Best of the decade: The top 10 NASCAR argument-starters

We're at the end of the decade of the 2000s, and we're running down some of the most memorable moments of the past ten years. NASCAR fans love to debate the sport, and today, we indulge you, serving up the greatest arguments of the last 10 years. Please, no bloodshed; conversation only.

10. Which TV network is the best? NASCAR splits its season across three networks -- Fox, TNT and ABC/ESPN -- and each has its advantages (widescreen racing with in-race commercials) and disadvantages (Digger). So which network is your favorite? Is any?

9. Should NASCAR open the doors to more tire manufacturers? 2008 wasn't a good year for tires. An uncompetitive Atlanta race and a wretched Indy sent all of NASCAR nation and a good portion of the drivers against Goodyear, and increased pressure on NASCAR to open the door to more tire manufacturers. Of course, NASCAR did nothing of the sort.

8. Are the many cookie-cutter tracks a mistake? There are several hundred 1.5-mile "cookie-cutter" tracks in NASCAR, or perhaps it only seems that way. While the tracks can provide predictable racing, "predictable" can have both positive and negative connotations. 

7. Do foreign manufacturers belong in NASCAR? Toyota's arrival in NASCAR set off torrents of America-first screaming. Should NASCAR remain an American-manufacturer sport, or should American manufacturers step it up and take on all comers?

6. Is the Chase a good system or an atrocity? The Chase was designed to put a playoff atmosphere into NASCAR, but it hasn't worked out that way. Is that the fault of the Chase, or a testament to the skill of Jimmie Johnson?

5. Kyle Busch: budding antihero or whiny jerk? Kyle Busch has made plenty of enemies on the track. But he's also earned plenty of fans, too, largely because he's phenomenally talented. So which side will win out, the skill or the complaining?

4. Does the Car of Tomorrow make NASCAR better? Developed in the wake of Dale Earnhardt's death, the Car of Tomorrow is the safest stock car ever made. But it's also boxy and tough to legally reengineer, and certain drivers -- Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. chief among them -- have had significant difficulties adjusting to the new ride. So is the increased safety worth the competitive tradeoff?

3. Is Jimmie Johnson one of the all-time greats? He's won more consecutive championships than anyone in NASCAR history. But he's done it under a Chase system that plays to his strengths. So does he belong in the company of the immortals, or is he just forrtunate enough to be born at the right time?

2. Was NASCAR better in the old days? Sure, engineers could tinker with the cars, and there was bumpin' and bangin' and real men behind the wheel. But races were often won with only a handful of cars -- sometimes only one -- on the lead lap. And if you didn't see the race live, you'd have to listen on radio, at best. Today? More competitive, every second on TV ... but far less charismatic drivers. Which do you prefer?

1. Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. really any good at all? He's a chameleon, that Junior -- sometimes hypertalented, sometimes completely lost. Is it the car? The crew chief? Him? Does he have his father's talent, or just his last name? This is the question above all questions, the one which won't ever get answered to anyone's satisfaction ... probably not even Junior's.

All right, your turn. What's your take on the arguments above? Any others we need to add to the list? Go!

Best of the decade: The 10 best races of the 2000s

We're counting down the top moments in NASCAR over the last 10 years, and today, we focus on the best races of the decade. Many of them center around one single event, but all had fans' hearts pounding right into the final lap. 

10. 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Dover: It was a Roush-Fenway special, as Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth traded the lead in the final laps. Biffle wove through lapped traffic and claimed the win.

9. 2002 All-Star Race: Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were locked in a tight battle, with Earnhardt chasing Newman. But Junior let Newman slip away, failing to pull an Intimidator-style bump-and-run, giving fans the first hint that maybe Junior wouldn't be running his races as Senior had.

8. 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega: No one at the time could know it, but the 2000 Winston 500 would be Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s 76th and final victory. He rose 17 positions in the final four laps to take the win. 

7. 2007 Subway 500 at Martinsville: Jeff Gordon had dominated for most of the season, but the Chase reset had brought Jimmie Johnson back into the hunt. This was Gordon's chance to put distance between himself and Johnson. But in the end, it was JJ who ran down Gordon in the race's final laps, setting himself up for a run to his second straight Cup.

6. 2008 Sharpie 500 at Bristol: Over the course of the decade, 20 races were run at Bristol, and almost all of them could conceivably make this list. The 2008 night race makes the list, though, because of the fireworks on-track between Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Edwards used a bump-and-run move to take the win. After the race was over, Busch hit Edwards, who proceeded to spin Kyle and send the fans into hysterics.

5. 2007 Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta: In just his third race, just three weeks after Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death, Kevin Harvick edged Jeff Gordon to take the win. Harvick held up three fingers through his window in his victory lap, earning him an instant fanbase.

4. 2007 Daytona 500: Everything was setting up perfectly for perennial bridesmaid Mark Martin to finally win the Daytona 500, but at the last second, Kevin Harvick spoiled the party and took the checkers.

3. 2004 Ford 400 at Homestead: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson entered the race in a virtual dead heat for the first Chase championship. And the Cup wasn't determined until the final turn. All three drivers ended up in the top 5, but it was Busch who walked away with the Cup.

2. 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona: In his first race at Daytona since his father died at the track, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won going away, and there wasn't a dry eye in the grandstands.

1. 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington: The closest finish in NASCAR history, with Ricky Craven just barely beating Kurt Busch. Here, check it for yourself and see if your pulse isn't racing:

All right, you're up. What did we miss? Where would you place your favorites? Have at it!

Best of the decade: The 10 worst wrecks of the 2000s

It's the end of the decade, and we're counting down the best and worst of NASCAR from the past 10 years. And now, we're up to wrecks. We've ranked the worst of the decade, but we have to note that these are all non-fatal ones. We love seeing a little sheet metal crumple, but that's about as far as we go. Sit back, buckle up, and get ready to watch some insurance deductibles skyrocket.

10. Jimmie Johnson, Nationwide Series, Watkins Glen, 2000: Johnson lost his brakes and plowed straight into the wall at Watkins Glen. Considering the way he leaped onto his car and celebrated afterward, I'm guessing he's no relation to the four-time champion of today.

9. Jeff Gordon, Las Vegas, 2008: Gordon was lucky his car wasn't ripped in half by the impact on the inside wall at Vegas.

8. Ryan Newman, Talladega, 2009: One of the scarier wrecks of the 2009 season, Newman landed roof-down, and fans had a few nervous moments as they wondered the extent of his injuries. Turns out, there were almost none.

7. Chad Chaffin, truck series, Daytona, 2005: Not a major wreck initially, but this one makes the list because of Chaffin's style points -- he flipped, landed right back on his wheels, and tried to get back into the race without losing a lap.

6. Kenny Wallace and friends, Talladega, 2002: If there had been fog on the track,  you could have understood this pileup, but man, the cars just kept coming, didn't they?

5. Mike Harmon, Bristol, 2005: How Harmon lived through this one is a mystery. A happy one, certainly, but a mystery nonetheless.

4. Elliott Sadler, Talladega, 2003: Elliott goes flying! Fly away, little #38, fly away!

3. Carl Edwards, Talladega, 2009: Edwards' famous wall-wipe cost him a chance at his only win in 2009, but he gained plenty of new fans when he made the rounds of the talk shows after this wreck:

2. Geoff Bodine, truck series, Daytona, 2000: At the very first truck series race at Daytona, Bodine's truck hit the fence and exploded into a fireball. And Bodine was fine. Amazing.

1. Michael McDowell, Texas, 2008. It looked like he was destined for the hereafter, but McDowell squeezed out, dusted himself off and went on his way. Sans car, of course.

All right, your turn. What did we miss? What needs to be moved? Feel free to add links to video below. Have at it!