2007 Year in Review

     Unless you were a Hendrick fan, your season was guaranteed to have it’s fair share of both highs and lows. Some of you may have only experienced the lows. Either way, the 2007 Nascar season which was dubbed “The Silly Season” was a season to remember. I have listed the 3 most memorable moments for myself in 2007. Some of these may not have made your list but in the years ahead, they will be what I remember the most.

1. The Passing Away of Nascar Legend, Benny Parsons:This is one that I don’t really consider a high light at all, but I do consider it significant. Anytime one of the pioneers of a sport or an icon passes away, I feel like the sport has lost a significant member of it’s society. Benny Parsons (BP) died at the age of 65 after a battle with Lung Cancer. He is best know as the winner of the 1973 Winston Cup Championship and the 1975 Daytona 500 winner. For some of the younger fans, they new BP because of his most recent accomplishments as a Television Broadcaster for Nascar.

2. Jimmy Johnson Wins his 1st Nextel Cup Championship: There are 2 things that make this awesome for Jimmy Johnson (JJ) fans. First, even though the points don’t always reflect the amount of races he won, I still believe he won it in dominating fashion. 10 wins. Come on! With 36 races in a season that is just 2 away from winning 3 percent of the races in a year. That is almost unheard of since the Richard Petty days. Of the 36 races, 24 resulted in top 10 finishes. Secondly, He beat out his teammate/car owner to win it. Some of you JJ fans may be fronting a team players and supporting for Gordon as well, but stop faking the funk. You really want to see JJ punish Gordon in a way that leaves little question about who is really #1 at Hendrick Racing.

3. Toyota & Car of Tomorrow Debut:While I can’t really say that either of the two had great success in ‘07, I can say I suspect we are going to see a much different ‘08. American sports fans saw a foreign car manufacturer introduced into their Nascar. When first announced, you had to dodge the criticism of the proud. While their success was limited, they have wedged themselves in with a secure footing. Also introduced in ‘07 was the Car of Tomorrow. Much different than past versions of the stock car, it showed signs of both success and ill reward. It was blamed for much of the cut tire incidents, but also allowed both Nascar and the teams to get some real-time testing to have any kinks worked out for 2008. I still think the COT was created to help level the playing field for Toyota.