Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Taillights fade: A look back at Penske Racing's 2009

We've wrapped the season, and so it's time to wrap up our look back. In a feature shamelessly ripped from Puck Daddy's Death Watch and Big League Stew's Walk Toward The Light, we're looking back on all the drivers. In the interest of making sure that this feature doesn't last until April, we're stepping up the pace and covering teams. And yes, I know there aren't taillights on Sprint cars. It's a metaphor. Roll with it. Oh, and sorry to Penske for leaving them out of the initial round. Really sorry. Guys, can you please tell Kurt Busch to stop stalking me? I'm getting kinda scared.

Team:  Penske Racing

Drivers:  Kurt Busch, David Stremme, Sam Hornish Jr.

Record:  Two wins, zero poles, 12 top-5s, 28 top-10s.

Season summary: Kurt Busch was the story of the year at Penske, returning to the kind of form that had him challenging for a championship a couple years back. On the other hand, Stremme and Hornish made almost no noise all year, and latecomer Brad Keselowski, while quite talented, got much more press for his fight with Denny Hamlin than for his on-track success.

Where it went right:  Kurt Busch turned in one of the season's most dominant performances in Atlanta's spring race. He ran well throughout the year and finished a solid fourth in the Chase standings. All in all, a fine return to form.

Where it went wrong: Stremme just never got going, and Hornish was more famous for his wrecks than his finishes. Still, while Stremme has been offered the opportunity to seek employment elsewhere, Hornish remains one of the best drivers in motorsports, and could well come around in the way Juan Pablo Montoya has.

Prospects for 2010: Busch is looking as strong as ever, and should run quite well once again. And Keselowski is going to get every chance to prove that his talent is the equal of his attitude. 

Related Hendrick posts from 2009:
Kurt Busch throws his crew chief under the bus with a smile

Wreck of the week: Stremme's spin beams down bad puns

Next up: The 2010 season! Really!

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