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.

Nascar Exhibit Looks Back at 'Good Old Days' of Racing - Wall Street Journal (blog)

Wall Street Journal

Nascar Exhibit Looks Back at 'Good Old Days' of Racing Wall Street Journal (blog) By Jonathan Welsh Nascar holds its annual All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night. Tailor-made for television in 1985, it's one of the events that brought Nascar into the mainstream. So it's timely that the Nascar Hall of Fame, ... 24 finalists named for induction into International Motorsports Hall of FamePress-Register - al.com all 6 news articles »

Anything goes: Rough driving, hard feelings part of the game in Sprint All ... - SportingNews.com

SB Nation

Anything goes: Rough driving, hard feelings part of the game in Sprint All ... SportingNews.com Another driver will make it through the Sprint Fan Vote, which almost certainly will go to Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver, if he doesn't win the Showdown. Unlike a typical Sprint Cup race, NASCAR's annual all-star event is an anything-goes ... In All-Star Race, a million reasons to do anythingNascar Speedy Andretti vying for Indy 500 poleWashington Observer Reporter NASCAR-CUP: Chevrolet Racing Charlotte All-Star race qualifying reportMotorsport.com PaddockTalk -SB Nation all 570 news articles »

Danger zone: NASCAR crewmen must deal with danger, gamesmanship on pit road - SportingNews.com

WBUR

Danger zone: NASCAR crewmen must deal with danger, gamesmanship on pit road SportingNews.com CONCORD, NC—NASCAR drivers get paid to drive fast. They don't get paid to creep along pit road worrying about hitting pit crew members. Their focus is to spend the least amount of time on pit road as possible without breaking NASCAR rules. NASCAR's Kurt Busch Turns Up The HeatWBUR Kurt Busch tells his side of the story, but is anyone buying it?Yahoo! Sports (blog) SPENCER: You're Outta HereFox News AthlonSports.com -Crave Online all 279 news articles »

NASCAR's top 10 drivers from North Carolina - SportingNews.com

NASCAR's top 10 drivers from North Carolina SportingNews.com The very first NASCAR “Strictly Stock” race was held at the old Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949. Since then, Charlotte and North Carolina have played a big role in the sport, with more NASCAR drivers coming from North Carolina than any other state. NASCAR Day: The Biggest Divorces In RacingHuffington Post all 6 news articles »

Wallace set to make NASCAR debut in Iowa - Fox News

Wallace set to make NASCAR debut in Iowa Fox News Heck, Wallace even has the perfect NASCAR nickname: "Bubba." But Wallace's undeniable skills aren't the only reason he's getting noticed. In a sport that's been almost the exclusive domain of white male drivers, it's impossible to overlook Wallace. and more »