The Unpredictable Season: A Reflection of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

By Rob Tiongson

Rob Tiongson

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I'm a 25-year-old motorsports journalist who's had the need for speed for nearly 20 years. First a sports car and SUV lover, my passion for... More

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The Unpredictable Season: A Reflection of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season
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After all, aside from a fraction of the sport's fan base, very few chose Trevor Bayne to win the Daytona 500, much less the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford Fusion finding its way back into Victory Lane after a decade-long drought.

Moreover, who knew that it would be the year which saw Kurt and Kyle Busch's antics bring them into ultimate humility? Sure, their aggressive postures in their cars have won them their share of races, but it also backfired on them.

Kyle Busch would feel the wrath from sponsor M&M's following his incident with Ron Hornaday, Jr. at Texas Motor Speedway this past November while Kurt's epic meltdowns with his comrades on the track and the media in the garage area resulted in his departure from Penske Racing.

This season also marked the arrival of Brad Keselowski as a legit Cup star, as he earned a trio of victories and a top-10 points finish in just his sophomore season. Balancing both his gritty driving with precision and genius, the sky's the limit for the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge.

Marcos Ambrose also netted his much anticipated first victory in the Cup division, albeit at Watkins Glen, a specialty of the former V8 Supercars icon. While that wasn't surprising, his runs at the intermediates like Charlotte and Texas have shown that with some consistency at various venues in between, he could become a regular fixture in the top-10.

Maybe somewhat surprising was that Rick Hendrick's crew chief and driver "swaps" essentially made his four car operation stronger all-around, with Jeff Gordon and Alan Gustafson compiling three wins en route to an eighth-place points finish, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Letarte placed seventh in the final rundown.

As for five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, the No. 48 Lowe's team's championship cruise came to a crash - literally. After winning at Kansas in October, the usually steady duo's strength in the postseason faltered, most notably at Charlotte with a hard crash in turn two near that race's conclusion.

Ultimately, that paved the way for the title battle between Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, who perhaps put on the greatest fight for the championship since the first Chase back in 2004 with Kurt Busch, Johnson, and Gordon.

Tony Stewart celebrates his third NASCAR Sprint Cup championship - NASCAR photo

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Perhaps what was most surprising with this year in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing besides the end of Johnson's title streak was the "silly season" that's ensued in shaping up next season's roster moves.

For instance, A.J. Allmendinger went from arguably the best non-Chase driver this fall to the driver of Roger Penske's No. 22 Dodge ride formerly piloted by Kurt Busch. Steve Addington, who was the crew chief for that team, now finds himself working alongside two-time and defending series champion Tony Stewart.

Confused?

Well, don't be, because Stewart's crew chief Darian Grubb will call the shots for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota crew, whose former headwrench Mike Ford was let go following the season finale at Homestead-Miami.

And oh yea, there's Kurt Busch, who will now drive James Finch's No. 51 Chevy, arguably an upstart team as opposed to the multi-car teams like Hendrick, Roush-Fenway, or Childress. Finch, who wasn't too shy to express his feelings about Kurt's hot temper to the press, will certainly be keeping a tight leash on his new racer.

Come to think of it, until the first practice laps are made at Daytona International Speedway this coming February, everyone might be keeping a tight leash with NASCAR, especially with all the last minute signings and moves that will undoubtedly take place between now and the first drive down to some January Florida sunshine.