Putting a capper on the 2008 NASCAR season

Nov 19, 2008 - 4:56 PM By Scott Serrano PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

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The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is in the books, so let's take a look at the best and worst of what the year had to offer.

Best Driver: It comes down to two candidates - Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

Johnson won his third straight Sprint Cup title, dominating the "Chase for the Championship."

Busch ruled the regular season, winning eight of the first 26 races and opening a pre-Chase lead of over 200 points before the standings reset for the playoffs. Oh, and he also set a Nationwide Series record with 10 wins in a season and added three wins in the Craftsman Truck Series. That's 21 total wins. But a horrible Chase hurts his candidacy.

In the end the award has to go to Johnson, who became the first driver to three-peat since Cale Yarborough accomplished the feat from 1976-78.

Best Team: Joe Gibbs Racing was surprisingly strong in its first year with Toyota. Roush Fenway Racing had three drivers qualify for the Chase.

Yet the award goes to Hendrick Motorsports, which also had three drivers in the Chase and gets the final edge thanks in large part to Johnson.

Best Crew Chief: No-brainer here. Call Chad Knaus a rogue or even a cheater. But he's also the only crew chief in history to win three straight championships. Plus he's considered the hardest-working man in NASCAR.

Best Race: Richmond in May. Denny Hamlin led all but one of the first 382 of 400 laps and appeared to be the runaway winner. But he cut down a tire with less than 20 laps to go. Racing for the lead, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tangled with two laps remaining and Clint Bowyer squeaked by to snatch the victory.

Best Victory Celebration: The Kyle Busch bow is cool, but you have to give it to the Carl Edwards back-flip due to degree of difficulty.

Best Late-Season Charge: I'm not counting Johnson and Edwards here. Jamie McMurray turned his season around and gave himself some momentum for 2009 after posting three straight third-place finishes to close the season.

Worst Driver: Michael Waltrip. Look at the numbers. Plus, Clint Bowyer even said so.

Biggest Shutout: Jeff Gordon going winless for the first time since 1993 - his rookie season.

Biggest Crash and Burn: Kyle Busch. After a remarkable regular season, his championship hopes evaporated after a broken sway bar at New Hampshire dropped him to a 34th-place finish, then blew an engine at Dover the following week and finished 43rd to fall to last place in the Chase.

Worst Move in the Chase: Edwards wrecking himself, as well as teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, at Talladega.

Riskiest Move: Tony Stewart leaving Joe Gibbs racing after two years to form his own team, Stewart Haas Racing.

Worst Call: By Earnhardt's crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., at Watkins Glen. Earnhardt was leading the race, but Eury had the No. 88 Chevy stay on the track while all the other lead-lap cars pitted under green.

A caution came out, and Earnhardt was cooked. He was forced to pit under yellow while the other cars stayed on the track, dropping him way back in the field. Earnhardt finished 22nd on a day when he should have posted at least a top-five.

Worst Call by NASCAR: Officials taking the win away from Regan Smith and giving it to Tony Stewart in the disputed down-below-the-yellow-line controversy at the second Talladega race.

Best Call: Knaus at the Atlanta Chase race. During the final caution he had Johnson pit for four new tires, dropping him from seventh to 11th for the restart with just eight laps to go. But the strategy paid off as Johnson charged from 11th to second in the remaining laps, all but locking up the title with three races left.

Worst Retirement: Mark Martin announcing he would return to full-time racing next season to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick.

Worst Manufacturer: Dodge. No drivers in the Chase. Four total wins. Enough said.

Best Rookie: Regan Smith by default. I mean, who else could you pick? Sam Hornish Jr.? The former open wheel star didn't post a single top-10 and failed to qualify for two races, including the season finale.

Biggest Offseason Question: How will the economy and testing ban affect teams in 2009?

EARNHARDT JR. VS. KYLE BUSCH: Earnhardt Jr. basically replaced Kyle Busch at Hendrick Motorsports. Busch thoroughly dominated the head-to-head matchup through the first 26 races, winning eight times to Earnhardt's one.

Both stunk in the Chase, but Busch gets the edge there, too, finishing 10th in the final standings while Dale Jr. finished dead last among title contenders.

Final edge: Busch by seven car lengths, based on his win differential. Plus he earned the 10th and final spot for NASCAR's awards ceremony in New York.

SAY WHAT? "We will definitely get them next year," - Carl Edwards after finishing second to Jimmie Johnson.

GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED FINISH: Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi will combine their slumping race teams next season in an effort to stabilize the organizations in a tough economic time. The combined team will be called Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Dale Earnhardt Sr. must be turning in his grave. ... Under the old points system, Edwards would have beaten Johnson by 16 points for the Sprint Cup championship. ... Offseason anyone? The 2009 Daytona 500 goes green in 88 days.

Feedback? E-mail scott.serrano@pa-sportsticker.com.