SHIFTIN' GEARS: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Timer!!

Tuesday 23 November 2010

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Timer!!

In summarising the 2010 F1 season I said, "On paper a good year, but it could have been so much better".

In summarising the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season... "On paper the 2010 NASCAR season could sound very predictable, Jimmie Johnson wins again, but it was so much better!!"

A lot has already been said concerning the lack of respect towards JJ as a four time Champ, and that this must change now he has won five in a row. Jimmie Johnson is not a love him or love to hate him champion as Earnhardt was. He is not a mouth like Darrell Waltrip, or the young upstart Jeff Gordon once was. He is relatively quiet, races cleanly, does not make much of a fuss; he simply gets on with it and does his talking on track!! Like him or not, it has to be said that Jimmie Johnson is the best driver of his generation, and Chad Knaus the best Crew Chief. Nothing can detract from the achievement of winning five (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Championships, let alone five in a row.

Equally nothing can detract from the high level of competition, and the high standards of racing this season has produced. We had good short track races, good road course races, good mile-and-a-half races, and great restrictor plate races. This was the year that the Chase, the (now with spoiler) COT, the two wide restarts, the green-white-chequered finishes, the "have at it boys" attitude all came together to create a good'un. The last race of the year, at Homestead-Miami, proved this!

There were the stories of the three championship contenders; Hamlin - fast, spin, slow, car fixed, fast again but not fast enough to hold on to it; Harvick - fast on track, too fast on pit lane, third in the race and in the Championship; Johnson - fast on track, slow in the pits, second on track, first in the Championship!

How about the story of the fast Ford, Carl Edwards, who fought off the valiant attempts of the 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota, to win his second race in a row.

Then there was the 83 of Kasey Kahne battling his old car, the 9, now driven by Eric Almirola.

What about Tony Stewarts yo-yo race; he starts 31st, gets some help in the form of a free pass, works his way up to 8th, finishing one place behind his team mate.