Budweiser Shootout

victory in the Budweiser Shootout through Denny Hamlin's win in the season finale at Homestead, the 2009 season belonged to Jimmie Johnson. Now a four-time Cup Series champion, Johnson wrapped up his fourth consecutive title with another 10-race Chase run into the record books.

However, there were many other storylines that made headlines this year -- the economy and its effect on a sponsor-driven sport, Jeremy Mayfield's suspension following a failed drug test and the subsequent legal filings, Danica Patrick's seemingly never ending "talks" with team owners, not to mention the Hall of Fame as well as the on-track competition.

NAS-CAR.COM's staff writers weigh in with their top stories of the year: Sponsorship was priceless in '09. Sponsorship was priceless in '09.

MARK AUMANN The economic slowdown affected every facet of the sport in 2009, and may continue to do so in the near future.

Two of the sport's manufacturers -- Chevrolet and Chrysler -- faced bankruptcy and throttled back their monetary and engineering assistance. Major corporations cut back or eliminated their sponsorships altogether. Several teams merged or shuttered their operations, and in the process, laid off hundreds of employees. Others went the "start and park" route in an effort to limit expenses and maximize revenues.

The drop in attendance, close to 10 percent from 2008 estimates, was partially blamed on the recession, as fans had more difficult choices to make with their increasingly limited disposable income. Many members of the media found themselves facing the same situation as declining advertising revenue required downsizing. And even though the forecast is rosier for the foreseeable future, there's no guarantee NASCAR will return to its halcyon days any time soon.

2012 NASCAR story lines

By Jim Tomlin, Times Staff Writer Wednesday, February 22, 2012 An exclusive club Before this season, NASCAR had seen only six female drivers at the top level. Danica Patrick, right, has a 10-race deal this season in Sprint Cup. At the end of it, she will have the third-most starts by a woman at NASCAR's top level. The women Patrick will join by racing in Sunday's Daytona 500: Driver Years Starts ...

Caraviello: Stewart still chasing one big prize that's eluded him

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Few drivers have dominated Daytona International Speedway to the degree that Tony Stewart has in recent years. The reigning NASCAR champion has claimed the season-opening event six times at the sport's most famous race track, including the past four years in a row. This weekend, he's in position to match a track record currently owned by Dale Earnhardt. These days, there ...

NASCAR-CUP: Hamlin talks about strategy for the Duel at Daytona

DENNY HAMLIN , No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Photo by: Eric Gilbert What is the strategy for your Duel race? "Our strategy is to get the best starting spot possible. With heating issues that we had, we seem like we've got that sorted out a little bit. NASCAR's giving us a little bit bigger PRV (pressure release valve) valve -- I think it's all ...

Tony Stewart aims to stay atop NASCAR's Sprint Cup field

By Matt Baker, Times Staff Writer Wednesday, February 22, 2012 DAYTONA BEACH Tony Stewart sits in a black director's chair on a live TV set, the latest stop in the defending NASCAR champion's whirlwind day in a whirlwind offseason. • He shot a commercial in London, acted in a sitcom alongside Tim Allen, and sported custom clogs emblazoned with his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. • Now, as ...

NASCAR: Why the Points System Doesn't Punish Bad Finishes More Than the Old One

How many times have you heard—from NASCAR drivers, the media or the guy sitting next to you in the Talladega bleachers—that the new points system makes it tougher for drivers to make up ground in the points after suffering a bad finish? Don’t believe it for a minute. The reasoning behind that assertion rests on a faulty assumption. Today, I want to debunk that myth. Here is an explanation of how ...