NASCAR's main series went through though times this year. First of all, let's mention Bill France Jr.'s death. Bill Jr. was the son of NASCAR's founder, Bill Sr. He brought NASCAR from local racing to international recognition. Then, NASCAR debuted a new configuration of cars known for a while as the "Car Of Tomorrow". And attendance and TV ratings decreased.
On the other hand, the Series was almost dominated by the Hendrick Motorsport boys, namely Jimmy Johnson (Chevy No. 48) and Jeff Gordon (Chevy No. 24). They would finish first and second in the championship. The infamous Chase for the Cup (the ten last races involving 12 drivers at the top of the standings) still does not get great reviews. We all followed Dale Earnhardt Jr's saga (Chevrolet No. 8) leaving the team his father had built for him but scoring only problems during the season (he will join Hendrick next season). Meanwhile, Juan-Pablo Montoya (Dodge No. 42) grabbed the Rookie of the Year title in his first full year in NASCAR. Oh yeah! There were a few new drivers showing up in the series, namely our own Jacques Villeneuve who did a great job with his No. 27 Toyota Camry at Talladega, his first ever Cup race but was not as spectacular in Phoenix. Former Champ Car and IRL competitor Patrick Carpentier did great at Watkins Glen in the No. 10 Dodge, even leading the race for seven laps and securing himself a ride in 2008. In the season's final events, Patrick ran a safe race in Phoenix but got involved in a few problems at Homestead. Next year, the Series will be changing name for the Sprint Cup. There will be no schedule changes and the Sprint Cup will not come to Canada. Will Johnson go for a three peat? Will Gordon get revenge? Will the Fords, the Dodges (Chargers and not Avengers) or the Camrys stop the Chevies (Impalas as the Monte Carlo is out of production)? It will all start next February in Daytona. Stay tuned - we'll be there!
photo: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR