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.

• Send Joe your thoughts
• Joe's Community page

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.

BEST POST-RACE QUOTE: After winning his first race of the season at Chicagoland on July 15, Tony Stewart said he fully intended to get to the bottom of a cardboard box full of Schlitz beer that night and then added to a roomful of snickering media: "You guys laugh at me like nobody drinks Schlitz anymore. The good thing is they stock it close to home and it's only about eight bucks a case, cold. And if you've got a couple of roommates and you've got seven in the fridge when you leave, you've got seven in the fridge when you come back. You're not supporting everybody else's drinking habits." (complete audio)

BEST POST-RACE MOVE: Take your pick. But it has to be Stewart again -- either attempting to climb the fence in front of the grandstand after one of his three victories or kissing the bricks after winning the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis on July 29. Seriously, how many post-race burnouts look exactly the same? At least Stewart does something different (and more physically challenging for himself than the backflips presented by Carl "3 Percent Body Fat" Edwards following his victories.)

WORST POST-RACE MOVE: Speaking of Edwards, what was he thinking when he interrupted Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth during a live television interview and "made him flinch" by faking a punch? (watch video)

BEST LUCK: Jimmie Johnson. Who else? Johnson and his No. 48 Chevrolet team arguably made their own luck during a magical season, but there were at least a couple of races -- during the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, no less -- when he and Knaus were at least as fortunate as they were good.

Dale Jr. to No. 88

• Earnhardt's new look unveiled
• Junior adds to history of 88
• Hendrick excited about future
• Questions breed questions
• Message Board: Sound off!
• Community Crew: Join now!

WORST LUCK: Dale Earnhardt Jr. How many times did he lose an engine or get in a wreck that wasn't necessarily his fault when he had been running hard near the front? At least seven or eight by conservative count.

MOST SURPRISING MOMENT: The day it finally became apparent that Junior was not going to be able to work through his personal and professional differences with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, which meant he actually was going to sever ties with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his father that he seemed destined to one day lead. Folks can say what they want now about seeing it coming, but most thought up until at least nearly the very end that something would be worked out somehow for him to stay with DEI.

LEAST SURPRISING MOMENT: The day Junior announced he would be driving for Hendrick Motorsports next season, followed closely by the day it was announced that he would be driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports next season. Two of the worst-kept secrets in the sport.

BEST LINE OF BS: This has to go to Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., for his bold proclamation that he was planning to move Lowe's Motor Speedway because of differences with city leaders from Concord, N.C., where the track actually resides just outside of Charlotte. What Bruton forgot to add was that he was only going to move if the Concord city leaders didn't give him exactly what he wanted -- and then some -- as he moved forward with building a $60 million drag strip adjacent to LMS. It took them only a couple of weeks to cave in and team with state officials to offer $80 million in incentives for Smith to stay (Complete story). Not only that, but they even agreed to rename Speedway Boulevard, which runs from Interstate-85 to the entrance of the track, Bruton Smith Boulevard. It will be called BS Blvd. for short.

REAL CREW CHIEF OF THE YEAR: Didn't think we would have to say this, but after learning that NASCAR gave the official Crew Chief of the Year award to Mike Ford of driver Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Chevrolet team during Champions Week, someone must go on record as pointing out how absolutely asinine it is to give such an award to anyone but Knaus during a season when his driver won a series-high 10 races, four more than anyone else, and captured the championship.

MOST UNDER-RATED MOMENT: The grace and class with which Gordon handled passing the late Earnhardt to move into sixth place on the all-time wins list at Talladega in April was phenomenal, but somewhat quickly forgotten as the season zoomed on ahead (watch video). While some misguided fans pelted his No. 24 Chevrolet with full beer cans following his 77th career win, Gordon took the high road and never said a bad word about anybody, least of all the legendary and revered Earnhardt.

MOST OVER-RATED MOMENT(S): Champions Week in New York. Is it just me? Or do you feel like you're being force-fed a steady diet of the same stuff you already knew when you left Homestead after the final race of the season? And if they have to do it in New York City, why does it have to stretch out over five days? Wouldn't two in any city be plenty enough? (Complete coverage)

BOLDEST PREDICTION FOR 2008: Former champion and current television analyst Darrell Waltrip said that Earnhardt Jr., who went winless in 2007 for the first time since he first began running a full-time schedule in 2000, will capture the next Daytona 500 and win a total of "at least six races" in 2008.

It will be fun finding out if he can do it. But first, let us all take a little bit of a well-deserved breather before heading down that path.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.