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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALEXANDER: Bowl Games, NASCAR-Style
Upon initial observation, you couldn’t find two sports more divergent than college football and NASCAR in terms of fundamentals of the sport...
Adam Alexander  |  Posted January 07, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Jamie McMurray shows emotion after winning the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic
It’s been all college football, all the time the past couple of weeks with powerhouse collegiate teams showcasing their skills and schools’ heritage in the annual BCS games.

The granddaddies of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games, the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, feature the best in college football, but this year’s editions have taken that a step further and produced some interesting twists and turns thus far. Among these unusual storylines, relatively overlooked and unknown teams have risen to prominence to command newfound respect, and other teams have made school history in bowl play.

Upon initial observation, you couldn’t find two sports more divergent than college football and NASCAR in terms of fundamentals of the sport. However, human interest stories and the spirit of competition are the common threads that link most any organized athletics, and this year’s BCS games and headline makers could mirror some of the potential breakthroughs and standouts of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Rose Bowl – Auburn, Oregon and Texas Christian University (TCU) finished their 2010 seasons undefeated, but TCU was the odd-man out, ranked No. 3 upon completion of the regular season. When TCU, a relative unknown to many people, was named to play in the Rose Bowl, many downplayed their chance at success on the big stage.

But TCU emerged as the Cinderella story of the NCAA football season, winning the Rose Bowl and demonstrating their capability to play with the big boys. Depending on how next week’s National Championship Game unfolds, the next debate regarding TCU could shift to whether they deserve a piece of the national championship instead of whether they even belong in a BCS game.

Jamie McMurray is NASCAR’s version of TCU. He was undervalued, overlooked and nearly unemployed after being released by Roush Fenway Racing at the conclusion of the 2009 season, but he parlayed his alliance with Chip Ganassi into wins in three of the sport’s biggest races in 2010. McMurray proved that with a good team, competitive equipment and the right chemistry, he not only could perform but could win on the sport’s biggest stage.

I give a runner-up Rose Bowl nod to Clint Bowyer, who was written off by many people because of his No. 33 team’s penalty following their Loudon win. But Bowyer won two Chase races and proved he is scrappy. Expect him to be a formidable force in 2011, one who could defy all his critics.

Orange Bowl – The Orange Bowl produced a breakout team in Stanford University, which finally solidified itself as a power outside of the academic world. Stanford has enjoyed success in sports but hadn’t established itself as a frontrunner in a “revenue” sport such as football. After their “coming-out party” in their definitive win over Virginia Tech, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh accepted the head coaching position with the San Francisco 49ers, and Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck bypassed the chance to turn pro early, effectively turning down what likely would have been the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. All it took was one stellar season and huge bowl win to make these guys hot commodities to the NFL.

In NASCAR, I think the next breakout year could be Kasey Kahne's. Kahne is a talented driver who has experienced significant success but hasn’t performed at the championship level. However, he is in a stage of his career where he will he will have the chance to truly be noticed and insert himself in the championship conversation – if not this year at Red Bull Racing, then certainly by the time he transitions to Hedrick Motorsports in 2012.

Sugar Bowl – Dating back to the ‘70s, Ohio State never had beaten a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team in a bowl game, including opportunities in national championship games. So, much debate existed about Ohio State’s playing style and capability of withstanding the speed and athleticism of Arkansas and the SEC heading into this year’s Sugar Bowl.

Ohio State finally exorcised those nagging demons, though, and played to its full potential against the most powerful conference in college football. The Sugar Bowl victory was a monumental win not only for the team but also for the future of its football program.

I see some of Ohio State in Kyle Busch. He has racked up numerous accolades, including NASCAR records, a Nationwide Series championship and a Camping World Truck Series championship in his first year as an owner, but he hasn’t been able to close the deal at the highest level with a Cup title. Like Ohio State, Busch possesses all the talent and tools, but his “demons” have thwarted him time and again. Busch, however, displayed heightened maturity and self-control throughout much of the 2010 season, exempting a couple of infamous incidents, and if he continues to maintain his composure, he is the one who ultimately can knock Jimmie Johnson off his perch.

BCS National Championship Game – Auburn and Oregon, the top two ranked teams in the country, both come from power conferences and were represented in the Heisman Trophy voting, with Auburn’s quarterback, Cam Newton, taking home the honors. Throughout the season, these two teams proved their dominance and their worthiness of the national championship by virtue of big wins against tough opponents.
PHOTOS: 2010 Season Review Jimmie Johnson poses with his five championship trophies. (Photo: NASCAR Media)

If there is a driver in NASCAR who not only is talented but who also makes the clutch play on race day, doesn’t falter and is able to close the deal when it really counts, it is Jimmie Johnson. He reminded us all again in 2010 of these capabilities when he came from behind to win the Cup championship. I think that heroic and impressive effort opened everyone’s eyes to the fact Johnson truly is the best out there and will remain so until someone else can go toe-to-toe with him the entire season.

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 for the network. He also worked for Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network prior to joining SPEED.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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