NASCAR Scene's Top-10 stories of 2007

Two themes dominated headlines during the 2007 NASCAR season: change and controversy. The headlines featured big changes that either took place in 2007 or were announced for 2008. Most had, or will have, a profound impact on the sport, from the arrival of Toyota to the debut of NASCAR's car of tomorrow.

There was also plenty of controversy, starting with a cheating scandal that made national headlines during NASCAR's premier event.

Many big developments, it seemed, were unpopular with fans, and even some competitors. That also seemed to be a constant theme in 2007: discontent.

While competitors bemoaned both the arrival of Toyota and the COT, NASCAR fans, some of the most passionate in all of sports, seemed increasingly disgruntled, as evidenced by the continuing decline of TV ratings and waning interest in this year's Chase For The Nextel Cup.

Other changes that stirred discontent were Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s surprise decision to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. and join Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing's move to Toyota.

Even moves that appeared positive - the COT's debut and an influx of open-wheel stars - rubbed many fans the wrong way.

Are all these real problems and signs that NASCAR is headed in the wrong direction? Or are fans just so passionate and vocal that they have a negative reaction to almost everything?

Despite the discontent, the season was filled with intrigue, creating plenty of drama while raising many questions heading into 2008. With that in mind, here is a look at the top 10 stories of 2007, as selected by the staff of NASCAR Scene:

1. Say It Ain't So, Junior

Few things ever stay the same in NASCAR, but one thing many fans came to expect was that Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport's biggest star, would always drive for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father and run by his stepmother.

But when team owner Teresa Earnhardt appeared to criticize Earnhardt Jr. during the offseason, questioning his commitment to racing, it further damaged a relationship that was soon beyond repair.

As their family squabble became public, Earnhardt Jr. laid the groundwork for his departure, demanding controlling interest in the team. When his stepmother wouldn't agree, Junior stunned the NASCAR world by announcing in May that he was leaving the family-owned team.

"At 32 years of age ... it is time for me to compete on a consistent basis and contend for championships now," he said.

Many people were shocked when Earnhardt Jr. announced a month later that he would join rival Hendrick Motorsports. Some of his fans were thrilled he was joining the sport's most powerful organization, perhaps giving him his best shot at winning a title. Others in Junior Nation, however, were appalled that he would go to the archenemy, joining Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, drivers longtime Earnhardt fans love to hate.

When the year's biggest announcement was finally made, the drama didn't end there. Would Junior take the No. 8 he made famous with him? And would popular sponsor Budweiser follow in his footsteps?

Both issues kept the year's biggest story on the front burner for weeks as Junior grappled with Teresa over the rights to the No. 8 and Budweiser looked for ways to continue its partnership with the driver.

In the end, Teresa, whose popularity among fans plummeted during the ordeal, stood her ground, refusing to grant Junior and Rick Hendrick the use of the No. 8. Longtime team owner Robert Yates provided a welcome concession when he made the No. 88 available for Earnhardt Jr. to use.

And with Budweiser out of the picture because of sponsor conflicts at Hendrick, Mountain Dew/Amp and the National Guard won the Junior sweepstakes, signing multiyear deals to sponsor the No. 88 team.

Earnhardt Jr., meanwhile, struggled in his final season with DEI, failing to win a race and missing the Chase For The Nextel Cup for the second straight year. A series of engine failures and bizarre mishaps in the final seven races left him 16th in points and longing for a fresh start.

2. Johnson, Hendrick Rule

Before 2007, the best way to win the Chase seemed to be a combination of points racing and avoiding trouble.

Kurt Busch had an average Chase finish of 8.9 when he won the Cup in 2004. Tony Stewart won the next season with an average of 8.7. In 2006, Johnson won with an average finish of 10.8.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus knew the 2006 formula was unlikely to work again - not with Hendrick teammate Gordon having a stellar season. So they crafted a plan: Race for wins with aggressive setups, even if it meant pushing the car to the edge.

Gordon had access to all of Johnson's information, and the four-time champion scoffed at the No. 48 team's plans. He felt Johnson and Knaus' aggressiveness would surely bite them at some point.

It didn't happen. Gordon was outstanding in the Chase, with an average finish of 5.1 that would have easily won the title in any other year. But Johnson had the greatest Chase to date, averaging a 5.0 finish, winning four consecutive races and leaving even Gordon in the dust with a 77-point victory margin.

It's fitting that two Hendrick cars had the greatest Chase performances in history, because the company's season as a whole was quite possibly the best in NASCAR's modern era.

Hendrick cars won exactly half of the races, including nine of 10 early in the season and six in a row during the Chase. The team, which also included Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, won the first five car of tomorrow events and generally dominated COT races.

It only got worse for the opposition during the Chase. Johnson and the No. 48 team demoralized their competition with six top-three finishes in 10 races. And during the stretch run when other teams were fighting to stay in contention, Johnson smoked them all with four straight wins.

"The victories made the difference," Johnson said. "If we didn't win four in a row, this race would have been a much different race."

While Johnson and Gordon produced a compelling race and turned in two of the most spectacular performances in NASCAR history, many fans were underwhelmed, seemingly growing tired of Hendrick's dominance. As Johnson and Gordon pulled away from the Chase field, TV ratings suffered their biggest dip of the season.

3. Remembering Bill France Jr.

Though Bill France Jr. ruled NASCAR with an iron fist for more than 30 years, many didn't quite comprehend the impact he had on the sport until his death on June 4 at age 74.

Replacing his father as NASCAR president in 1972, France Jr. transformed NASCAR from a Southern, regional sport into a national phenomenon. Under his guidance, NASCAR raced its way into the boardrooms of Madison Avenue, attracting sponsorship that sparked its explosive growth.

But France didn't stop there. Also serving as chairman of his family's International Speedway Corp., he guided the expansion of NASCAR into major markets across the country, including a landmark debut at the sacred Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. When it landed its first network TV deal in 2001, it was clear that, under his guidance, NASCAR had finally arrived.

Even after turning his leadership role over to his son Brian in 2003, France Jr. kept a close eye on the sport. While gallantly fighting a series of debilitating illnesses, France remained a force in the sport until the very end.

"Mr. France was the backbone of our sport," said Earnhardt Jr.

Added Stewart: "There aren't enough words to describe what he's meant to this sport and what he's done for it. I guarantee it's the biggest loss in racing since Dale Earnhardt, and probably bigger."

4. Mergers And Acquisitions

The way Nextel Cup team owners rushed to find partners this year, you would have thought the garage area had turned into a square dance.

Partners with deep pockets became all the rage. Jack Roush kicked off the Year of the Partner by selling 50 percent of his team to John Henry and Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox.

Ray Evernham engaged in a very public courtship of businessman George Gillett, who owns the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens and the Liverpool, England, soccer team. Evernham sold the majority of his team in August, creating Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

The partner craze wasn't limited to long-standing teams. In its first season of competition and in need of capital, Michael Waltrip Racing took on partner Robert Kauffman in October when Waltrip gave up 50 percent of his company.

Then there was merger mania, most notably when Dale Earnhardt Inc. acquired Ginn Racing in late July.

Just two days later, Robert Yates announced he was joining forces with a Champ Car organization. But before the deal was signed, Yates backed out and decided son Doug Yates would run the company while the elder Yates retired. Later, Doug Yates brought in former Roush Fenway Racing General Manager Max Jones as a partner.

There were other notable transactions, too. Richard Childress Racing merged its engine program with DEI's, and a majority stake in Hall of Fame Racing was sold to Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel, executives with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And there was talk that even Petty Enterprises, the sport's oldest team, would find a partner and that Bill Davis Racing would be sold, talks that may continue into 2008.

NASCAR teams seeking outside investors is not a new story, as team owners try to stay competitive in a sport where costs are escalating. For example, Richard Childress brought in an investor a couple of years ago. Yet no one could have predicted so many teams would go that route this season.

5. Toyota Struggles In Debut

As the 2007 season approached, Toyota, NASCAR's newest car manufacturer, was greeted with fear and widespread angst from many fans and competitors.

Many believed that since Toyota had won in nearly every series it has raced in that it would soon blow the doors off its NASCAR rivals. And many in the garage believed that it would do so by simply outspending the competition.

Even as Toyota's uninspiring lineup of drivers and teams began to take shape, some still predicted that the automaker would rule the sport by year's end.

Boy, were they wrong.

Only four of Toyota's seven teams made the Daytona 500, and the automaker faced a major embarrassment when its flagship team, Michael Waltrip Racing, was accused of cheating during Speedweeks. Suddenly, Toyota was not making national headlines because of its debut in NASCAR's premier series, but because of one of the biggest cheating scandals in recent NASCAR history (see item below).

Things only got worse as Toyota teams struggled to qualify for races. Waltrip and his three-car organization were particularly disappointing. Waltrip failed to qualify for 11 straight races after Daytona while teammates Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann also frequently missed events.

By season's end, six of the seven Toyota teams had failed to qualify for 10 or more races. Only one Toyota driver - Bill Davis Racing's Dave Blaney - cracked the top 35 in driver and owner points, putting the other six in jeopardy heading into 2008.

But help is on the way. In September, Joe Gibbs Racing, which has won three of the past eight NASCAR Cup championships, announced that it is switching from Chevrolet to Toyota.

Toyota will now enter 2008 with two-time Cup champion Stewart and rising stars Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. After a dismal debut, Toyota officials expect much better results in 2008.

6. The COT's Future Is Now

Drivers complained about it before the season. They complained about it during the season. And many are still complaining.

The "it" is NASCAR's car of tomorrow, which was used in 16 of the 36 races in 2007.

"It sucks," Kyle Busch said after winning the first-ever COT race at Bristol.

Many fans agree. So far, the COT hasn't done much to convince anyone that the racing will be better than with the old car. The first few COT races featured side-by-side finishes, sparking optimism that perhaps the new car really was going to create better racing, but that turned out to be a mask for problems that irked both drivers and fans.

The cars were so similar that drivers found it difficult to pass, and drivers quickly learned that the COT was not easy to turn.

Fans bemoaned the similarity between the cars. An oft-heard refrain from fans is that they want to watch NASCAR, not the International Race of Champions - where all the cars were prepared identically.

The thinking in some circles was that ingenuity was a part of racing, but tampering with the COT was strictly forbidden, as evidenced by the whopping points penalties handed to three high-profile crew chiefs.

NASCAR, meanwhile, heralded the car's safety innovations, its throwback look to the sedans on showroom floors and a lessened emphasis on engineering.

Next year, the new car will be under more of a microscope as it is used for all 36 races.

"I hope that long-term, we'll look back on it and say the car of tomorrow was a success," driver Jeff Burton said. "I think it has some potential, but I think it has a lot to live up to."

7. Open-Wheel Invasion

Few drivers have arrived in NASCAR with more fanfare and anticipation that former Indy 500 winner and Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya.

Fans from across the globe were eager to see how the Colombian native, considered one of the greatest drivers in the world, would fare in stock cars and what kind of impact his much-ballyhooed move would have on NASCAR.

Though he didn't exactly take the sport by storm, Montoya didn't disappoint, displaying his remarkable driving talent with a Busch Series victory on the road course in Mexico City and with his first Nextel Cup win on the road course at Infineon Raceway. He adapted well enough to score three top-five and six top-10 finishes in Nextel Cup, including an impressive second at Indy, to finish 20th in points.

Montoya's first-year performance was so good, in fact, that it did indeed have a profound impact on the racing world. By the end of the season, four other world-class drivers were following in his footsteps, preparing for the move from open-wheel racing to NASCAR.

Leading the movement are two other drivers with Montoya-like credentials: 2007 Indy 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti and three-time IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr. They will be joined by former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve and former Champ Car star Patrick Carpentier.

Montoya's international appeal also played a role in their arrival as three of the four - Franchitti (Scotland), Villeneuve (Canada) and Carpentier (Canada) - come from foreign countries.

While many longtime fans don't care for the influx of foreign drivers, Montoya's success may open the floodgates. As he prepares to make a run at NASCAR's Chase, the success of Franchitti, Hornish and the others may encourage other foreign-born stars to make the move, giving the all-American sport of NASCAR a global reach and an international flavor.

8. Cheaters Never Prosper

On Feb. 14, the top story on CNN.com was not the war in Iraq. It was not that day's news conference held by President Bush.

No, the No. 1 story in the United States that day was the cheating scandal that rocked NASCAR and threatened to overshadow the Daytona 500. Waltrip's glum-looking face was plastered in newspapers and on Web sites around the country, a result of record penalties given to key members of his organization.

It was a disaster for Michael Waltrip Racing, which was slapped with the "cheater" label after an illegal fuel additive was found in Waltrip's fuel tank (the substance was never publicly identified by NASCAR).

Waltrip was humiliated ("You can't hurt me any worse than I am right now," he said), and so was first-year manufacturer Toyota.

It wasn't just Waltrip's team who took a hit at Daytona. Four other crew chiefs were suspended for violations, and NASCAR as a whole suddenly appeared to be filled with cheaters.

"It's obvious that we've ramped up our penalties, and we're going to get people's attention," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said. "We're going to grab this one by the horns."

Some felt the penalties were NASCAR's way of showing it was cleaning up the sport. But few would argue the negative media attention was good for the sport.

9. Shakeup at DEI

Only psychics could have seen this one coming.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. underwent a massive makeover in 2007, starting with the stunning departure of Earnhardt Jr., whose rift with stepmother Teresa led him to join rival Hendrick Motorsports.

Everyone predicted DEI's demise. Stewart said that without Earnhardt Jr., the famed shop once known as the Garage Mahal would become a museum.

Then Martin Truex Jr. emerged as a serious contender, winning his first Cup race at Dover in June, making the Chase and, in the process, becoming DEI's future leader.

DEI wasn't done making a splash, either. It later merged with Ginn Racing, creating a four-car team and an organization that looked remarkably different from the one Dale Earnhardt left behind.

Facing an avalanche of negative publicity for letting Earnhardt Jr. leave and then not allowing him to take the famous No. 8 with him, DEI tabbed Mark Martin, a longtime fan favorite, to share the No. 8 car with young driver Aric Almirola next year. Rookie Regan Smith, who shared a ride with Martin at Ginn, will drive the No. 01 car, though sponsorship has not been announced.

That wasn't the end of the makeover, however, nor the departures. Longtime employees and Earnhardt family members Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Eury Jr. followed Earnhardt Jr., as did other key crewmen and executives.

The moves came under the watchful eye of new executive Max Siegel, who thrust himself into a key role to ensure that DEI would survive.

10. Kyle Busch Joins Gibbs

While Earnhardt Jr.'s move to Hendrick drew much more fanfare, another driver move might have an even bigger impact in the future.

To many team owners and garage insiders, 22-year-old Kyle Busch is one of the most talented drivers in the sport, which made Hendrick's decision not to re-sign him surprising.

When Hendrick made the move to replace Busch with Earnhardt Jr., at least five teams made serious runs at him before Busch decided on Gibbs and his No. 18 team.

Busch landed with an organization that has won three of the past eight championships and the deal was a coup for Gibbs, which adds Busch to a lineup that already includes Stewart and Hamlin.

"He's the best young talent out there," Stewart said.

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• Mentioned Drivers:
• Aric Almirola