Season That Was: 2007

It took 36 points races and one Champions Week, all of which seemed interminable and even unbearable at times but overall provided enough quality entertainment to satisfy most customers -- even when the results seemed occasionally to be foregone conclusions.

But here we are. Let the all-too-brief NASCAR offseason commence.

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Prior to looking ahead too far into 2008 and beyond, however, a look back at the season that was in 2007 is required. Jimmie Johnson's run to a second consecutive Nextel Cup championship was the dominant story, but far from the only one in a year filled with thrills, spills and at times seemingly way too many frills (we will get back to Champions Week in a bit).

It was the year that brought us the Car of Tomorrow, the Dale Earnhardt Jr. separation from the company his father built (and the subsequent Junior Sweepstakes), a terrific second-place run by Jeff Gordon that included his passing Junior's legendary father on the all-time win list, and much, much more.

Here, then, is one man's view of the best and worst, and some lighter moments, that made up the 2007 Season That Was:

BEST RACE: Daytona 500. The first event of the season was the best, which isn't to say that there weren't other fine ones to follow. This was how stock-car racing's Super Bowl was meant to be, with Kevin Harvick beating Mark Martin to the checkered as all hell broke loose behind them (watch video). The most enduring image was of Clint Bowyer sliding across the start/finish line upside down, flames spurting from his No. 07 Chevrolet, and then walking away from it uninjured and saying simply, "That was pretty cool."

WORST RACE: Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 25. In what may have been a first for this storied track, the "B" in Bristol stood for Boring when the COT ran there after dark at the end of the summer. Many argued that there was plenty of decent racing from the middle of the pack on back, but the fact is that most fans were watching what was happening up front -- which wasn't much. Plus the bumping and banging that made Bristol famous was noticeably absent, disappointing the vast majority in attendance and watching on television (after receiving hundreds of e-mails taking both sides for weeks afterward, it became very clear that the majority agreed it was a boring affair -- even though those taking the opposite side were equally as passionate about their point of view). Expectations for excitement were, as always, extremely high, making the obvious lack of it a greater disappointment.

TWO OTHERS THAT MADE YOU SMILE: The Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 24 produced the first Nextel Cup victory for Juan Montoya, a rookie in NASCAR but a former IndyCar champion and Formula One star (watch video); and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte in May, when understated Hendrick Motorsports driver Casey Mears captured his first Cup victory (watch video). In the cases of both drivers on these occasions, prudent observers left with the idea that many more victories will be scored by them in the immediate future.

TWO OTHERS THAT MADE YOU FROWN: The Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 5 was a yawnfest, dominated by eventual winner Kurt Busch; and the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in April was as devoid of action at the front as was the Bristol night race, only slightly less noticeable because expectations weren't nearly as high.

YOUR CHEATIN' HEART, PART I: Michael Waltrip's team got caught trying to pick up extra speed by adding a fuel additive at the Daytona 500, setting an ominous tone for his No. 55 Toyota and the entire Michael Waltrip Racing family, which struggled mightily most of the season.

YOUR CHEATIN' HEART, PART II: Crew chief Chad Knaus was suspended -- again -- for apparently trying to gain a competitive edge (along with Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte of Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet team) prior to the race at Infineon. Hey, Knaus haters can say what they want, but Junior Johnson would be proud.

YOUR CHEATIN' HEART, PARTS III-X: Let's get this straight: a racecar driver cussin' in Victory Lane, or anywhere else around a track, shouldn't be big news. It shouldn't result in a huge fine, either, unless the swear words are strung together in creative fashion and blasted out in genuine anger like, well, baseball managers are apt to do in their post-game interviews almost any day of the week during the summer. And as for all the guys caught for being too low or too high in post-race inspections, NASCAR simply needs to make sure the rules make sense and are enforced consistently; in other words, if no competitive advantage is gained, no penalty should be assessed. (Continued)