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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALEXANDER: A Decade Of Change
NASCAR has seen its fair share of change but the most recent one was a revolution across many fronts...
Adam Alexander  |  Posted January 06, 2010   Charlotte, NC
A fulltime reporter for SPEED in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Adam Alexander also hosts NASCAR in a Hurry, The SPEED Report and NASCAR Race Hub. (Image: SPEED)
Last week not only marked the end of another decade but the end of an era in some respects. NASCAR has seen its fair share of change over the last few decades but the most recent one was a revolution across many fronts.

The past 10 years ushered in new NASCAR tracks in major media markets such as Kansas City and Chicago, along with second dates in Fontana and Phoenix, putting NASCAR in the mainstream media spotlight with a larger fan base. Safety has improved by leaps and bounds with the now-mandated head-and-neck restraint systems and SAFER barriers.

Additionally, NASCAR introduced a new Cup car in 2007, the Car of Tomorrow, designed for better safety and competition on the track. And who could forget how the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship has evolved the past few years? The Chase format instituted in 2004 has altered the dynamics of how we crown a Cup champion and has held the fans’ interest through the final stretch of the season.

Amidst a decade fraught with change, following is my take on the biggest newsmakers of the past 10 years:

Story of the decade
Despite some of the positive modifications in NASCAR of late, Dale Earnhardt’s death undoubtedly was the biggest story of the decade, if not in the history of the sport, and a tragic one of epic proportions.

Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 impacted not only the NASCAR community and sports fans but non-sports fans alike, captivating the world’s attention. Recall the media storm at Rockingham the following weekend – NASCAR’s biggest star had died on its grandest stage and the tragedy attracted the interest of every major news outlet in the world. His funeral was carried live on TV. Not too many people garner this level of attention in death, but Earnhardt’s legacy and impact on the public was immeasurable.

We lost an icon in Turn Four on the final lap of that fateful Daytona 500 and it forever changed the way we view the sport. Earnhardt was a polarizing figure – a driver who either had a diehard following or a group of passionate detractors who pulled against him at all costs. Earnhardt simultaneously was both the resident villain and the sport’s biggest hero. To no longer have a presence such as his and see the black No. 3 on the track left a gaping void in NASCAR, one that remains to this day.

Driver of the Decade
Four-time champion Jimmie Johnson undoubtedly is the driver of the decade, an ironic distinction for a virtual unknown the first half of the decade who hadn’t yet ventured into the Cup Series.

I remember Johnson winning his first NASCAR race in 2001 in the Nationwide Series at Chicagoland Speedway, which remains the only significant accolade he claimed in that series. So when he was presented with a Cup opportunity in 2002, many people questioned his readiness to compete at that level. While not wanting to second-guess the judgment of Jeff Gordon, who had brought Johnson in and made him somewhat of his heir apparent at Hendrick Motorsports, many in the NASCAR garage were puzzled by the plucky decision.

But Johnson has never finished outside the top five in points, was the first driver ever to win four consecutive Cup titles and will go down in the record books as one as the greatest drivers of all time even if he never climbs behind the wheel again. Johnson probably has done more for NASCAR in a short period of time than any other driver in its history.

Best finish of the decade
My selections for top finishes of the past decade span both ends of the 10 years. Last year’s spring Talladega race certainly featured one of the most unbelievable and exciting finishes in history. Part-timer Brad Keselowski won his first Cup race while Carl Edwards’ car hurled into the catchfence.

Conversely, Edwards’ first Cup win at Atlanta in 2005 provided an equally riveting finish as he passed Johnson on the last lap for the victory.

Furthermore, recall the emotion and drama of Kevin Harvick nipping Jeff Gordon at the finish line in 2001 at Atlanta for his career-first Cup win driving for Richard Childress Racing after Earnhardt’s death. The magnitude of Harvick’s win for that team and the sport, coupled with the photo finish, solidified that moment as one of the best of the decade.

Youth movement
Finally, Harvick’s rise to fame in the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet earned him a spot among a group of newcomers early in the 21st century dubbed the “Young Guns.” This was a simple nickname given to NASCAR’s youth movement but these youngsters delivered major results. The number of drivers whose names we hadn’t heard in the ‘90s that made it to the big leagues in 2000 and beyond included Edwards, Greg Biffle, Harvick, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Johnson, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and others.

And from the looks of things, we’ll continue to hear their names in the decades to come.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale: Jan 19th-24th
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