NASCAR prepares for changes going into 2008 season

NASCAR: Looking ahead to 2008

NASCAR: Looking ahead to 2008 By staff writer David Scott NASCAR's season ends today with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Here are some things to look for when the season starts again in February at Daytona Beach, Fla.

Off the track

Didn't you used to be?

New title sponsors mean NASCAR's top series -- the Nextel Cup and Busch Series -- will be the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. It's the third time the Cup series has been renamed since 2003, and it's happened because of a merger. Nationwide will replace Busch, which had sponsored that series for 26 years.

Hello-goodbye

Along with open-wheel drivers, Regan Smith and Aric Almirola will be solid rookie-of-the-year candidates. Ricky Rudd, who drove in a record 788 straight races from 1981 to 2005, retires after 32 seasons. Team owner Robert Yates also will retire, with son Doug taking over the racing operations in a new company. Yates Racing will operate with an association with Roush Fenway Racing.

Questions with no easy answers

Will there be more qualifying changes?

NASCAR officials have said they might look at qualifying rules, which guarantee the top 35 teams spots in each Cup field, limiting chances for teams with fewer resources to make races. Owners of those other teams are feeling left out. Cars not guaranteed spots will qualify at the beginning of sessions, series director John Darby said Saturday.

Is a new schedule coming?

The Cup's 2008 schedule looks pretty much like it has for the past several years. That might change in the not-too-distant future. Bruton Smith's recent purchase of New Hampshire International Speedway has fueled speculation he'll give his Las Vegas track a second race by moving one from either New Hampshire or Atlanta. If he does, that could cause a shuffle in the schedule.

Are we entering a Johnson dynasty?

If Jimmie Johnson does what's expected and wins his second straight championship today, he'll become the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 1997-98 to win two in a row. The only driver to win three straight titles is Cale Yarborough in 1976-78.

New faces in new places

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s move for '08 to Hendrick Motorsports was one of this season's top stories. Will new surroundings (not to mention the influence of Hendrick and new teammates Johnson and Gordon) help NASCAR's most popular driver, whose last victory was 61 races ago? Kyle Busch, pushed out by Earnhardt, jumps from Hendrick to Joe Gibbs Racing.

Car of today

This season's car of tomorrow will go full time in 2008. The COT, meant to be safer and produce more competitive racing, met mixed reviews. Hendrick Motorsports dominated the COT's 16 races, with 60.9 percent of the team's cars finishing in the top 10.

Making the move

The migration of open-wheel drivers to NASCAR appears to be at full throttle. Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger made the jump this season and they'll be followed by Sam Hornish Jr., Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve and defending Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti. They'll all want to do as well as Montoya, who has a Cup victory and six top-10s.

A shot in the arm

Toyota's first Nextel Cup season has been, by all accounts, a bust (no victories, one second-place). The arrival of Gibbs -- and drivers Tony Stewart, J.J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin -- will almost certainly make Toyota instantly more competitive.

www.thatsracin.com

Big moves already under way

New names, faces, cars part of upcoming season

Tony Stewart in a Toyota. Dale Earnhardt Jr. not in the red No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. New-model cars for everyone and new names for NASCAR's top two series.

With Jimmie Johnson having clinched his second consecutive Nextel Cup championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the countdown to 2008 is under way, with the 50th Daytona 500 less than three months away.

Among the impending story lines, one of the most intriguing is the continued exodus of open-wheel racing stars to NASCAR, with the past two Indianapolis 500 champions the latest to make the switch. The Daytona 500 could have four Indy champions in the field.

So here, in no particular order, are five things to watch in the 2008 NASCAR season:

Dale Jr. leaves home

Earnhardt sent shock waves through the sport in June when he announced he was leaving his family-owned team to join powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.
Coming off a winless season, the first in his eight years at DEI, NASCAR's most popular driver is looking for a resurgence as he leaves his Budweiser-sponsored past behind and climbs into the No. 88 Chevy with Mountain Dew Amp and the National Guard sharing the hood.

With Johnson and Jeff Gordon as teammates and equipment second to none, the onus is on Earnhardt to produce. He tested with the Hendrick team for the first time last month at Atlanta.

"When I went to test, there was pressure to run fast, be quick, show everybody. But that's always there. You control that," he said. "If we're out there doing our thing and running as good as we can and giving a good effort, I can sleep at night."

Open-wheelers in demand

Following a path blazed by Stewart in 1999 and followed last year by Juan Pablo Montoya and A.J. Allmendinger, Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. are heading south. Franchitti will team with Montoya at Ganassi Racing and Hornish will drive a third entry at Penske Racing.

Also on the move: Jacques Villeneuve from Formula One to Bill Davis Racing and Patrick Carpentier from CART to Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Owner Ray Evernham said Montoya's success has made open-wheel drivers a hot commodity.

"It goes in cycles. Sometimes everybody is hot on sprint-car drivers or late-model drivers. Now, it's Indy-car guys," he said. "But good drivers are good drivers."

Toyota lands top team

Toyota's growing pains in its first Nextel Cup season didn't prevent Joe Gibbs Racing from trusting its future to a partnership with the Japanese manufacturer.

In the short run, JGR could suffer. In the long run, few doubt they will win races and contend for championships together, especially with Kyle Busch coming on board to team with Stewart and Denny Hamlin.

"That's probably the best driver lineup any team has," said Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports. "Our goal was that in the third year we would be a championship contender. Adding Gibbs puts us on schedule, maybe even a year ahead of schedule."

COT: Car of Today

NASCAR shelved its planned three-year rollout of the Car of Tomorrow when owners complained about the money and manpower needed to maintain two fleets of cars. So despite mixed reviews, the new car becomes the only car.

The consensus is the car has met or exceeded expectations in the areas of safety and durability but as yet has not fulfilled the promise of better racing. The hope is that with the new car getting everyone's full attention, its performance will improve.

Even though Hendrick Motorsports seemed to have a decided edge in the 16 COT races this year, Gordon questions whether significant gains can be made because of the tight rules restrictions NASCAR has imposed on the car.

"There's been very little evolution," he said. "We haven't been able to change much because there's not much to change."

Another name change

Just when everyone was getting accustomed to saying Nextel Cup instead of Winston Cup, the series is changing names again.

The switch to Sprint Cup, the result of a business merger, is NASCAR's second name change in five years after 31 years with Winston.

The second-tier Busch Series also is getting a new name as Anheuser-Busch has pulled out after 26 years. Nationwide Insurance is the new title sponsor.

The good news for NASCAR is that it still can attract sponsors at a time when other racing series are struggling to do so. The bad news is attendance is down and TV ratings are off about 10 percent for the second year in a row.

"You have to keep it in context when you look at the numbers," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said. "We're just like everybody else. We're not immune to waves that go up and down."

www.indystar.com

For these drivers, 2008 season can't get here soon enough
CBSSports.com

Jimmie Johnson isn't the only one giving thanks this holiday weekend for the NASCAR season that just ended. There's another group of drivers who will give pause before the holiday feast and be thankful it's finally over.

While guys like Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer will all look back at this season as a successful one, four drivers and one frustrated group of them can't wait to rip the calendar page from 2007 to 2008:

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: The biggest sigh of relief when the checkered flag flew in last Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway came from inside the cockpit of the DEI Budweiser No. 8. After Junior's last ride in the car he'd driven his entire Cup career ended in a 36th-place finish after two separate accidents, he had to have a smile from ear to ear knowing the nightmare season was finally over. Saddled at times with inferior equipment that resulted in nine engine failures and just plain bad luck, Earnhardt Jr. can finally put aside the DEI chapter of his career and begin anew with powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports next season. "I guess I thought I would be sadder, but I am not. I still have all these guys as friends; that is even better than the working relationship. Now, I am ready to get to work."

2. Kasey Kahne: How could a driver who won six races in 2006 suddenly turn into an also ran on a weekly basis? Don't ask Kahne or team owner Ray Evernham, who doesn't know how to explain where the wheels came off the formerly potent No. 9 Dodge. "It wasn't just one thing," said Kahne, "it seemed like everything." The restructured Gillett-Evernham Motorsports Team, which will have Kahne, Elliott Sadler and newcomer Patrick Carpentier on board in 2008, needs to make some major adjustments after a year in which only Kahne cracked the top 20 in the point standings. With outside sponsorship coming to the Dodge team for the first time, including Budweiser and Best Buy, along with new co-owner George Gillett's deep pockets, GEM should have the resources to get back to the level it enjoyed only last season.

3. Michael Waltrip: You wouldn't wish the start of Waltrip's much-heralded Toyota Cup team ownership on your worst enemy. After embarrassing himself, the team and Toyota in a scandal at Daytona when Waltrip's car was found to be using an illegal fuel substance, the veteran driver suffered through one of the most miserable years in the sport's history, failing to qualify for more than half of the season's races. With teammate Dale Jarrett also floundering, the only bright spot was unsung rookie David Reutimann, who was able to carry the Camry colors impressively. Jarrett opted for retirement rather than spending another year like 2007, leaving Waltrip, Reutimann and either development drivers Michael McDowell or Josh Wise to try to right the MWR ship next season.

4. Kevin Harvick: It's hard to believe a season that includes a Daytona 500 win and an All-Star race victory could be considered a disappointment, but Harvick's was a bust after May. The No. 29 team never seemed to be a factor in the summer months, and although he made the Chase, Harvick wasn't heard from throughout the 10-race playoff run. His Craftsman Truck Series team won a championship with Ron Hornaday Jr., but Harvick has to hope he can shake the big-race-only syndrome he seems to have acquired and become more of a consistent force in 2008.

5. Joe Nemechek, Sterling Marlin, Johnny Sauter, David Stremme, David Green and Tony Raines: These six drivers all found themselves on the Cup Series unemployment line when their teams decided to bring in fresh blood. Nemechek and Marlin were the victims of the Ginn Racing-DEI merger and, after suing former owner Bobby Ginn for their salaries, found part-time rides with much lesser teams. Sauter and Green were bounced from Haas-CNC Racing in favor of veterans Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield, and neither has anything lined up for the new year. Stremme was the victim of team owner Chip Ganassi's fascination with open-wheel racers and replaced by last year's Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti, who joins Juan Pablo Montoya on the CGR team. And Raines was bounced by Hall of Fame Racing, which brought in J.J. Yeley to wheel the team's No. 96 entry in 2008, leaving Raines to read the help wanted ads this winter.

Grading the season for NASCAR's non-Chase drivers
SI.com

The top 12 Chasers weren't the only drivers running around in circles this season, even though the NASCAR coverage sometimes made us feel like it.

Here's a look at how the other full-time drivers fared throughout the course of 2007:

Ryan Newman -- After a mediocre '06, many figured this year would be Newman's last in a Penske Dodge -- especially after the loss of longtime crew chief Matt Borland. An early season slump did nothing to stop the rumors -- one top 10 in the first eight races left Newman buried in a hole too deep to make the Chase. But just as this marriage seemed headed toward divorce, things fell into place with new crew chief Mike Nelson. Five pole positions, combined with 15 top 10s, gave this team something to build on next season; if it wasn't for a series-high nine DNFs, Newman would have joined his teammate Kurt Busch in the Chase. At least he was able to earn "Best Of The Rest" honors, snagging 13th place in points on the strength of several Victory Lane near-misses late in the year. Grade: B

Greg Biffle -- Another driver whose future remained in question for much of the season's first quarter, Biffle's sluggish start out of the box led to talk he'd be let out of his contract. Turned out his crew chief was in danger of getting the axe all along; Pat Tryson was dealt the pink slip in June, replaced by Greg Erwin from Robby Gordon Motorsports. While it took some time for the two to click -- made all the more frustrating by Tryson's success elsewhere -- the end of the year gave Biffle a chance to shine. A controversial win at Kansas was followed by a runner-up finish at Phoenix gave an indication things are back heading in the right direction at the No. 16. Now, Biffle has gone from odd man out to signing a likely contract extension with Roush Fenway -- a shocking turnaround after two straight seasons of disappointing results. Grade: B-

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -- Junior's bitter and public divorce from DEI overshadowed a season that could have turned out much different. As he said himself many times, this team was a top-10 effort that fell apart simply by shooting themselves in the foot. Time after time, top-5 finishes turned into costly mechanical failure; six engine DNFs led the way for any of DEI's four teams. If it wasn't parts and pieces failing, the driver himself would overthink things, making a critical error late in the race to often make up for mistakes made by his own crew. After missing the Chase, things got worse as the "lame duck" status set right in; while Junior gave it 110 percent every week, it never seemed driver and team were ever quite on the same page. It's ironic that Junior's season ended the way it began, his car a mangled mess after being caught up in not one, but two wrecks at Homestead. Just like Daytona, Junior overachieved that day with a car that was slicing and dicing its way through the pack; but when push came to shove, the final results didn't match the effort being put in. For a career that's more than ready for a change, it's high time Junior open a new chapter somewhere else. Grade: C-

Casey Mears -- If only Mears could hit the reset button and start the season over, he might have had a shot at a top 5 points finish. The first 10 races brought such bad luck you wouldn't want to wish it on your worst enemy; the low point came at Talladega, when Mears was turned by best friend and teammate, Jimmie Johnson, to drop precariously close to the Top 35 bubble that gave him a qualifying exemption. But just one month later, everything turned around on a dime; a fuel mileage gamble at Lowe's gave him an unlikely victory in the Coke 600, and it was a whole different team after that. Sixteen finishes of 16th or better in the final two thirds of the season gave Mears the consistency the other HMS cars achieved all season long; hopefully, he'll be able to turn that momentum into long-term success in '08. Grade: B-

Jamie McMurray -- The first man many thought would get fired in '07, McMurray instead turned the tables on a disbelieving media -- and perhaps even his car owner -- by delivering his first victory on tour since the fall of 2002. That came in mid-July, the highlight of a midseason surge with new crew chief Larry Carter that saw McMurray make an unlikely bid for the Chase. But just when it looked like the driver was a genius -- Roush put the No. 26 largely in his hands to rebuild after a miserable '06 -- both team and driver appeared to lose their way. No finish better than eighth over the season's second half makes you wonder what, exactly, to expect from a group that responded to a win by limping to the finish line. Grade: C

Bobby Labonte -- A Petty Enterprises car 18th in points? I know it's hard to believe, but the 2000 Cup champ was up to the task in giving this team their best finish in nearly a decade. The fact he did it with a revolving door of crew chiefs make it all the more impressive; Paul Andrews was replaced by Doug Randolph midway through the year, but the driver didn't miss a beat. Too bad his head wrench will change again in '08; the Labonte-Randolph combo could have done some real damage if given a little time to develop. Grade: C

Kasey Kahne -- On the list of disappointments, Kahne ranks No. 1; how the series' leading winner in '06 got shut out in '07 is a mystery to us all. By the season's midpoint, Kahne was far removed from Chase contention, wrecking out five times while struggling with the handling to the point everyone was left scratching their head. After George Gillett bought into Ray Evernham's team this July, things began to turn around slowly but surely; toward the end of the season, Kahne won a pole at Bristol and collected a handful of top 10 finishes. But frustration was evident during a late-season dustup with a security guard at Homestead; letting emotions get the better of him, it was par for the course for Kahne. Grade: D-

Juan Pablo Montoya -- This season's rookie of the year, Montoya lived up to certain expectations: He got a win on a road course, finished in the Top 20 in points and collected six Top 10 finishes on a wide variety of tracks. The problem I have with the Colombian? He still suffers from a spat of inconsistency; top 10 one week, moving roadblock the next. All in all, though, his ability to give it all he has every second of every lap is exactly what this sport needs right now. Grade: B-

Mark Martin -- Scaling back to a part-time schedule, Martin came out of the box strong; after nearly winning the Daytona 500, he showed that even at 48, he's showing no signs of slowing down. Holding the points lead after the first four races, he took the rare step of stepping away on his terms; and while a midseason merger led to a late-season slump with a new team over at DEI, expect Martin to recharge and come out strong once again next season. Grade: B

Ricky Rudd -- After a one-year sabbatical, Rudd's return to the sport wasn't nearly the celebration he expected; and after 32 years, the veteran chose to call it quits following the 2007 season. One of the sport's true Iron Men, Rudd's record of 788 straight starts will stand for decades to come; this disappointing season will likely do nothing to detract from his lifetime record, one that will land in the NASCAR Hall of Fame someday. Grade: C

OTHER NOTABLE DRIVERS

J.J. Yeley -- Sophomore improved in his second season with Joe Gibbs Racing -- just not fast enough to be retained. Grade: C

Reed Sorenson -- Twice now, an up-and-coming youngster has been replaced at Ganassi by an open-wheel superstar. Think Reed's looking over his shoulder a bit? He's the only true stock car driver left. Grade: C-

David Ragan -- Considering the way Ragan bounced off the walls like NASCAR was some sort of demolition derby in last year's debut, you'd have to consider 23rd in points a pleasant surprise for his first full-time season. Grade: C

David Stremme -- The forgotten sophomore from last year's talented class of '06; still a free agent after being released from his ride at Ganassi, Stremme's now hoping not to be forgotten altogether. Grade: D

Elliot Sadler -- Lost in the shuffle of Kasey Kahne's disaster at GEM was how poorly Sadler performed in the No. 19 Dodge; how far this team has fallen from being a perennial Chase contender just two short years ago. Grade: D

Robby Gordon -- One of two owner/drivers left in the series, you have to wonder how much longer Gordon can make it work -- especially with only a one-car team. The effort is there, but the financial support ... not so much. Grade: C-

David Gillliland -- Still cashing in on an unlikely Busch Series victory; now officially Jack Roush's problem, don't expect that glory ride to last much longer. Grade: D+

Tony Raines --Underappreciated, overachieving, took care of equipment, did everything he was asked to do with a single-car team ... and got fired anyway. That's what happens to you at age 43 in this era of NASCAR. Grade : C

Johnny Sauter -- Another driver who's got reason to gripe after pulling a brand new team solidly within the top 35 in points. With one Top 5 finish and two Top 10s, Sauter was hardly putting up Jimmie Johnson-type numbers; but he wasn't really given a chance to at Haas CNC. Grade: C

Dave Blaney -- Toyota's number one threat throughout the course of '07; but in a forgettable first season for the Camry, that isn't saying much. Grade: C-

Jeff Green -- The first driver in Haas CNC history to last more than a year with the team. Not surprisingly, he wasn't given a chance to put the finishing touches on season two. Grade: C

Paul Menard -- My preseason pick for Rookie Of The Year proved little competition for Juan Pablo Montoya; six DNQs and a best finish of 12th left him one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Grade: F

Kyle Petty -- Spent half the year as the broadcaster for TNT; after another year in the seat filled with inconsistency, it's high time Petty makes the move to the booth full-time. Grade: D

Scott Riggs -- Never lived up to expectations in a three-year stint with GEM. Grade: F

Joe Nemechek -- Spent the first half of the year underachieving with a team that ultimately never survived (Ginn Racing), then spent the second half overachieving with a team doing all that it could to survive. In the end, Nemechek should simply feel lucky he survived in an age where fortysomethings no longer get full-time rides. Grade: D

Brian Vickers -- Bet you his Red Bull's spiked with more than a little vodka after a season which left him thinking just how good he had it over at Hendrick Motorsports. Grade: D

David Reutimann -- Who'd have thought Reutimann would be the best driver of the three at Michael Waltrip Racing? When the right equipment matches up with his winning attitude, this could be the hidden star Toyota is looking to develop. Grade: C

Sterling Marlin -- For a man that's won multiple times in Nextel Cup, you'd expect this veteran would have gotten a better sendoff than simply being thrown to the curb. Grade: D.

Ken Schrader -- Ditto. Grade: D

Bill Elliott -- The 1988 Nextel Cup champ keeps plugging along with a struggling single-car team; but while the effort is there, the talent appears to be slowly slipping away at 52. Grade: D

Dale Jarrett -- For seven years, we've been asked when Jarrett would drive the UPS truck. Turns out he drove it after all ... for every race in 2007. Grade: F

Michael Waltrip -- A late-season show of strength does little to rebuild a reputation that may never fully recover. Cheating, mysterious behavior and a litany of DNQs should make Waltrip thankful he's even got a team left to run. Grade: G

A.J. Allmendinger -- The former open-wheeler still has a brain fart and turns right instead of left each week. Grade: F

Jeremy Mayfield -- Went to Bill Davis Racing to save his career; instead, it all but destroyed it. Can Haas CNC bring the two-time Chaser back to prominence? Early results say absolutely not. Grade: F

Kenny Wallace -- Wallace is a hit on SPEED TV's RaceDay; that's likely the only way he'll be in the Nextel Cup garage from now on. Grade: F

Ward Burton -- They say to officially make a comeback, you have to actually start the race; the 46-year-old Burton failed to do that far too many times this season, racking up over a dozen DNQs for small-time Morgan-McClure Motorsports after a two-year hiatus. Grade: F

John Andretti -- Think Andretti-Green has a spot for him over in the IRL? NASCAR's all but cast him aside. Grade: D-

Boris Said -- The best racer out there who's never gotten a fair shake in Cup; there, I said it. Grade: C

Driver to win the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship

Jimmie Johnson +350
Jeff Gordon +400
Dale Earnhardt Jr +750
Matt Kenseth +900
Kyle Busch +1000
Carl Edwards +1000
Tony Stewart +1000
Martin Truex Jr +1400
Denny Hamlin +1600
Kurt Busch +1600
Clint Bowyer +2000
Greg Biffle +3000
Kasey Kahne +3000
Kevin Harvick +3000
Jeff Burton +3000
Ryan Newman +3500
Casey Mears +4000
Juan Montoya +6000
Jamie McMurray +8000

@TheGreek

Bobby Labonte gets new crew chief
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Jeff Gordon lost his car chief on Monday when Jeff Meendering joined Petty Enterprises as crew chief for Bobby Labonte.

Meendering began his career at Hendrick Motorsports 13 years ago sweeping floors, and worked his way up to a pivotal role on Gordon's crew. He was the interim crew chief during a six-race stretch this season when Steve Letarte was suspended.

His new job with Petty starts immediately, and he'll accompany Labonte to a tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway next month.

''The opportunity to lead a team with the winning tradition of the 43 car, and work for a legend in Richard Petty, felt like the perfect fit,'' said Meendering. ''Bobby Labonte is a champion and a driver of the highest caliber. I have been fortunate to visit Victory Lane several times with the 24 team, and I fully expect to be a part of getting Bobby and the 43 car there again.''

The 30 year old Meendering held a variety of jobs at Hendrick until former crew chief Robbie Loomis tabbed him to work on Gordon's crew.

Now vice president of race operations at Petty, Loomis reached out to Meendering to lead Labonte's team.

''I've known Jeff for many years and I realize how truly lucky we are to have someone of his caliber join our organization,'' Loomis said. ''With the knowledge, experience and leadership he brings to our team I am confident he will be a cornerstone of our organization for years to come.''

2007 Nextel Cup Year in Review
November 27th, 2007

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Unless you were a Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon fan, the 2007 Nextel Cup season was not a very exciting one. The two Hendrick Motorsports stars dominated 2007 as few have throughout NASCAR's long history.

As a group, the four HMS drivers (Johnson, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears) won 18 of 36 races, collected 84 top-10s and earned a not-so-paltry $24,420,344. The 18 wins are more than the 15 wins Roush Fenway Racing put up in 2005 when it controlled the series and is the most for one team since Richard Petty (21) and Buddy Baker(1) combined for 22 wins driving for Petty Enterprises in 1971.

The No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet team led the way with 10 wins, four poles, 20 top- fives and 24 top-10s. It was the most wins in a season since Gordon's 1998 championship season, when he made 13 trips to Victory Lane. Johnson also won four consecutive races in the "Chase," tying a record that has stood since the "Modern Era" began in 1972. He might have won a record fifth straight, but he was more concerned with clinching the title at Homestead and didn't go for the win.

"We would have loved to have won our fifth in a row, but the big prize was the Championship," said Johnson in the post-race press conference.

Johnson, who has made the "Chase" in all four seasons that NASCAR has used the newer format, has been even better in the "playoffs" than the regular season. Over the last four years, Johnson has 27 wins in 144 starts (18.75%). But in the 10-race "Chase" at the end of the season, the No.48 team has been spectacular. In 40 "Chase" races, Johnson has amassed 11 wins, 20 top-fives and 28 top-10s. That means when the title is on the line, Johnson wins slightly more than 25% of the time and comes home with at least a top-five finish half the time.

In this year's "Chase for the Nextel Cup," Johnson scored more points in nine races than anyone has ever scored in 10 "Chase" events. He set a new standard, earning 1,663 points and winning the title by the widest margin in four years despite the fact that Gordon's average finish was a stunning 5.1 and he posted nine top-10s.

For the entire season, four-time Nextel Cup champion Gordon collected six wins and an amazing 30 top-10s in 36 starts.

While Hendrick Motorsports grabbed all the glory and most of the headlines, there were some interesting things going on over the last 10 months that didn't get as much notice.

Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. became forces to be reckoned with for both 2007 and beyond. In addition, Juan Pablo Montoya showed flashes of brilliance that bodes well for his future in NASCAR.

Bowyer started out the season as the third driver on the Richard Childress Racing team behind his more well-known teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. But Bowyer proved to be the most consistent of the three RCR drivers and when the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" began in September he opened the 10- race campaign with his first career victory. He was solid throughout the "Chase" and finished third overall only behind the magnificent years put up by Johnson and Gordon.

Montoya, who spent his entire career driving open-wheel vehicles, looked like the "real deal" behind the wheel of a "Cup" car. With so little experience, Montoya still managed to finish 20th overall, including a dramatic win at the Infineon Raceway. His immediate success has led to a number of open-wheel drivers (2007 IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, three-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr., 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier) to make the jump into Nextel Cup.

While finishing a disappointing 11th in the 12-man "Chase," Truex Jr. became the No.1 driver at Dale Earnhardt Inc. The pressure to perform on Truex Jr., the 27-year-old from Mayetta, NJ, will be overwhelming, but to date he has shown he can handle driving the flagship for the rebuilding DEI team.

Which brings us to the most significant off-the-track happening in NASCAR in many years. Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. deciding to leave the company his father built and jump to the series' most powerful operation - Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2008.

Voted the most popular driver in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, Earnhardt Jr. became increasingly frustrated driving the No.8 Budweiser Chevrolet. Though he managed to win at least one race per year since becoming a full-time "Cup" driver in 2000, it was obvious that he was fighting an uphill battle against the likes of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing and Roush Fenway Racing with inferior equipment.

In 2007, the No.8 DEI Chevy had six races end prematurely because of engine failure. He tried to work out a deal with stepmom Teresa Earnhardt that would leave him in control of the operations, but the two couldn't come to an agreement. So Earnhardt Jr. chose his only other alternative - to leave the team.

Engine failures probably won't be a big problem at HMS, but what might be a problem for Earnhardt Jr. is being the third best driver on his new team.

"Junior" has always been the star of the team and now he goes to a team which already dominated the series and has the two-time defending champion along with one of the greatest drivers all-time. It will be interesting to watch how the three drivers interact throughout the ups and downs of the marathon 10- month season.

With all the wins and notoriety that Hendrick drew, there were bound to be teams that faltered under the pressure. Earnhardt Jr. was one, but so were the years posted by Kasey Kahne, J.J. Yeley and all of Toyota.

Kahne was on every preseason list as the driver most likely to take a giant leap forward and compete for the championship. He was the 2004 Raybestos Rookie of the Year. He had won a series-high six times in 2006 along with 19 top-10s. But in 2007 Kahne, the No.9 Dodge team and really all of Evernham Motorsport struggled right from the beginning. After a respectable seventh- place finish at Daytona, consecutive finishes of 38th at California, 35th at Las Vegas and 39th at Atlanta pretty much ended Kahne's season before Memorial Day.

Yeley was the third driver on a very strong Joe Gibbs Racing team with two- time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart and rising start Denny Hamlin. But unlike the way Bowyer came into his own as the No.3 driver on a three-man team, Yeley could never get his team even close to that level of his teammates. He finished the year with just one top-five and only three top-10s while starting all 36 races. Kyle Busch will take over for Yeley in 2008.

When Toyota first came to NASCAR, in the Craftsman Truck Series, they were very quickly competitive. Travis Kvapil won their first race in 2004, its first season and in 2006 Todd Bodine won the Championship in a Toyota.

But Toyota's first year in Nextel Cup racing can only be described as dismal.

While Chevrolet was setting a team record with 26 wins, Toyota's best finish all year was a third-place result by Dave Blaney in race No.30 at Talladega.

The fact of the matter was that for most of the season it was a struggle for Toyota drivers, other than Blaney, to simply make the race, much less compete with the "Big Boys" for a win. While Blaney started 33 of 36 races, other drivers were not even up to his level. David Reutimann made 26 starts, Dale Jarrett - 24, Brian Vickers - 23, A.J. Allmendinger - 17 and Michael Waltrip just 14 starts.

In addition, Waltrip began the season by getting into trouble with NASCAR officials at Daytona over a "jet-fuel like" substance in the intake manifold. He was given a 100-point penalty and it took the two-time Daytona 500 winner more than two months to get back into the positive numbers.

The good news for Toyota is that they improved as the season went along and should be more competitive in 2008. And they added Joe Gibbs Racing to the stable which means with the addition of Stewart and Hamlin they automatically become a better squad.

"Having Gibbs, an established top-caliber team come aboard does, to a certain extent, legitimize Toyota," said Vickers, who led Toyota drivers with five top-10s for Red Bull Racing.

"I feel pretty good about next year," said team president J.D. Gibbs. "It's going to be a while to get where you want to be. But I would be disappointed if we're not at least where we are now."

However, the bad news for everybody involved in the 2008 Sprint Cup (formerly known as Nextel Cup), is that Hendrick Motorsports will probably be just as good if not better in 2008 than it was in 2007.

"As each year goes by, and the core of the team stays together, we're able to make it stronger and stronger, and better and better," said Johnson.