Dale Earnhardt Jr Tag

Let the Racing Begin

Well that was quite a finish to the 2012 regular season last weekend at Richmond International Raceway.  Clint Bowyer and his crew put in a great effort that landed themselves the victory, but that was hardly the biggest story of the night.  There was little left to decide inside of the top 10 as the drivers started their engines for the annual night race at Richmond.  The real action was clearly going to be the battle for the final Chase spot.

Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch represented the 2 favorites for the final Chase position with Busch holding a 12 point advantage entering the night.  Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano, & Ryan Newman all had a shot to make the Chase but they would have needed a victory to claim that final spot.  Paul Menard also had a very, very small chance but he too would have required a victory and, at best, for Gordon to finish worse than 20th and Busch to finish worse than 31st.

Only 2 races remain until the Sprint Cup Chase for the Cup kick off at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.  Hard to imagine that we have already come this far in 2012.  This season has been an exciting one and different than those of recent past.  For the first time in a while it seems that several drivers not named Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart have a chance to win the Cup this year.  A lot can change over the next 3 months but if all goes well we could be looking at another exciting finish to the season at the Ford EcoBoost 400 in Miami, FL.

Coming to the last race of 2011 it was a two horse race for the Cup.  Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart were practically dead even and at the end of the race they shared the exact same point total.  Edwards had a 3 point lead at the beginning of the race, finished second, and lost the championship in a tie-breaker situation.  What a rough ride for Edwards who has suffered since the race last November.  On the other hand Tony Stewart provided the performance he needed to win the race and the championship.  As a NASCAR fan you really couldn't have asked for a better finish to the 2011 season.  With no clear favorite in 2012, I am excited for the possibilities of another incredible finale at Homestead Speedway.

I'm sure if you asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. in June of '08 if he was going to enjoy his only win in the next four years...  He would probably look at you with the same dumbfounded look that he had after all 143 of those races where he failed to cross the finish line first.  Junior looks like he has finally found a groove for the first time in almost 10 years.  His seventh place finish in the 2011 standings gave him his first top 10 finish in the standings since 2006.

In 2003 Junior seemed to be coming into his own as one of the top driver's in NASCAR.  He competed for the championship throughout most of the season before falling off and eventually finishing third and 207 points off the lead.  The interesting thing about that season is who the competition was for Junior and eventual champion.  Current points leader Matt Kenseth led the standings for most of 2003 and his championship ways are what caused NASCAR to rethink the way the championship is won.

NASCAR will be stationed in Charlotte, NC for the next two weekends as the league's top drivers prepare to tame Charlotte Motor Speedway.  This weekend NASCAR will feature their annual All-Star event and the track will host the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend.  Most teams in NASCAR have their shops located in and around the Charlotte area so this event also serves as somewhat of a homecoming.

Most professional sports hold their all-star event much later in the season but NASCAR goes against the traditional all-star grain.  The Sprint Cup is just 11 races into the season and less than a third through the season, but this an all-star break nonetheless.  In light of the early season pause, lets take a moment to review the first 3 months or so of Sprint Cup racing.