NASCAR Drivers 2005: From Admirable to Zealous..Part Two An Opinion
December 14, 2005
By Rebecca Gladden
In continuation of part one of "NASCAR Drivers 2005: From Admirable to Zealous", we'll take another look at driver personality traits. For each letter of the alphabet, I have chosen a trait and paired it with the Nextel Cup driver who best personified it this season. The list not only provides a look back at some of the year's compelling and colorful characters, but also recalls some of its memorable moments.
Masterful - Revealing mastery or skill; expert.
Greg Biffle: Although Greg Biffle fell just short of the championship, he did bring home six wins this season - more than any other driver, including Champ Tony Stewart who had five. Biffle is widely respected as a hard-charger whose driving style has been compared to Dale Earnhardt's. One person making the comparison is Biffle's crew chief Doug Richert, and he ought to know - he was Earnhardt's crew chief in 1980 when the Intimidator won his first Cup title. "They're both fearless," said Richert, "meaning they're very comfortable in the race car, comfortable with themselves, and comfortable with whatever situation you put (them) into on a race track. "
Noteworthy - Deserving notice or attention; notable.
Jeremy Mayfield: Mayfield finished 9th in the Chase this year and 10th last year. But the fact that he made the Chase two years in a row is worth noting, especially since three of last year's Chase contenders - Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Elliott Sadler - were unable to repeat. While his only win this year came in August at Michigan, he also suffered only one DNF at Darlington in May, and it was consistency that vaulted Jeremy into the Chase again this year. With significant changes taking place at Evernham Motorsports between now and Daytona, Mayfield is a driver to keep an eye on for 2006.
Original - Not derived from something else; fresh and unusual.
Tony Stewart: If Tony Stewart had to choose a theme song, nothing would suit him better than Sinatra's "I Did it My Way." Stewart owns a monkey named Mojo and a tiger that he keeps in a zoo. He drives a Cadillac hearse around his Indiana home town, but also owns a Lamborghini. He celebrates victories by climbing racetrack fences, then utters a series of self-deprecating fat jokes. He reinvented his public persona at the end of the '04 season, posted five victories this year and muscled his way to his second Cup title in '05.
Popular - Regarded with great favor, approval, or affection.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Panic set in among race pundits this year when it became apparent that Dale Junior would not make the Chase. But it appears that Junior's unprecedented popularity trumps his performance on the track. He did have one victory in 2005 and 13 top-10 finishes, offset by 6 DNF's and an average finish of just 20.5. Still, Dale was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for the third year in a row, after a record 4.1-plus million votes were cast. Said Earnhardt, "This one probably means more to me than the others because of the kind of year we had. It's one thing to have fan support when you're riding high and winning races. It's another thing to have it during the rough times."
Quiet - Making little or no noise; not showing or garish.
Kasey Kahne: It's hard to believe that this was just Kahne's second Cup season. Last year's Rookie of the Year, Kahne received the third-highest total in the fan-voted Most Popular Driver award; only Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon received more votes. But Kahne's season was all-too-quiet on the track. Despite scoring his first Cup win at Richmond in May, Kahne suffered nine DNF's and finished 23rd in points, ten spots lower than last season's 13th-place finish. The same restructuring at Evernham Motorsports which may help Jeremy Mayfield next year is also expected to benefit Kahne.
Robust - Full of health and strength; vigorous.
Ricky Rudd: Ricky Rudd has never been a flashy driver and he enters semi-retirement in similar understated fashion. Rudd made his Cup debut in 1975 and has raced full-time in the series since 1981. Although never winning a title, Rudd has earned well-deserved acclaim for another benchmark: he competed in 788 straight races without missing a single start for illness or injury.
Surprising - To encounter suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares.
Denny Hamlin: Denny Hamlin broke into NASCAR racing in 2004, competing in one Busch race and five Craftsman truck races. A full-time Busch driver this year, he finished 5th in Busch series points and was chosen by Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot the #11 car for the final seven Cup races of the year. Denny posted three top-10's in those seven races, including a pole at Phoenix, earning him a spot in the 2006 Bud Shootout. Hamlin will be driving the #11 car full-time next season.
Tenacious - Stubbornly unyielding; dogged persistence
Matt Kenseth: In the season's first 14 races, Kenseth had three DNF's, five finishes of 30th or worse, and just two top-10's. By the June Pocono race he was a distant 24th in the standings, 700 points out of first and seemingly far-removed from any hope of making the Chase. But in the mid-portion of the season, he rallied to post nine top-10's, including a win at Bristol in late August, and climbed to 8th in the points. After a dismal start, many were surprised that Matt was able to make the Chase cut - leading one writer to nickname Kenseth this year's "Comeback Kid."
Unlucky - Subjected to or marked by misfortune.
Bobby Labonte: If a meteorite had fallen out of the sky during a 2005 Nextel Cup race, it probably would have landed squarely on the 18 car. Labonte's frustrating season was foreshadowed early on, when engine failure ended his Daytona 500 run after just 14 laps. Labonte suffered nine more DNF's and finished 24th in points, his worst finish ever as a full-time Cup driver. The 2000 Cup champ is hoping that misfortune will not follow him to his new ride with Petty Enterprises in 2006.
Vexed - Irritated, distressed or annoyed.
Kevin Harvick: It's easy to empathize with Kevin Harvick's frustration this season. He finished 14th in points for the second year in a row, failing to make the Chase or to capitalize on a possible 11th-place finish with its $1 million payout. Despite a win at Bristol in April and 10 top-10's overall, rumors swirled throughout the summer that Harvick was unhappy at Richard Childress Racing and might leave at the end of the season. "I'm checking things out and really just trying to see how it all goes," Harvick said in August. "We'll race to the end of the year and see what happens … I just want to see some improvement in the whole organization." Harvick, whose contract with RCR runs through 2006, eventually announced his commitment to stay for another year.
Winless - Not achieving victory or finishing first.
Casey Mears: Casey's lack of victories is puzzling because he is one driver who seems to possess more than enough natural talent to be successful at the Cup level. Yet in three full seasons of Cup racing, Mears has no wins, just four top-5's, and has never finished higher than 22nd in points. His best finishes this year were a pair of 4th-place runs at Texas. Mears will be back with Ganassi racing again in '06, but he will be moving to the 42 car and will have a new set of teammates, as Jamie McMurray and Sterling Marlin have both left Ganassi.
X-rayed - Photographed with x-rays.
Scott Riggs: Okay, it's not a personality trait per se, but Scott Riggs certainly warranted a couple of x-rays after the season's most frightening crash in the fall Talladega race. Said Riggs of the dramatic wreck, "I felt the Checkers/Valvoline Chevy hit the wall and then felt it go in the air and get back on its top. I was sort of watching the pavement, then the sky, and seeing sparks and things like that and I knew it wasn't over yet. I wanted to hold on until it stopped, so I braced myself pretty hard. Then, I felt someone hit me again, and took a bunch of hard barrel rolls. I could feel the blood rush to my head so I knew I was rolling pretty fast." Riggs was treated and released at the infield care center and fortunately suffered no serious injuries.
Youthful - Characterized by youth; young.
Kyle Busch: Busch made headlines this year as the youngest driver ever to win a Cup race, taking the checkers in California on September 4th at the age of 20 andbeating the old youngest-driver record by just four days. In his first full Cup season, Kyle posted two wins, 13 top-10's, and took home Rookie of the Year honors. Despite his age, Busch is generally regarded as a mature driver behind the wheel.
Zealous - Enthusiastic devotion to a cause and tireless diligence in its furtherance.
Rusty Wallace: Rusty spoke at the Myers Brothers Awards Banquet in New York on December 2, where he received the National Motorsports Press Association's 2005 Myers Brothers Award. He wanted to deliver a message to the current crop of Cup drivers, and he made sure they heard him loud and clear: "I'm real proud of where this sport has come, and I don't want anybody scr**ing it up," he warned. "We worked hard to build a fan base and make this a popular sport, and I just want all those drivers ... to make sure they know this is a privilege driving these cars." Wallace is widely respected for his unyielding dedication to the sport, and he retired with career stats of 55 wins, 202 top-5's, 309 top-10's, 36 poles, and a Cup title in 1989.
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. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.
You Can Read Other Articles By Rebecca
