NASCAR Year in Review: The good, bad and the financially ugly

The short offseason is upon us, and in about two months we'll be back at it again with the roar of engines at Daytona.

But before we look ahead to 2009, let's look back at the season just completed in the opening installment of our Year in Review series. First up: the major storylines of NASCAR 2008.

Three's a charm

Jimmie Johnson's third consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship didn't just put the Hendrick Motorsports driver in lofty auto racing company, joining only Cale Yarborough as the only drivers to pull off the three-peat in NASCAR's top division. The accomplishment elevates Johnson to a dynasty status worthy of teams like the Yankees, Lakers, Bulls, Packers, Celtics, Canadiens and Patriots.

What made the run even more impressive was the slow start the No. 48 team overcame and how they went on cruise control once the Chase started, which has become Johnson's playground. Four straight is a definite possibility for Johnson to cement his place in NASCAR lore.

Tough times

Kyle Busch had plenty of reasons to smile and celebrate during the regular season, but he was a bust in the Chase. (Getty Images)

The bleak economic climate hit NASCAR hard with several teams forced to cut back or shut down operation completely. As sponsorship dollars dwindled, teams like Chip Ganassi Racing, Bill Davis Racing, Furniture Row, DEI and GEM all suffered and were forced to lay off employees in droves with estimates of more than 1,000 expected to be out of work by year's end.

NASCAR imposed a ban on all testing for this offseason and 2009 in hopes of saving teams money, but unless additional sponsors are found before next year's opening bell, the Sprint Cup Series could be faced with short fields for the first time in more than a decade.

Shrub cut down

There wasn't a driver any hotter than Kyle Busch -- at least in the 26-race regular schedule. Busch rattled off eight wins from February until September when the Chase began and then ran into a brick wall. He opened the playoffs with three straight terrible races and fell out of title contention before the calendar turned to October.

He'll be remembered for having a stellar season but ultimately goes down as NASCAR's version of the 2008 Chicago Cubs -- easing through the regular season only to fall flat in the playoffs.

Dry year for many

Three of the sport's biggest names went winless. Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth all missed visiting Victory Lane last season.

For Gordon it ended a string of 15 straight years with at least one win. Harvick won the Daytona 500 in 2007 but was shut out and Kenseth went winless for the first time since 2001. Other 2007 winners, including Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya also failed to take a checkered flag this year.

Wheels come off open wheel invasion

Montoya couldn't keep pace with his 2007 Rookie-of-the-Year season and his former open wheel colleagues also suffered. Dario Franchitti broke his foot in a Nationwide Series race accident in Talladega and then had his Cup ride disappear when Ganassi couldn't find any more sponsor funding.

Sam Hornish Jr. started the year with teammate Kurt Busch's 2007 championship points and barely hung on to finish in the Top 35. Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve struggled on track as well as on the sponsorship front. A.J. Allmendinger improved as the year went on but does not have a ride for 2009 after being released by Red Bull Racing. Only former Formula One driver Scott Speed showed much promise in the open wheel class of 2008.

Brickyard bust

One of the NASCAR season's premier events was a debacle when the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was marred by tire problems. With tires literally exploding after only a handful of laps, NASCAR officials were forced to call a series of mandatory caution periods after only 10 or 11 laps turning the annual mid-summer trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway into one of the most embarrassing chapters in the sport's history.

Smoke out

Tony Stewart's 10-year career with Joe Gibbs Racing came to an end when the two-time Sprint Cup Series champion announced plans to form his own team in 2009. Stewart became part owner of the former CNC-Haas Racing team and will team with Ryan Newman in a two-car effort beginning next season. Unfortunately Stewart's JGR tenure ended in a whimper with only a controversial win at Talladega and a ninth-place finish in the Chase to show for his efforts.

Over and out

NASCAR's television package was in the news again when ABC decided to shift coverage of the second-to-last race of the season at Phoenix to ESPN2. Because of a couple of red flags, the race ran later than expected and the network yanked coverage with 34 laps to go, switching viewers to an episode of America's Funniest Videos. Fans didn't think it was funny at all and bombarded the network and NASCAR with complaints.