2009 Nascar Wrap-Up

2009 was definitely the year of the No. 48 race car and Jimmy Johnson’s run to his fourth straight Sprint Cup Series Championship, but 2009 had a few other notable points and events that will be remembered. The whole year was over shadowed by Jimmie Johnson and his run through the 10-race Chase to win it all again.

2009 was an eventful year on the NASCAR track

Also notable in 2009 was the financial problems of NASCAR and the state of the financial institutions around the world, which definitely made the ground the racers’ were racing on a little more hazardous and put the future of some teams and races in jeopardy. Chevrolet and Chrysler were on shaky financial ground the whole year and had to make cut backs in the spending of teams in order to make it through the season. We saw teams merge and a few had to put the wraps on their racing and hundreds of NASCAR industry professionals lost their jobs. Still others went with a start and park routine to try to reduce costs and keep the teams working. The drug problems of a few racers surfaced during the year and took the focus away from the racing, and Danica Patrick’s continuous talks with team owners kept interrupting the racing.

Add to these problems reduced attendance at many of the race venues, which certainly can be partly blamed on the financial crisis for many Americans, and 2009 wasn’t the best year in NASCAR history. Media professionals also saw a decrease in advertising budgets and revenue, which resulted in cut backs and downsizing in order to compensate for the reduced funding. 2010 is expected to be a better year for NASCAR, but things can change so quickly that making assumptions can cause real problems.

Jarrod Breeze’s problems with NASCAR dominated the events in the last few days of the season and this still has yet to be resolved. Jarrod’s problems could just be starting and the facts surrounding this whole affair could bring an end to his career. He may win the fight, but his chances of getting behind the wheel of another race car in a NASCAR race, is probably zero.

The events and facts of the 2009 season were often more about the events surrounding the races and racers, than the actual races. Hopefully, in 2010 we’ll get back to concentrating on the racing, as long as the financial situation settles a little and the financial ground becomes a little more secure for the teams and racers.

“Image: Zuma Press”