Mark Martin won five races, finished second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points and said 2009 was his best year ever. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
It’s Thanksgiving and time to think about why we should be thankful having a sport like motor racing to enjoy.
Let’s reflect a bit on the past, the present and the future as 2009 nears its final laps.
We saw some veteran racers find renewed life this season:
* Fifty-year-old Mark Martin joined Hendrick Motorsports after two years of part-time competition. He jumped into the No. 5 Chevrolet, won five races and gave Jimmie Johnson all he could want in the championship NASCAR Sprint Cup championship battle, perhaps proving that 50 is indeed the new 40 – or 30 – or 20. Not even finishing second in the points for the fifth time could discourage Martin, who said 2009 was his “best year ever’’ and that he can hardly wait for Daytona to roll around in 2010.
* Dario Franchitti came back to IndyCars after a frustrating NASCAR experiment and picked up right where he left off in winning the 2007 series championship, beating Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon and Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe on fuel strategy in the finale and taking another title.
* Ross Brawn became a team owner when Honda dropped out of Formula One and promptly directed the team to both the driver (Jenson Button) championship and the manufacturers’ title, leaving old standby F1 squads Ferrari and McLaren in the dust.
Youngsters also put their talent on display in significant ways.
* Joey Logano, nicknamed Sliced Bread – for being the greatest thing since – was discovered by Mark Martin when he was 14. Martin let everyone know the kid was the real deal and helped him launch a professional career that finally brought him to the Cup series in 2009. At 19, he replaced two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – a risky move. The youngster did struggle at times, but he won a race at New Hampshire, had 13 top-10 finishes, finished 20th in the points and was named the year’s top rookie. The teen is the youngest ever to take that honor.
* Lest we forget, Kyle Busch, the guy fans love to hate, is only 24 years old. Seems like he’s been around a long time already, but he did get started in NASCAR (trucks) at 16. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had a feast-or-famine season, winning the Nationwide Series champonship – his first in NASCAR and a total of 20 races – four in Cup, nine in Nationwide and seven in trucks. But he failed to make the Chase and finished 13th in the Cup points, a bitter disappointment for Busch and entire No. 18 Toyota team. And he pulled just enough “Busch’’ stunts – like trying to smash the special guitar trophy after winning at Nashville – to keep the fans booing and the veteran racers shaking their heads. Still, 62 overall wins at such a tender age is downright mind-boggling – and impressive.
