This year, nothing eclipses what Johnson achieved (cont'd)

Surprises (non-Montoya division)

1. Brian Vickers. The driver and his Red Bull team finally showed some substance to go with all that style, winning his first race in the organization's colors and snagging the final berth in the Chase. For too long, you wondered if Red Bull cared as much about winning races as it did about promoting its energy-drink-driven culture and lifestyle. With Jay Frye running the show and Vickers with a new contract, we now know for certain that the answer is yes.

2. David Reutimann. Now the standard-bearer for Michael Waltrip Racing, the driver playfully nicknamed "the Franchise" produced a fine first half of the year that included a breakthrough first victory in the rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600. He wasn't able to remain in Chase contention for the entire regular season, but Reutimann showed time and time again that he can run up front, that he can be a factor in the end, and that the Waltrip organization isn't one to be laughed at anymore.

3. Brad Keselowski's win. Everyone knew that James Finch's cars could be strong on restrictor-plate tracks. Nobody expected the No. 07 to be quite as strong as it was in the spring race at Talladega, which Keselowski won and eventually parlayed into a full-time Cup ride with Penske Racing. Yes, it was a harrowing finish, with Keselowski holding his line at the bottom and Edwards flying into the fence. But it also produced the most stunning race result of the season.

Disappointments (non-Junior division)

1. Richard Childress Racing. It seemed an unexpected collapse for one of NASCAR's top franchises, an organization that had placed three drivers in the Chase for two years in a row. But look a little harder, and you could see this coming -- even with those playoff berths, RCR cars struggled to lead laps and get in position to win. Expansion to four teams pushed everything over the edge. A management shuffle produced promising results toward the end of 2009 that hopefully will result in a better 2010.

2. Roush Fenway's big guns. Edwards was to many the favorite entering the 2009 season. Matt Kenseth won the first two races and looked like the driver to beat. And yet, the former went winless and the latter missed the Chase for the first time. It was that kind of year at Roush, which has a driver lineup to rival Hendrick's, but just couldn't put the pieces together. Greg Biffle went winless. David Ragan fell off the map. Jamie McMurray lost his ride. Not exactly the kind of performance the man in the hat is accustomed to.

3. FOX's NASCAR coverage. No television network does NASCAR better than FOX, which presents the kind of volume and bluster that's the closest thing to witnessing the sport live. With Darrell Waltrip in the booth, we've also become accustomed to a refreshing degree of outspokenness. So what did we get in 2009? Announcers that too often sounded like apologists, and an embarrassing emphasis on an animated rodent. Let's focus on the race, fellas. If you're in this to sell plush gophers, you're in the wrong business.

Awards

Driver of the Year: Jimmie Johnson. Who can argue with four consecutive championships? Oh, and he won the most races, won the title by a huge margin, and -- for those grumbling purists out there -- would have triumphed even under the old points system.
• Runner-up: Juan Montoya and Mark Martin (tie). Tremendous rebounds for both drivers, for entirely different reasons.
• Honorable mention: Tony Stewart. The burdens of team ownership didn't seem so burdensome after all. Other than a few grumpy moments, Smoke seemed happier than he's been in a long time. Four wins and leading the points for 13 consecutive weeks surely helped.

Crew chief of the Year: Brian Pattie. Montoya's amazing climb from also-ran to title contender was engineered by Pattie, who rather than force his driver to adapt to setups, tailored the setups to his driver. The results were evident.
• Runner-up: Pat Tryson. He oversaw a legitimate championship run despite lame-duck status and catching plenty of unnecessary grief from Kurt Busch on the radio. Tryson handled it all better than most in his position would have.
• Lifetime achievement: Chad Knaus. He's simply the best in the business, no question. He runs the most prepared, most efficient, and most successful team on the circuit.

Owner of the Year: Rick Hendrick. He hires the best people, turns out the best cars, and runs the tightest ship. His team's quality control -- so important in a sport where managing potential failure is paramount -- is unsurpassed, and nine Cup titles speak for themselves.
• Runner-up: Tony Stewart. Yes, he used Hendrick cars, engines, and technical support. But Stewart still had to bring in people like crew chiefs Darian Grubb and Tony Gibson, driver Newman, and competition director Bobby Hutchens. He still had to lure sponsors. None of that is easy.
• Honorable mention: Chip Ganassi. No question, he's caught lightning with Montoya, one of the greatest drivers of his era. But he's also found the pieces and personnel that the No. 42 team has needed to contend. Now, let's see if he can do the same with McMurray.

Race of the Year: Sylvania 300, Sept. 20, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In the first Chase event featuring double-file restarts, Martin holds off Montoya on a restart with three laps left to win. Montoya says Martin "screwed" him at the end. Stewart drops an axle cap, Kahne blows an engine, and everybody's mad at Kyle Busch after an eight-car accident on a restart. Great fun.
• Runner-up: Ford 400, Nov. 22, Homestead-Miami Speedway. Cars stacking up on pit road, Montoya and Stewart trading blows, and oh yeah, Johnson winning another title.
• Honorable mention: LifeLock 400, June 14, Michigan International Speedway. Johnson dominates, but he and Biffle both run out of fuel in the waning laps, setting the stage for another Martin victory.

Move of the Year: Jimmie Johnson moving Denny Hamlin out of the way with 15 laps left at Martinsville on March 28. It gave Johnson his first win of the season, and at the same time reminded everyone of who's boss.
• Runner-up: Greg Zipadelli telling Joey Logano to stay out as rain threatened June 28 at New Hampshire, a strategy which produced the rookie driver's first win.
• Honorable mention: Denny Hamlin punting Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide race at Homestead, and then blaming it on the sun being in his eyes.

Early 2010 championship pick

Jimmie Johnson. Get used to it. His 141-point victory in front of Martin in the standings was the largest final margin of his championship run. Too many other drivers are bogged down with Nationwide races or team ownership. Too many other organizations are scratching their heads, wondering what it will take to beat these guys. Until somebody does, there's no reason to pick anyone else.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.