There certainly were some outstanding performances – both from a competition and racing standpoint – that took place during the recently completed 2010 NASCAR season. In fact, from a statistical standpoint, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season goes down as the most competitive in the history of NASCAR. The following is a look back at some of those standout performers and memorable races, as selected from discussions with the national series director, competition department and NASCAR PR managers.

Top Drivers (in alphabetical order)

· Denny Hamlin – Finished a career-best second in the point standings and was the championship points leader heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami … Posted a series-high eight victories on the season, including seven that came after early season knee surgery … Had 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

· Kevin Harvick – Turned in a resurgent season to finish a career-best third in the point standings after missing the Chase in 2009 … Was the points leader for 20 weeks … Won three times on the year … Had a series-best 26 top-10 finishes, which included 16 top fives … His average finish of 8.7 was the best in the series.

· Jimmie Johnson – Won an unprecedented fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in come-from-behind fashion, overcoming a 15-point deficit heading into the season finale … Relied upon a solid second-place finish at Homestead-Miami to win the title by 39 points over Denny Hamlin … Was a six-time winner on the season … Posted 23 top-10 and a series-best 17 top-five finishes … Led a series-high 1,315 laps and also tallied a series-best 107.7 Driver Rating … His five championships now trail only NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt – both of whom won seven titles.

Top Team Owners (in alphabetical order)

· Richard Childress – The owner of Richard Childress Racing saw all three of his drivers – Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick – advance to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after being shut out of the playoff competition in 2009 … Harvick may have been the series’ most consistent performer on the season, notching 16 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes … Harvick was the points leader for 20 weeks, compiled three wins and finished a career-best third in the final standings … Bowyer finished 10th, while winning twice, and Burton finished 12th.

· Rick Hendrick – The leader of Hendrick Motorsports continued his assault on the NASCAR record books and further reinforced the fact that his organization is one of the most dominant and successful in all of sports … Johnson’s fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship gives Hendrick Motorsports a record 13th national series owner title and a record 10th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner crown … The No. 48 team’s recent dominance in the sport can be likened to the great dynasties of the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers and Boston Celtics.

Raybestos Rookie of the Year

· Kevin Conway – In 28 starts, he finished 35th in the point standings … His best finish was 14th at the July race at Daytona International Speedway.

Top Breakthrough Performer

· Jamie McMurray – After being out of a ride following the 2009 season, McMurray made the most of his opportunity driving for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in 2010 … His three wins included two of the sport’s most prestigious races – the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 … His third victory came at the October Charlotte race … McMurray finished 14th in points and posted nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes to go along with his three victories.

Comeback Driver of the Year

· Kevin Harvick – After finishing a disappointing 19th in the point standings in 2009, Harvick rebounded to turn in the best season of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, finishing a career-best third in the point standings … Harvick led the points for 20 weeks … He recorded 16 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes in 2010, which tripled his showing of five top fives and nine top 10s in 2009 … After going winless in 2009, Harvick won three times in 2010 – at Talladega (1), Daytona (2), and Michigan (2).

Top Races of the Year (in chronological order)

· Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway (March 29) – Denny Hamlin plowed through traffic after a green-white-checkered restart to post his second consecutive win at Martinsville Speedway. It was Hamlin’s first win and first top-10 finish in 2010. On fresh tires, thanks to a pit stop under caution on Lap 493, Hamlin powered past Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon on Lap 507 of 508 after Kenseth and Gordon traded shots earlier on the same lap. Hamlin cleared Gordon through Turns 3 and 4 and finished the race on a cut tire, .670 seconds ahead of teammate Joey Logano, who weaved his way through the melee to give Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 finish at the .526-mile short track. Later that week, Hamlin underwent knee surgery, and then proceeded to win seven more times and finish second in the point standings.

· Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway (April 25) – In a race that set NASCAR Sprint Cup Series records for the number of leaders (29) and lead changes (88) – and fanned the flames of the increasingly combustible rivalry between teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon – Kevin Harvick broke a 115-race winless streak to win at Talladega. It was Harvick’s first points race victory in the series since the 2007 Daytona 500. In the third and final attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Harvick pushed 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray for all but the final quarter-mile before surging past McMurray to the inside and beating the No. 1 Chevrolet to the line by .011 seconds.

· Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (September 5) – Tony Stewart won for the third time at Atlanta and for the 38th time of his career when he beat Carl Edwards to the checkered flag by 1.316 seconds. The victory broke a 31-race winless streak for the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Edwards led Stewart coming out of the pits after the seventh caution of the race on Lap 295 of 325. Stewart surged to the lead after a restart on Lap 301, but a quick caution for debris on Lap 302 set up a restart on Lap 308. Stewart proved to be too strong the remainder of the way and drove the No. 14 Chevrolet to Victory Lane.

· KOBALT Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (November 14) – Polesitter Carl Edwards snapped a 70-race winless streak by winning at Phoenix, as the three Chase contenders – Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick – were caught up in a fuel mileage battle. Hamlin, who was the points leader, led a race-high 190 laps but had to short-pit on Lap 298 of 312 to get fuel. Meanwhile, Edwards, Johnson and Harvick were conserving fuel after pit stops under caution on Lap 224. All three won their gambles and Hamlin, who finished 12th in the race, saw his lead over second-place Johnson shrink from 33 points to 15.

· Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (November 21) – For the first time in his championship run, Jimmie Johnson had to come from behind to win his fifth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. Johnson entered the race trailing Denny Hamlin by 15 points, but ran an aggressive and smart race to finish second and post yet another championship – this time by 39 points over Hamlin. Carl Edwards won for the second week in a row and in doing so, recorded a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. Edwards led 190 of 267 laps, but it was the drama that was unfolding behind him with Johnson, Hamlin and Kevin Harvick all battling hard down the stretch for the coveted title.

What: Goodyear tire testing on the new asphalt of Daytona International Speedway

When: Wednesday, Dec. 15, and Thursday, Dec. 16, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Who: At least 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will participate in the two-day Goodyear tire test on the new racing surface at Daytona International Speedway in advance of the 53rd running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 20.

Drivers tentatively scheduled to participate in the test include:
2010 Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray
Brad Keselowski
Mark Martin
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
David Ragan
Kurt Busch
Casey Mears
Matt Kenseth
Bill Elliott
Paul Menard
Jeff Burton
Juan Pablo Montoya
Bobby Labonte
Todd Bodine
Regan Smith
Reed Sorenson
Brian Keselowski

Interesting Note: The Top 3 2010 finishers Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick are not taking part in this test.

SHOW #138 – We recap my adventures in Las Vegas, The Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet, hear some of the driver speeches, and get you up to date with the latest NASCAR news. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop

LISTEN HERE (About 54 mins)

SUBSCRIBE HERE

DOWNLOAD HERE

SUBSCRIBE FROM iTUNES: Take us with you! Subscribe to our audio shows from iTunes, and they will automatically show up on your computer as soon as we post fresh shows..it’s easy, FREE, and we take no information. It’s like a DVR for audio so you can take us with you anywhere and listen on your schedule!

Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

NOTE: Also HEARD on Stitcher Radio

CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog

AUTO CLUB BUILDS ON PARTNERSHIP WITH PENSKE RACING
ACROSS NASCAR SPRINT CUP, IZOD INDYCAR SERIES TEAMS

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 7, 2010) – Penske Racing and the Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) will take their partnership to a new level beginning in 2011.The two organizations today announced a multi-year extension of their sponsorship agreement as the Automobile Club of Southern California and its affiliated clubs will sponsor Penske Racing teams competing in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

AAA will sponsor the No. 22 Dodge driven by 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In addition, AAA will also extend its support to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2011 as a sponsor of the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda piloted by three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves.

”We are excited to broaden our racing affiliation with the Penske organization,” said Thomas V. McKernan, Auto Club CEO. “The extension of our agreement is just one part of our ongoing relationship with Penske which includes a truck rental member discount program and Penske auto dealerships in our vehicle purchasing program. Since starting with Penske Racing in 2008, we’ve experienced good results through our activation programs. Expanding our relationship with the Penske Racing organization to include its outstanding IndyCar team allows us to reach a distinct, diverse fan demographic, and we expect great results there, too.”

Under the new agreement, the Auto Club will be displayed as primary sponsor for the No. 22 Dodge driven by Busch in the March 27 race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Busch will also drive the AAA Dodge at the June 5 race at Kansas Speedway and the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 6 as part of the Chase. AAA will also be a co-primary sponsor at two other events during the 2011 season – April 17 at Talladega Superspeedway and July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – and will serve as a major associate sponsor for the balance of the season on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge.

“The Auto Club has been a great partner with Penske Racing and I’m looking forward to welcoming them to the No. 22 Dodge team next season,” said Busch. “We will work hard to make sure the Auto Club car will be running and finishing at the front.”

Castroneves will compete in the No. 3 Auto Club of Southern California Team Penske IndyCar at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17. Castroneves will also drive the No. 3 AAA Team Penske machine at the doubleheader event at Texas Motor Speedway on June 17.

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to drive the AAA car and represent the Auto Club,” said Castroneves. “We’ve won at both Long Beach and Texas in the past so hopefully we can welcome AAA to the team and the series with some victories in 2011.”

The Auto Club’s sponsorship of the Team Penske IndyCar program marks another milestone in the Club’s long racing heritage. The Auto Club was one of the first organizations to sanction open-wheel automobile races in Southern California over a century ago, and AAA was the first organization to sanction the Indianapolis 500.

“We are pleased to extend our agreement with the Auto Club and build on our relationship,” said Roger Penske. “The Auto Club and AAA have been longtime partners with Penske Truck Rental and they have been a terrific sponsor on our NASCAR teams. We look forward to adding to the relationship beginning next season with the No. 22 team and in the IZOD IndyCar Series.”

The enhanced agreement with Penske Racing allows the Auto Club and its affiliated clubs to not only better serve its members, but will also provide an effective, highly-visible additional platform to promote its insurance products. The Auto Club’s sponsorship has also included member and employee benefits and discounts and community outreach.

Drive to End Hunger Unveils New Design for Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Car

WASHINGTON (Dec. 6, 2010) – Drive to End Hunger (DTEH), an initiative of AARP and AARP Foundation to end hunger among older Americans, today unveiled the design of four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy for the 2011 season.

“Of the nearly 51 million Americans who face the threat of hunger every day, nearly six million are seniors who must make the heart-breaking decision between a nutritious meal and other necessities,” said Gordon, 39, winner of 82 career Sprint Cup races. “By combining the power and generosity of the NASCAR community with such a deserving cause, we can make a difference in this country and solve this problem.”

Click Photos to see larger

Photo Credit: Hendrick Motorsports

Gordon will drive the car for 22 races annually over the next three years to raise awareness of and help solve the growing problem of hunger among older Americans. The DTEH car is candy apple red fading down to black, with dominant white DTEH logos. DTEH is helping millions of older Americans who are facing hunger across the United States.

As part of the No. 24 sponsorship, DTEH, Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports will engage the NASCAR fan base, corporations and charitable organizations via a text-to-donate program; activation at racetracks across the country; further research on the causes and consequences of hunger in older Americans; and an innovative national grant program that will provide resources to address the problem at a local level.

“We have a unique opportunity to harness a hugely popular sport and drive attention to a problem that too often goes unnoticed,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation president. “We’re thrilled to join with Jeff to shine a light on the causes of hunger in this country and work with his team and millions of fans to end it.”

For more information, please visit www.DrivetoEndHunger.org.