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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: Highs And Lows
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season featured a full array of the good, the bad and the ugly...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted December 31, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Jimmie Johnson’s fourth consecutive championship … Mark Martin’s sentimental charge at the title … Tony Stewart scoring four wins in his inaugural season as a team owner/driver … Richard Childress Racing, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. shut out of The Chase...

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season featured a full array of the good, the bad and the ugly in the sport. There were a slew of positive, negative and sometimes unbelievable happenings, and those teams on the high and low end of the spectrum sometimes surprised us.

The Lows:

It’s still a bit unfathomable that Roush Fenway Racing went from winning more races than any other organization in 2008 to visiting Victory Lane only three times in 2009. Carl Edwards, who won nine races last year, was one of my preseason picks to legitimately contend for the championship in 2009 but he was relegated to a mere afterthought once the season got in full swing. What a difference a year makes. The Roush camp struggled for the season’s duration and I’m sure they’re making full use of the winter months to get things back on track.

With Jeff Burton’s sixth-place points finish in 2008 after sitting atop the leader board for a while, Richard Childress Racing held great potential when we rolled into Daytona last February. But the wheels fell off in 2009 and the company struggled most of the season, notched a big goose egg in the win column and failed to put anyone in The Chase. Fortunately, they stumbled on something toward the end of the year and hopefully can build on that knowledge and right the ship in 2010.

Finally, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s winless streak stood in stark contrast to his teammates finishing 1-2-3 in the final points tally. The recent demise of Dale Jr.’s performance is detrimental to the sport. It’s a mystery as to what has plagued Dale Jr. the past couple of years but I hope the New Year finds them finally figuring it out.

The Highs:

The Joe Gibbs Racing teams were a pleasant surprise to me. I didn’t expect much out of Joey Logano in his rookie year but he matured quite well and learned a lot. Kyle Busch had a hot-and-cold season that ultimately was a failure by his standards because they didn’t contend for the championship. However, after struggling early in the season, Denny Hamlin finally has figured out what it takes to be successful and I really think he’ll be up front contending with Jimmie Johnson next year. Late in the season, Hamlin commented that his team was much better than the 10th or 12th their points position reflected. Although he made several mistakes throughout the year, I could hear in Hamlin’s voice that he recognized his missteps and stood ready to correct them. He retains his crew chief next season and that coupled with the change in his attitude should make that group a formidable one.

What a tremendous accomplishment for Jimmie Johnson not only to capture an unprecedented fourth consecutive championship but to be named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, an accolade a NASCAR driver never before had received. I think the mainstream media finally have recognized NASCAR drivers are athletes like other major league stars, and that speaks volumes not only for Johnson but NASCAR as a whole.

Speaking of Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports dominated the racing landscape like no other team in recent memory. Expect their stranglehold on the competition to continue next year and don’t be surprised if Johnson claims a fifth straight title.

My hat’s off to NASCAR for implementing the double-file restarts that began with the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte. That was the most exciting race I’ve ever witnessed and the new rule has changed the complexion of the events with the leaders battling each other on every restart.

Finally, the sanctioning body stayed true to their word over the 2009 season and allowed drivers more leeway in showing their emotions without fear of repercussion. NASCAR stepped in when they needed to where safety was concerned but let things run their course more than in the past few years. I hope this continues and I personally would like to see a little more of the rough-and-tumble sides of these guys come out. In my opinion, that alone could contribute to an excellent 2010 NASCAR season.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
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