But the main event was the Denny Hamlin-Brad Keselowski fight that began early in the year and festered throughout the Nationwide Series schedule, coming to a crescendo at Homestead when Hamlin made good on his promise to pay back Keselowski for what he considered to be several "overly aggressive" encounters during the season. Fans ate it up, and the sport got a much-needed shot to the excitement-o-meter.
Shootout style
NASCAR's decision to employ double-file restarts after caution periods also gave the sport new life and was well-received by fans who enjoyed the added action as well as the sanctioning body responding to their demands. Even tracks that had a reputation for boring racing, like Pocono, Chicagoland and the two road courses, were suddenly enjoyable to watch and featured some of the most exciting competition in years.
Trying times
But all wasn't well in NASCAR Nation in 2009 and the economy has to be blamed for many of the problems. Less-than-full grandstands, a shrinking garage area and fewer sponsorships were just a few of the signs that the past season was one of NASCAR's most trying in 60-plus years. There was also worry on the television front, where ratings declined and fans rebelled on how the network partners covered the sport. It's a serious area of concern as NASCAR heads into the 2010 season, and figuring out how to get more eyeballs in front of television sets should be one of the sanctioning body's priorities.
