Tråd: 2012 NASCAR Sæsonen Havde Overraskelser, Selvfølgelig, Og Flere Er på Forkant I 2013

Helt sikkert en af de mest overraskende udviklinger i 2012 blev Brad Keselowski (højre) første karriere Sprint Cup mesterskabet. Titlen var også først for hans team ejer, Roger Penske.

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup sæsonen, ligesom alle andre har forud det, havde det dele af eufori og frustration, succes og fiasko og en god foranstaltning til den overraskende udvikling.
Også 2012 havde en ting eller to ingen af os nogensinde havde set før, og det er usandsynligt at se igen. Juan Pablo Montoya fiery encounter med en hårtørrer på Daytona jet kommer til at tænke på her.
Det var hovedsageligt i konkurrencen, vi oplevede det uventede, det usædvanlige, succes og fiasko – godt, måske ikke hele fiasko men bestemt forestillinger, der ikke lever op til forventningerne.
Og vi så også forestillinger der steget forbi vores forventninger.
Der er mindst to eksempler på dette og min udtalelse er, at de mest bemærkelsesværdige er den samlede, breakout performance by Michael Waltrip Racing.
MWR har aldrig overvejet et mesterskab kaliber hold (jeg er sikker på, teammedlemmer vil være uenig). Så at placere to drivere i the Chase og har en nyde en "comeback" sæsonen færdig andet i de sidste punkt standings er noget meget uventede.
Clint Bowyer kom over til MWR fra Richard Childress Racing, en Flyt nødvendiggjort af manglende sponsorering og som sluttede en syvårig relation.
Bowyer vil være først til at fortælle dem, at han virkelig havde ingen idé om, hvad han fik sig selv ind.
Han vidste næppe nogen på MWR og ingen mening, i hvilken retning holdet ville gå.
Bowyer havde vundet fem racer under hans embedstid med ARIB og gjorde det ind i top 10 i punkter i tre af fem sæsoner.
Det var derfor kun naturligt, at han undrede sig over, hvis han kunne nærme sig sådanne forestillinger som den nye mand på MWR.
Tja, han gjorde – og derefter nogle.
Bowyer vandt tre racer, let gjort Chase og på Homestead, den sidste hændelse af sæsonen, sluttede han andet til Jeff Gordon.
Der tillod ham at lette forbi Jimmie Johnson at tage andenpladsen i punkt standings. Det var ikke kun hans karriere-bedste færdig, var det det højeste nogensinde opnået ved en MWR driver.
For at komplimentere Bowyers præstation, MWR holdkammerat Martin Truex Jr., også gjort Chase.



Måske en fik af de mest af præstationer i 2012 skuffende Tony Stewart. 2011 Sprint Cup champ fremførte artfeltet til et afsnit i forgangne sæson.

Han var skuffet over, ved han ikke da vandt race eller højere ende Udfør 11^th a standings, mænd han klarede til den kvalifikationen spille 10-race "off" for første gang og den første siden 2007 med tid MWR.
MWRS ydeevne i 2012 klart fremgår, på det er et stigningen på hold. Blotte udgangen det, det meget overvandt snarere lavvandede udtalelser de fleste observatører givet udtryk for i tinge de seneste år.
For 2013 holdets opgave er ankel og bruge prut: den den til på oprette en bedre årstid.
Jeg er en af mange, der foreslog på Roger Penske team ejeren driver Brad Keselowski og ville ikke være en knop jeg 2012 mesterskab.
Trods med alle sine bestræbelser dem, der kørte og arbejdede for skinke, jo han tinge artfeltet da hævdede titel.
Keselowski Og? Han kun var jeg synde tredje fulde sæson Sprint Cup konkurrence, alle med Penske.
Som jeg har sagt blotte udgangen én banden måske har vi bør det komme c angivet. Dermed mener jeg, Keselowskis legitimationsoplysninger som driver en forbedret synd tinge støt siden med union Penske.
Jeg tre øh vundet Keselowski 2011 racer og akkumulerede 14 top-10 magten truffet til færdig hans plads på cognacmærker jeg de endelige punkt standings.
Hvad han gjorde i 2012 var simpel: han fik bedre. Han vandt fem gange efterbehandlinger blandt med 23 top 10. Han var konstant punkt og forseglet blandt lederne championship jeg Homestead.
Selvom kun få det troede, ville ske, Penske vandt sin første Sprint Cup-titel og tredje føreren Keselowski lokale kun til på vinde et mesterskab jeg synde tredje fulde sæson. Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, de var og André.
Selvom Penske Dodge for Ford forladt har, mand ikke vil overse Keselowski (i) 2013. Som det er jeg da for alle hold kommende sæson svarets Penske Racing hurtigt kan tilpasse sig den nye Ford, der er ingen grund til at tænke gøre det ikke kan Keselowski, at jeg en række.
Synes mærkeligt på sige, mænd af dets standarder, Hendrick Motorsports kunne have haft en bedre årstid.
Ikke får mig forkert. Det var betydelig udført. Sætter Det Allé brand af dets hold jeg tinge én, Chase driver, Five-type champ Johnson Udfør et enkelt punkt ud af andenpladsen og alle brand vandt løb drivere.
Mænd med et strejf af lille formue hendes og an der det kunne have været bedre for Hendrick.
Kasey Kahne, eksempelvis forventedes på blomstre. Han vinde til racer, mænd der var ende de fleste færre ud. Hund sluttede han en karriere-fjerde jeg høj punkter.
Kahne en anden halvdel tilsammen solid for på tjene en af at Chase jokertegn. Han rapportkolonne derefter fra 11 til fjerde jeg spiller fra 10-race.
Med denne stærke Udfør, kan være et Kahne bud næste sæson.
Mænd af alle Hendrick driverne – eller næsten enhver driver til Dale Earnhardt underspændinger skyld – Jr. tinge da mest dramatiske sæsonen 2012.
Han skulle være frustreret over konklusionen. Et par af tilsidesat skinke for hjernerystelse til racer, på enhver håber slette støtteordning. Earnhardt Jr. tinge hund synd bedste og hans sæson Hendrick jeg bedste jeg otte år.
Før Chase, Earnhardt Jr. Lad afbrydelsesdato ikke kun var gjort en alvorlig championship mænds bud.
Han vandt for første gang jeg fyre år og var i top tre jeg det meste af punkter sæsonen og førte uger standings til at jeg August.
"Junior Nation anerkendt" Earnhardt Jr. 's genopblussen 2012 og jeg har jeg ingen tvivl om, det bedre håb for ting, (i) 2013. Helt Nordjysk, ville jeg ikke være overrasket, svarets det fik dem.
Andre ting, der måske har rejst vores øjenbryn jeg glansløse-2012 lokale deres standarder ved – ved og forestillinger Carl Edwards Tony Stewart 2011, champ. Continental med dem som forløsning i til fyre udkig 2013.
Som det er altid har været, NASCAR fans altid ivrig efter på se hvad kan udvikle sig jeg en kommende sæson.
Der er på menuen masser: Hvordan vil og tilpasse NASCAR team signa nye 2013 modellør? Kan tilpasse visse drivere, ligesom Joey Matt Kenseth, en gruppe og med nye hold? Der Er endnu en anden opkomling bud derude? Vi Vil tilbage til nogle af veteranerne vindende form?
An der naturligvis er meget simpel, simpel,.
««Sidste ende ist øh foregribelse og forventning til ting, der gør NASCAR sjovt – ren og ankel.
På en personlig bemærkning, tak til alle jer, der har besøgt motorsportsverdenen Unplugged jeg år. Du har forhåbentlig været og underholdt informeret.
Nyt først genoptager rapportresultaterne jeg 2013. Indtil da jeg da om bedste glædelig jul og godt nytår et!

Certainly one of the most surprising developments of 2012 was Brad Keselowski’s (right) first career Sprint Cup championship. The title was also the first for his team owner, Roger Penske.

The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, like all others that have preceded it, had it share of elation and frustration, success and failure and a good measure of surprising developments.
Also, 2012 had a thing or two none of us had ever seen before, and are unlikely to see again. Juan Pablo Montoya’s fiery encounter with a jet dryer at Daytona comes to mind here.
It was mostly in competition that we saw the unexpected, the unusual, success and failure – well, perhaps not entire failure but certainly performances that did not live up to expectations.
And we also saw performances that soared past our expectations.
There are at least two examples of this and my opinion is that the most notable is the overall, breakout performance by Michael Waltrip Racing.
MWR has never been considered a championship caliber team (I’m sure team members will disagree). So for it to place two drivers in the Chase and have one enjoy a “comeback” season to finish second in the final point standings is something very much unanticipated.
Clint Bowyer came over to MWR from Richard Childress Racing, a move necessitated by a lack of sponsorship and which ended a seven-year relationship.
Bowyer will be the first to tell you that he really had no idea what he was getting himself into.
He knew hardly anyone at MWR and no sense of which direction the team would go.
Bowyer had won five races during his tenure with RCR and made it into the top 10 in points in three of five seasons.
Therefore, it was only natural that he wondered if he could approach such performances as the new man at MWR.
Well, he did – and then some.
Bowyer won three races, easily made the Chase and at Homestead, the final event of the season, he finished second to Jeff Gordon.
That allowed him to ease past Jimmie Johnson to take second place in the point standings. That was not only his career-best finish, it was the highest ever achieved by a MWR driver.
To compliment Bowyer’s achievement, MWR teammate Martin Truex Jr., also made the Chase.

Attachment 4030 Attachment 4031

Perhaps one of the most disappointing performances of 2012 was given by Tony Stewart. The 2011 Sprint Cup champ never contended for a title in the past season.

He was disappointed that he did not win a race or finish higher than 11^th in the standings, but he did qualify for the 10-race “playoff” for the first time since 2007 and the first time with MWR.
MWR’s performance in 2012 clearly indicates it is a team on the rise. More than that, it overcame much of the rather shallow opinions most observers had expressed over recent years.
For 2013 the team’s task is simple: Gather the momentum and use it to create a better season.
I am one of many who suggested that team owner Roger Penske and driver Brad Keselowski would not be a championship contender in 2012.
After all, despite all his efforts with those who drove and worked for him, he had never claimed a title.
And Keselowski? He was in only his third full season of Sprint Cup competition, all with Penske.
As I’ve said more than once maybe we should have seen it coming. By that I mean, Keselowski’s credentials as a driver had steadily improved since his union with Penske.
In 2011 Keselowski won three races and accumulated 14 top-10 finishes to power his way into fifth place in the final point standings.
What he did in 2012 was simple: He got better. He won five times with 23 finishes among the top 10. He was constantly among the point leaders and sealed the championship in Homestead.
Although few thought it would happen, Penske won his first Sprint Cup title and Keselowski became only the third driver to win a championship in his third full season. Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon were the others.
Even though Penske has left Dodge for Ford, no one will overlook Keselowski in 2013. As it is for every team in a coming season if Penske Racing can adapt quickly to the new Ford, there’s no reason to think Keselowski can’t make it two in a row.
Seems odd to say, but by its standards, Hendrick Motorsports could have had a better season.
Don’t get me wrong. What it accomplished was significant. It put all four of its teams in the Chase, had one driver, five-type champ Johnson, finish a single point out of second place and all four drivers won races.
But with a little touch of fortune here and there, it could have been better for Hendrick.
Kasey Kahne, for example, was expected to flourish. He did win two races but that was fewer than most expected. However, he finished a career-high fourth in points.
Kahne put together a solid second half to earn one of two Chase wildcards. He then rallied from 11th to fourth in the 10-race playoff.
With that strong finish, Kahne might be a contender next season.
But of all the Hendrick drivers – or almost any driver, for that matter – Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a most dramatic 2012 season.
He had to be frustrated over the conclusion. A pair of concussions sidelined him for two races, eliminating any title hopes. However, Earnhardt Jr. had his best season at Hendrick and his best in eight years.
Prior to the Chase, Earnhardt Jr. not only easily made the field but was a serious championship contender.
He won for the first time in four years and was in the top three in points most of the season and led the standings for two weeks in August.
The “Junior Nation” recognized Earnhardt Jr.’s resurgence in 2012 and I have no doubt it hopes for better things in 2013. Frankly, I would not be surprised if it got them.
Other things that might have raised our eyebrows in 2012 were the lackluster – by their standards – performances by Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, the 2011 champ. Count on them as two guys looking for redemption in 2013.
As it has always been, NASCAR fans are always eager to see what might evolve in a coming season.
There’s plenty on the menu: How will teams, and NASCAR, adapt to new 2013 models? Can certain drivers, like Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth, adapt with new teams? Is there yet another upstart contender out there? Will we some of the veterans return to winning form?
There’s more, of course, a lot more.
In the end, anticipation and expectation are two things that make NASCAR fun – pure and simple.
On a personal note, thanks to all of you who have visited Motorsports Unplugged over the years. Hopefully you have been entertained and informed.
New content resumes at the first of 2013. Until then, best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!