Before we begin looking forward to the holiday season, we're closing the book on 2009 with a look back at the top 12 stories of the year. And no, it's not true that Jimmie Johnson is already the points leader in this little Chase. Away we go ...
12. Joey Logano's ascendance: Everyone expected great things from Joey Logano, the guy saddled with the worst nickname -- "Sliced Bread" -- in pro sports. But perhaps we didn't expect it quite this soon. The 2009 Rookie of the Year won a race -- yes, a rain-delayed one, but still -- survived a monstrous wreck, took flight and even hosted a wrestling evening. All in all, a promising year for The Kid. Now, what say we get him a better nickname, huh?
11. Talladega Rewrites: After Carl Edwards' near-catastrophic wreck at Talladega in April, the superspeedway rebuilt the fence even as some commentators wondered whether it was time to rework the track entirely. And even new rules on bump-drafting didn't stop another scary wreck in the fall, this time involving Ryan Newman. No track this year provided more drama and controversy than Talladega ... as usual.
10. The fall and rise of Kyle Busch: Coming into 2009, Kyle Busch was pegged as one of the top drivers in the sport and a guy with a decent chance to unseat Jimmie Johnson as champion. But Busch pinballed between excellence and mediocrity, and in the end missed out on the Chase by just 8 points. Still, he managed to capture the Nationwide title and continued onward in his quest to win 200 races in all of NASCAR's three top series.
Coming up: yep, Nos. 9-7.
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