November 22, 2012
By Jim Fitzgerald
Jim Fitzgerald
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Up In The Marbles…After The Ford EcoBoost 400
2012: It Was A Very Interesting Year
Every year, as the checkered flag falls on another NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, I am always forced to reflect upon the year that was. In some ways, the racing season seems so long, while during other times it feels like the first race of the year was only weeks ago.
They say you should not dwell on the past, and always look to the future. As you read this, Brad Keselowski may finally be sobering up from his Championship victory celebration, calling it a year, and already beginning the preparations for next season. I, however, am still high on the season that was, will remember it fondly, and always look back upon it in a very bittersweet manner.
We saw a lot of change this year, and some of it we knew about ahead of time. About two and a half years ago, we heard Kasey Kahne was going to be driving for Rick Hendrick. This year, that finally happened. Kahne made the most of his new surroundings and won two races, made the Chase for the Championship, and ultimately finished fourth in the final point standings.
As long as the 'heads up' for Kahne’s transition to Hendrick was, Kurt Busch’s departure from Penske Racing and subsequent move to Phoenix Racing was incredibly short. Busch had a handshake deal with owner James Finch, and as the season moved on, the hands shook less and less frequently. Busch exited the ride in favor of the Furniture Row seat six races before the end of the season. As boisterous as Busch’s troubled career has become known for, he very quietly finished in the top ten in each of the last three races on the schedule.
We found ourselves in the know about changes going forward, such as Joey Logano leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to step in as Brad Keselowski’s team mate at Penske, and the very shocking move Matt Kenseth will make to fill the Gibbs seat as he and Roush Fenway Racing will part company after fourteen years together. Then there was the Kahne-esque move for Kevin Harvick, as all signs point to him leaving Richard Childress’ operation to move to a new team for Stewart Haas Racing in 2014.
We saw a fairly odd Daytona 500. Rain forced the event to be moved to a Monday, and Monday prime time at that. While Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag at after 1:00am, technically the following Tuesday, perhaps the most prominent memory from that race will be the image of Juan Pablo Montoya’s car darting right during a caution flag and plowing into a safety truck. The impact ignited a fireball that burned both vehicles, as well as the track. All parties involved were unhurt.
We saw Kyle Busch get through Texas without any issues for the first time in three years. In 2010, there was the famous one finger salute to the official on pit road. 2011 saw an incident between Ron Hornaday and Busch as a caution was displayed on the track. The two had made contact on the racing surface which brought out the yellow, and Busch proceeded to dump Hornaday into the wall, an action which would cost him his steering wheel for the remainder of that weekend.
What about the emergence of Michael Waltrip Racing as legitimate race and Championship contenders? Clint Bowyer grabbed three checkered flags this season and was in the running for a few others. Martin Truex had Atlanta won until a late caution came out to foil his bid. Michael Waltrip was leading the last lap at Talladega until a multiple vehicle incident wiped out most of the field, save for race winner Matt Kenseth.
Bowyer went on to finish in second place in the Championship standings, by the way.
Complete and utter chaos could be used to describe what happened at Phoenix in the next to last race of the season. Jeff Gordon, who went on to win the final race of the season had enough of the antics of Clint Bowyer. He dumped Bowyer into the wall and collected Joey Logano and Ryan Newman as well, setting off a melee in the garage area between multiple team members. Gordon received a heavy fine and a loss of points for his actions.
We found out that Penske Racing would leave the Dodge camp at the end of 2012 and move over to Fords. The media wondered if this would be a distraction, making Keselowski a lame duck for the remainder of the season, the team distracted by the switch. The media was correct. The No. 2 Penske Racing team only won five races during the season. I think they may have gotten an extra special trophy at the end of the year as well. Unfortunately Dodge, who could not find a team suitable for their needs, has chosen to leave the sport for now.
Finally, we got to see the new cars. All of the manufacturers, even Dodge, put their new downsized and revamped cars out on the track for us all to see. We know there will be changes, not to just the bodies of the cars, but to the appearance as well, as driver’s names will be placed on the windshield, while sponsors and numbers will be adjusted and resized.
So, even as I write this and I am looking back on the 2012 season, I cannot help to look ahead and wonder what these new team combinations driving new cars will bring. One thing is for certain, as long as I am able, I will most assuredly be sitting at the track, in front of my television, or in the media center, with my eyes glued to the action, because you have to get it while you can. Have I banked enough entertainment and excitement to last me until February?
Probably not.
And I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, but I can’t help it. On a personal note…
Thank you, Ron, for everything.
Remember to follow me on Twitter: @forewasabi. I always have nothing important to say and sometimes I give stuff away.
"The horizon is out there somewhere, and you just keep chasing it, looking for it, and working for it."
You can contact Jim at.. Insider Racing News
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
