2005 NASCAR Season

The 2005 NASCAR season has drawn to a close but don't forget the NASCAR fans on your list as the 2005 holiday shopping season opens. From NASCAR tickets and high-tech gadgets to books and magazines here is something for every NASCAR fan on your list.

2005 will be remembered as the year that Tony Stewart won it all again but there were many great stories that defined the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season. What were we talking about in 2005? Here are the top news stories from the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup campaign.

The ten drivers that will compete for the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup are now locked in. These ten drivers will battle it out over the last ten races on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule to decide the title. Any one of these guys could become the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Champion. In order to win the title drivers will need to put together a consistent string of top ten finishes and avoid any bad luck along the way. Here are the contenders for the 2005 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

The Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle for 2005 brings us an uncharacterstically small crop of rookies with limited ability for success. There are future superstars in this group. But this isn't the hotly contested battle that we've seen in the past.

Now that the hype of the Daytona 500 is behind us NASCAR teams, drivers and fans can begin the real grind towards the 2005 NEXTEL Cup season. Here is a look ahead at what to expect in California this week.

The Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway was a tough 500 laps on a flat short track. The race was hard on equipment as brakes, tires and transmissions all seemed to be at a premuim and the close quarters racing guaranteed beating, banging and lots of cautions.

The fastest track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup circuit hosted the Samsung/RadioShack 500 this week as Texas Motor Speedway played host to the 7th race on the schedule. This race track is famous for two things, high speeds and lots of yellows.

For the second week in a row a Roush Racing driver ran away with the race as this week Kurt Busch lead 219 of the 312 lap race in Phoenix. Some pit strategy shuffled the running order for a bit but there was never really any doubt about who had the car to beat.

Talladega Superspeedway is a giant 2.66-mile tri-oval in Alabama. The restrictor plates make aerodynamics more important than engine power so cars race in big packs all day long and it is impossible to pass without a friend to push you past. Plate racing requires an entirely different set of skills and right now in NASCAR nobody is better at them then Jeff Gordon.

Darlington is a tough race track any time, but add in the smaller spoiler that NASCAR has mandated for 2005 and the reduced downforce make the cars a real challenge. Just when it looked like a runaway snoozer of a race the late yellow really made it interesting as different tire strategies made the two lap green-white-checkers shootout a real scramble.

Back under the lights on Saturday night for the second of four consecutive night races the NEXTEL Cup stars visited Richmond International Raceway for the Chevy American Revolution 400. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup short-track racing under the lights on a Saturday night? It doesn't get much better than this.

The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on Saturday night had a little bit of everything. A bump-and-run to win the open, a big wreck, a fight, and a sentimental winner. This is why the All-Star race is an annual fan favorite.

In a race that set an all-time record for cautions in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race Jimmie Johnson beat Bobby Labonte by three feet to win his third consecutive Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway.

This is one of the races that often gets overlooked on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. It's not a flashy race but more of a 400-mile grind. Dover is a track where you either hit the setup or you don't and given that Sunday was much hotter than the rest of the weekend had been many drivers were really scrambling to find the setup.

Pocono is always a challenge as it is a unique track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. Would the older, more experienced, guys have the advantage on the tricky three-cornered track or would the younger drivers dominate? Would the Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick race teams continue their domination of the 2005 season? There were a lot of questions to be answered today.

Today's Batman Returns 400 was typical of Michigan with only 4 caution flags all day long. It came down to pit strategy as there was a late race caution. The driver who dominated the race pitted while other teams chose to stay out. Which strategy worked best in Michigan today?

Road races are rare on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series schedule as only two of the 36 races require right turns. Infineon Raceway hosts one of those races this weekend on the road course in Sonoma California. This race typically features some comedy as oval drivers struggle with their 3,400 pound machines on the twisty track.

Tony Stewart wins the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California. This race was never really in doubt after Jeff Gordon had transmission problems that dropped him from contention.

The traditional halfway point of the NASCAR season is marked by the NEXTEL Cup drivers return to Daytona to race under the lights on Saturday night. This is the only restrictor plate race under the lights and it is truly a special event.

The Pepsi 400 in Daytona was race number 17 of the 36 race schedule and the third of the four annual restrictor plate races. Daytona International Speedway features door-to-door and nose-to-tail racing all night long and multi-car accidents are common. Unfortunately this one was no different. Too many wrecks and too little racing.

This week the NEXTEL Cup teams head to Joliet, Ill for the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. This week's race is all about the points. There is very little to get excited about the race itself.

This week the NEXTEL Cup teams headed to Joliet, Ill for the USG Sheetrock 400 on the 1.5 mile D-shaped oval at Chicagoland Speedway. This week's race was all about the points. There was very little reason to get excited about the race itself until the very end as NASCAR's most popular driver made a good pit decision and took the win from a dominant Matt Kenseth.

This relatively flat one mile oval is fast but the flat corners force drivers to make their cars work on the bottom. To win here requires a fast car, a great crew and a patient drivers. Passing opportunities are rare but a car that is truly working well will find its way to the front.

Loudon New Hampshire welcomed the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers to its New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend. The relatively flat one mile oval is fast but requires teams to focus on handling. If you can make the car drive well here you'll have a good day. Only one driver was able to make it handle today as Tony Stewart just plain dominated.

The NEXTEL Cup drivers raced here just six weeks ago when Carl Edwards tamed the challenging triangular track to score the second win of his young career. Can he back up that win this weekend to sweep Pocono for 2005? Can Tony Stewart keep his hot streak alive?

One of the flukes of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule brings us to Pocono twice in just six weeks time. Carl Edwards scored the win in June, now here we are in July with another 500 miles to race on the challenging triangular 2.5 mile superspeedway. Kurt Busch would dominate the day taking the easy win to complete the season sweep for his car owner Jack Roush.

The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is one of the biggest events on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. The race is held on the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of a huge crowd. Unfortunately the racing itself isn't the best, but there is no arguing the fact that this is one that everybody wants to win.

The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is one of the biggest events on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway carries more than 90 years of history of great racing and legendary motorsports names. Tony Stewart grew up in Indiana and dreamed of racing, and winning, there someday. Today his dream came true.

One of only two stops on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule where the drivers have to turn right. This weekend the historic Watkins Glen road course will put drivers to the test as they will wrestle the 3,400 NEXTEL Cup stock cars around the twisting New York road course.

Watkins Glen International is the second of the two road races on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. Because it takes to long to get around the track and there is little benefit to drafing pit strategy plays a huge part in racing here. Tony Stewart clearly had them covered on the track and in the pits as he claimed the 2005 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen.

The NEXTEL Cup stars June visit to Michigan was only marred by four yelow flags but one of them set up a pit strategy duel that decided the race. Will this weekend's GFS MArketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway feature the same kind of strategic victory? Just who IS the favorite this weekend?

Michigan International Speedway is fast and wide. This often leads to a race with few cautions where pit strategy and fuel mileage come into play. Today's 2005 GFS Marketplace 400 was a classic Michigan showdown as fuel mileage and pit strategy decided the race in the final laps.

This weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars invade Bristol Motor Spoeedway for the single most exciting night on the schedule. The Sharpie 500 features 500 laps under the lights on the very tight high-banked half mile oval. The racing will be exciting. Tempers will overheat. The fans will see a great show during this Saturday night shootout under the lights. Who is the favorite this weekend? What will be the big story? This preview will bring you up to date and have you primed for Bristol.

The Sharpie 500 is the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This is the toughest ticket to get in all of NASCAR and there is good reason. The fast half-mile short track forces drivers to bump and grind as 43 cars in that small space means that the leaders spend all night in traffic looking for a way by. Matt Kenseth didn't have much trouble tonight as he cruised to the win.

California Speedway plays host this week to the 2005 Sony HD 500. The fast, wide two-mile oval resembles Michigan International where we raced just two weeks ago. Will California Speedway see a strategic fuel mileage battle like its sister track? Or will the race come down to a high speed door-to-door shootout? California can deliver both, sometimes during the same race.

The Sony HD 500 at California Speedway featured a handling battle that didn't feature much competitive racing. The wide race track and long 500 mile grind meant that faster cars could easily make the pass. A late race caution brought out the pit strategy and introduced some doubt but the fastest car still took the win.

This weekend Richmond International hosts the last NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race before the cutoff for the Chase for the Cup. Richmond is a short track that drives like a superspeedway and provides a great venue for the cutoff race. The racing is intense on the three-quarter mile D and the groove is wide enough for truly great racing.

The last NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race before the Chase for the Cup ran at Richmond International Raceway. The racing was intense on the wide three-quarter mile D as there was lots of passing, side-by-side racing and three wide battles. The top ten in points after this race are locked in to battle for the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship. Can you imagine a Chase for the NEXTEL Cup without anyone named Earnhardt or Gordon?

The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup begins this week with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. This relatively flat one mile oval is fast but passing opportunities are rare. Last year Kurt Busch won this race on his way to the Championship. Who has what it takes to win this weekend and get their Chase off to a fast start?

The 2005 Chase to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup started today as the cup drivers invaded New Hampshire International Speedway. The drivers have turned up the intensity as The Chase is on. This race saw a little bit of revenge, a lot of anger, a bunch of personality, a ton of pit strategy and a great finish. This was the best NEXTEL Cup race that Loudon, NH has ever seen.

Tempers flared during this weekends Sylvania 300 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race in New Hampshire as Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Michael Waltrip all were involved in incidents during the race, and during the caution. Kurt Busch handled his with great maturity, the others all faced penalties. Who got what and what does it all mean?

Dover is a track where you either hit the setup or you don't. It is very difficult to make effective changes during the race if you're not already pretty close to perfect. This leads to drivers winning here in bunches. Tony Stewart swept both races in 2000, Jimmie Johnson in 2002 and Ryan Newman has won three of the last four here. Greg Biffle won in June, can he complete the sweep and take over the point lead?

Dover International Speedway has been called "Bristol on Steroids." It's a high-banked concrete oval where track position can be key to a good day. This causes drivers to try different pit strategies to steal a win. The September 2005 MBNA RacePoints 400 is a key race in The Chase as you can't win a Championship here but you can lose one on the tough oval.

This week the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup rolls on to Talladega Superspeedway. This is the final race of the year where the drivers are forced to race with restrictor plates. These plates reduce the horsepower available to the motor and place a premium on drafting skill. The multi-car wreck called The Big One that Talladega is famous for can take out 25 drivers at a time and ruin a chasers Championship hopes in an instant.

Since restrictor plates were introduced in 1988 Talladega Superspeedway has been known as the home of The Big One. Most races at the 2.5 mile superspeedway have been characterized by one big scary wreck. Today's NEXTEL Cup race at Talladega managed to have two scary looking Big Ones. Dale Jarrett came out on top but the real winners today are the drivers who have survived another season of plate racing.

Kansas Speedway is one of the so-called cookie-cutter race tracks that resemble many of the other modern tracks on the circuit. Right in the heart of The chase the teams at the top will start to make their move while drivers deep in the pack need to start to panic if they are going to salvage their season and build momentum for 2006.

The NEXTEL Cup stars put on a good show today at Kansas Speedway with lots of passing and great racing all over the track. Roush Racing teammates dominated much of the day and Roush driver Mark Martin picked up a win for the over-40 crowd.

This Saturday night's UAW-GM Quality 500 is the only race in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup running at night in primetime. Lowes Motor Speedway is a great facility and speed records will likely fall this weekend as it is now faster than ever. Can point leader Tony Stewart keep up his torrid pace or will another driver in The Chase be...

Tonight's UAW-Gm Quality 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway was a mess. Drivers were afraid to run hard because the Goodyear tires just were not able to handle the abuse. They had a record number of cautions for 500 miles at Lowes Motor Speedway as Jimmie Johnson won this grueling battle for survival to claim his fourth win in a row at this race track.

NASCAR fans, media and even some of the drivers were quick to find someone to blame for this weekend's fiasco at Lowes Motor Speedway. However, this was just one of those rare instances where multiple factors all came together in just the wrong way. Nobody could have predicted this until it was too late to prevent it.

Martinsville Speedway hosts the only short track race of the 2005 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup as the NASCAR stars invade the flat half-mile paperclip this weekend. Can Jimmie Johnson keep his winning streak alive? Will Tony Stewart get his Championship dreams back on track? Will tire problems rear their ugly heads again?

This weekend the NEXTEL Cup series had it's final short-track race of the season. For the second week in a row the NEXTEL Cup series stars had a record number of cautions in the race. It wasn't pretty or interesting watching them roll around under yellow lap after lap but the points were still critical and some drivers found their Chase hopes dashed today as non-Chaser Jeff Gordon took the win.

Atlanta Motor Speedway has a history of great finishes. Carl Edwards won here in the spring by .028 seconds over Jimmie Johnson. Kevin Harvick won here in 2001 by just .006 seconds. Will we see another great finish this weekend? With only four races left in the 2005 NEXTEL Cup season it's time to let it all hang out and go for the win. I think the odds are good that we will see another great race in Atlanta.

Carl Edwards likes to perform a backflip after he wins a race. In 2005 NEXTEL Cup fans at Atlanta Motor Speedway got to see him do it twice as he won both the spring and fall races here. While Edwards completed the sweep in Atlanta today Tony Stewart expended his lead at the top of the points.

Texas Motor Speedway sees top speeds of over 200MPH and fast laps average better than 194MPH. Texas also has a history of many cautions which keeps the field bunched for close racing. You can never quite predict what kind of race Texas will produce, but with only three races left in the 2005 Chase you can bet that it will be worth watching....

Texas Motor Speedway made the most of their brand new race date. Starting in the daylight and finishing under the lights much like the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway in May this race promised to be a challenge for drivers and crews to keep up with the changing conditions. The finish was a thriller as new tires beat old tires at the line.

After this weekend's scandal where Kurt Busch was taken into custody by Phoenix area authorities for suspicion of drunk driving Jack Roush has decided to suspend Busch for the remainder of the season.

There are only two races remaining in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and all eyes are focussed on the drivers at the head of the pack. Tony Stewart leads by 38 points over Jimmie Johnson and the Championship will likely be decided between them. This weekend's Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway will be critical in...

It was an interesting day in Phoenix as in the morning defending NEXTEL Cup Champion Kurt Busch was suspended for the rest of the year by car owner Jack Roush. Later that afternoon his younger brother Kyle Busch won the Checker Auto Parts 500 in his Hendrick Motorsports #5.

Ford Championship Weekend is finally upon us. On Friday the Craftsman Truck Series Champion will be crowned after the Ford 200. Saturday will see the Ford 300 decide Busch Series Championship. Finally, the Ford 400 on Sunday will determine the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Champion. We started this journey in Daytona more than nine months ago. Now it all...

The 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season went out with a roar as Homestead-Miami Speedway saw the race decided by just a couple of feet. Greg Biffle beat Mark Martin to the line by two feet. Tony Stewart very quietly rode around for a 15th place finish, but it was all he needed to clinch the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship.

The 2005 NASCAR season has drawn to a close but don't forget the NASCAR fans on your list as the 2005 holiday shopping season opens. From NASCAR tickets and high-tech gadgets to books and magazines here is something for every NASCAR fan on your list.