Remember '08 season for the (good, bad) moments (cont'd)

Least improved
Um, can we just lump the rest of the open-wheel newcomers in here? Dario Franchitti was supposed to contend for rookie of the year honors, but team owner Chip Ganassi folded his No. 40 Dodge team before the season was halfway over. Sam Hornish Jr. technically did contend for top rookie kudos, but only because the rest of the field was so weak. When push came to shove in the final week, Hornish handed that trophy to Regan Smith because he couldn't even make the race at Homestead. Needing a clutch qualifying run to get in on speed because he was outside the top 35 in owner points, Hornish hit the wall and was sent home instead.

Runner-up: Speaking of the soon-to-be-altered Ganassi Racing operation, didn't we all expect Juan Montoya to make more positive noise in his No. 42 Dodge in 2008? Soon we should be able to tell if it was more a combination of inferior equipment, poor luck and the fact that some guys in the garage area just won't cut him a break -- or if he's overrated.

Year of the deal
The season that was 2008 could not be wrapped up without at least one or two paragraphs commenting on the rapidly changing landscape of the sport. It even touched venerable Petty Enterprises, which took on an outside investment company as a partner in what was hailed as an innovative move in May -- and one that looked like it was hardly enough by August. Ganassi teams up next season with what's left of Dale Earnhardt Inc., which sadly will cease to exist as its legendary, late founder had envisioned (he has his surviving wife to blame mostly for that). Stewart ended his tenure as driver only after a decade at Joe Gibbs Racing, and now is embarking on a new era as owner-driver for Stewart-Haas Racing. If you thought he could be surly as a driver, wait 'til you see what he can do as a Cup owner. (Of course, he'll still put on the charm when he figures he has to).

What's next? It's too soon to tell. But you can count on 2009 being chock full of its own surprises and disappointments, cool moments and ridiculous ones. All of which is what makes this sport go 'round -- and 'round and 'round and 'round, for nine months at a time.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.