Best driver- Jimmie Johnson
Is there any doubt, really?
Mark Martin was the feel good story of 2009 with five wins in his return to full-time Sprint Cup return, and Tony Stewart dominated the first 26 races despite driving for a team he co-owns as opposed to the familiar orange No. 20.
However, Jimmie Johnson turned up the heat in the Chase for the Championship, winning a fourth consecutive title.
Honorable mentions include Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon
Worst driver- Paul Menard
This is always the difficult decision, because every driver in NASCAR is talented to some degree.
Nevertheless, the statistics do not lie.
Paul Menard was the only driver to start all thirty-six races and not score a single top ten finish, or top twelve finish for that matter.
His best finish was 13
th at
Talladega and
Texas back in the spring.
He had four DNF’s.
In Menard’s defense, the Roush/Yates contingent was off their game in comparison to years past, but you would have thought that he could have scored at least one top ten finish.
You could make a valid argument for a few other drivers to fit the bill as the worst of 2009.
Honorable mentions include David Stremme, Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Reed Sorenson, and David Ragan
Best comeback- Kurt Busch
The 2004 champion finished 18
th in the Sprint Cup standings in 2008, arguably his worst season since his rookie campaign in 2001.
He mustered up only ten top ten finishes, and his only win was the rain-shortened race at
New Hampshire.
In 2009, Busch and his Penske Racing team returned to the ambit of the frontrunners.
Busch won twice, while scoring ten top five finishes, and 21 top tens.
Honorable mentions include Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne
Worst fall- Dale Earnhardt Jr
Several drivers encountered significant declines in performance in 2009, but none grabbed the attention of NASCAR nation quite like Earnhardt Jr’s fall from grace.
He was the top performing Hendrick driver for the first half of 2008, but since his win at Michigan in June of 2008, he has given his legion of fans little to cheer about.
He finished a career-low 25
th in the standings, while scoring only two top five finishes.
Honorable mentions include Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth
Best race- Sprint Cup All-Star Race at Charlotte
The Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch three-way tussle in the final segment was memorable.
However, the beating and banging took its toll on the trio of drivers as Tony Stewart charged to the front, winning his first race as part-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.
This race heavily influenced NASCAR’s decision to implement the double-file restart rule.
Honorable mentions include Coke Zero 400 at Daytona,and Aaron’s 499 at Talladega
Worst race- Amp Energy 500 at Talladega
Single-file racing at
Talladega is not what the fans expected, nor wanted to see.
Add Ryan Newman’s airborne accident into the mix, and you have one farce of a race.
Honorable mentions include Checker O’Reilly 400 at Phoenix, and Daytona 500
Best rookie- Brad Keselowski
Okay, so
he was not an official rookie, but it was his first year competing in more than seven races.
He easily outshined Joey ‘Sliced Bread’ Logano and Scott ‘no relation to
Lake’ Speed.
Worst rookie- Scott Speed
Hopefully, Red Bull Racing will allow Speed sufficient time to develop, unlike how they handled the A.J. Allmendinger situation.
Best storylines- Mark Martin and Tony Stewart
The fifty-year old won five races in his first year with HMS, and Stewart shoved his four wins down the throats of the misanthropists.
Worst storylines- Danica Patrick and Jeremy Mayfield
The Danica dance is annoying and the Jeremy Mayfield saga is a complete and utter mess.
Best feud- Brad Keselowski vs Denny Hamlin
Need I say more
Honorable mentions include Kurt Busch vs Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart vs Juan Montoya, Kyle Busch vs Brian Vickers
Worst feud- Jeremy Mayfield vs NASCAR
Need I say more
Best manufacturer- Chevrolet
Again!
Worst manufacturer- Dodge
And then there were three (teams left)
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Comments
I do not agree with your pick on the rookie, Brad whatever his last name is should be middle, crybaby. Has a lot to learn about driving, watch out for the big boys next year Brad.
I agree with you Ginny. Joey Logano has a better average start, better average finish, more respect on the track, and a better reputation with the media (another aspect of the Rookie race).
The real test for Brad will be how he races in 2010 in the cup series. If he races like he does in the nW series, he's in for a rude awakening.
When has Brad been a crybaby? Brad is more of an aggogant guy than a crybaby. Hamlin is the crybaby.
The Amp Energy 500 was not the worst race of the year. Compared to other 'dega races it was a flop, but seriously, compared to a lot of races it was certainly better. Other than the single file racing we had, it was a pretty good race. Oh, and please, how is Newman flipping any different from any other year at 'dega. It's like no one has seen a flip before, let alone a fairly lazy one...
Jeremy Mayfield is innocent of all the charges that nascrap says. Just wait and see, and even you will say he's innocent and has been framed.
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