There are numerous opinionated posts pertaining to the top-five, ten, and even top-20 all-time this or all-time that, which any Joe blogger can put together since all it takes is a few pictures, and 50 to 100 words to explain why they feel their opinion is set in stone.

Rather than tag along in the footsteps of those who chose to follow the epidemic, or as one writer told me, “I was told to write and post this in two days.”  

Because after all who am I to stand in the way of the fans and say which driver or team was the most interesting, overrated, or which ones are responsible for the success or the demise of NASCAR?  

I decided to take a different approach and post a story, which in fact had an impact on our sport as well as those who participated in this new internet craze throughout the season.

Social networking in NASCAR hit a new all-time high when the Twitter craze became contagious, and it was clearly visible by all the drivers and teams who logged on to keep their fans informed throughout the season.

Twitter became the backbone for many different reasons, and one of the biggest was to give the fans a glimpse of what goes on during a typical day in the life of their favorite driver.

The fans that flocked to Twitter were also given some good inside information on how each driver responds to different situations, which included members of the media who probably never realized just how many fans were actually tuned in.

Darrell Waltrip was one of those media members who learned the hard way, that social networking was a lot bigger than what he probably anticipated, when he leaked a story on his twitter page that drew National attention.

This incident was one of my favorites, and in no way am I trying persuade anyone to agree with me since we all have the right to choose what we like and don't like.

The Earnhardt family, along with Richard Childress, were was all set to move forward with a big announcement on Thursday, April 29, which was also the 59th birthday of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Finally after three years, the modern day Hatfield and McCoy feud between Teresa and Dale Jr. was going to be put on hold in time to deliver a message that took months of planning between the parties involved.

Announcements of this magnitude do not come very often, and they are carefully prepared to be broadcast to the fans at just the right time during the busy NASCAR season.

It wasn’t long before controversy surrounded the announcement, and it all began when Foxsports.com senior writer Lee Spencer posted a story about Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving a No. 3 Wrangler Nationwide Series car at Daytona in July.

Richard Childress Racing, JR Motorsports, along with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in a joint effort, will breathe life back into a car that made the elder Earnhardt famous during his early career while driving in the Winston Cup Series.

Earnhardt won three championships with Wrangler as his sponsor in 1980, '86, and '87, before GM Goodwrench took over the primary role in 1988, with Earnhardt adding another four until his untimely death in 2001.

Foxsports television commentator Darrell Waltrip took the announcement from Spencer a step further, when he posted details of her article on Twitter.com, which didn’t settle to well with Earnhardt.

“We ain’t really got anything confirmed—DW blew the lid off of it on Twitter no less. That kind of ruined our announcement that we had planned,” said an upset Earnhardt after Waltrip broke the story on Twitter.

Earnhardt also added that, “We’re going to have our announcement here soon and explain to everybody what the whole program is about and how it came about and what’s going to happen. Its unfortunate DW uncovered that. We didn’t plan to announce it like this. We’ll do it when we had it originally planned.”

Twitter, which has become one of the biggest social networking sites on the web, can turn out to be a huge downfall to those persons who misuse it by tweeting confidential information.

Most of us who do utilize Twitter need to realize that there is always someone on the other end who is reading, and just like Waltrip you never know who that person is.

“Oh by the way, I did learn one thing, Twitter is a great way to get the word out, even people that don't have it know what’s on it," said Waltrip on his Twitter page.

Waltrip also added that, “Lesson learned be careful what you tweet, because you never know who is reading.”

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With many unanswered questions because of her lack of experience behind the wheel of the heavier stock car, and the fact that her Indy car career was less than stellar at best.

The fans began to take sides after they realized she was serious about her attempt to try and compete in a series, which is nowhere near the types of cars she grew up racing in.

Before long, the first of many unsupportive jabs were thrown, when Kyle Petty, who is now retired, kicked it off with this rant.

"She's not Dario Franchitti and she's not Tony Stewart. She's not really shown over there [in the Indy Racing League] and won races and done stuff over there numbers-wise,” said Petty during the Sight and Sound which marked the unofficial start of the 2010 NASCAR racing season.

Petty also added, “She's just a marketing machine. Let's look at the facts and be blunt about it. If she gets in that car and doesn't win races, it's not the car, it's not the engines and it’s not the team.”

Petty finished with, “The only impact she'll have on the sport is she wasted two or three years on a car that a good driver could have been in and could have been developing.”

Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to reach the top level of open wheel racing and NASCAR in the 1970s, along with being a member of NASCAR’s appeal panel said, "She should stay where she is in the IndyCar Series.”

Guthrie also added, "She is in the best possible situation, and in the catbird seat with one of the few teams [Andretti Autosport] that is capable of winning."

Earnhardt Ganassi driver Juan Montoya, who made his first start in 2006 coming from the open wheel ranks said, "Danica, I think she's got the talent and everything but I don't think she knows what she's getting into."

Montoya finished with, "They're so different to drive, and it's not the same feeling. I wouldn't be doing both cars, to be honest with you, that's my advice."

The fact of the matter is, the only reason she has gotten this much publicity is because she is a high profile female trying to make it in one of the most popular motorsports today.

Not only is she a female, but because in the sex-sells society that we live in, her success that she has had in the IRL falls more on the heels of selling herself as a sex symbol than a race car driver.

You can’t blame her sponsor GoDaddy.com for coupling their marketing skills with the racy commercials to sell not only their product, but Patrick as well.

"We're thrilled to expand our long-standing relationship with Danica into NASCAR,” said GoDaddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons.

Parsons also added that, “This is not only big news for NASCAR fans; it has all the ingredients for some major GoDaddy-esque marketing magic."

Parsons thrust Patrick into the limelight with his unique marketing strategy, while just about closing the door for any female to have a chance in the series unless they are willing to follow his technique with the focus pointed at teasing members of the opposite sex.

Each fan who chose to do so shared their opinion pertaining to the success that she could have in the series, and she will continue to be scrutinized until she can prove that her career is not based off her marketing power, and more on her driving abilities in NASCAR.

Skepticism ran rampant as the season progressed, and Patrick herself made it hard for the fans to gauge if indeed she had what it took to compete at this level, since her results reflected her lack of experience.

With each passing race, we heard the watered down versions of why she might become an overnight success, with most of them based on her one victory that came in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Patrick ran a total of 13 races in 2010 without a top-five, or top-10 finish, and only finished one race on the lead lap.

With all the hype and expectations that followed her into the Nationwide series, she only lead four, and completed 2040 of the 2355 laps she ran during the year, which to most was a big accomplishment given the fact she only competed on a part-time basis.

Until Patrick makes a decision to drive full-time in the NNS, or continue her career in the IZOD IndyCar Series, she will continue to be put under a microscope of uncertainty concerning her driving abilities in NASCAR.

The consensus around the internet has gone both ways, as far as how much success she could possibly have if indeed she chose the NNS over her open wheel career, with no in-betweens.

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In the past we have seen open-wheel drivers such as Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti and Scott Speed—who just lost his ride with Red Bull Racing—just to name a few, test their driving skills against NASCAR’s biggest stars.

The open-wheel invasion continues into the 2011 season with the signing of Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr., who will be driving in the NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series for Kevin Harvick Inc.

Piquet, who is a 25-year-old native of Brazil, will compete full-time in hopes of bringing KHI another championship along with the year-end Rookie of the Year award.

"I am very excited to join KHI and to drive in the Truck Series. I look forward to combining what I have learned this year from running five races in the series with the professionalism and experience of the KHI organization,” said Piquet, who will switch from the Toyota he ran last year to a Chevy Silverado.

Piquet also added, “I want to thank Kevin, DeLana and everyone at KHI for this opportunity. I am looking forward to our partnership and I can't wait to get out on the track in a KHI Chevrolet Silverado and start winning races."

"This is a very unique opportunity to have a driver like Nelson be a part of KHI," said co-owner Kevin Harvick during this morning’s press conference.

Piquet made his truck series debut at the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 Truck Series race, when he started 22nd and finished sixth ahead of such stars as Kyle Busch and the 2010 series champion Ron Hornaday Jr.

Piquet ran an additional four races in the trucks, along with running one Nationwide race as a road ringer at Watkins Glen, where he finished seventh.

Harvick was impressed with Piquet's progress when he stated, "In five starts in the Truck Series this season he not only gained valuable seat time but proved himself by getting some solid finishes.”

Harvick added, “We are excited to have Nelson as a part of our Truck Series program as he takes another step forward in his career."

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We already know one the hottest stories to come out from behind the doors of one of NASCAR’s most decorated organizations is Jimmie Johnson’s record setting fifth straight championship in-a-row.

It’s not hard to see that most of the fans are still trying to convince themselves that somehow NASCAR got it all wrong by allowing such a travesty to enter the sport by way of a fiasco called the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.

Even though Johnson walked away the big winner for the fifth straight year, the biggest question to come out of the HMS camp during the season was the poor showing by NASCAR’s most popular driver again.

No other driver received the amount of publicity for such a poor season then the son of one of the true legends of the sport, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Question after question was posted, along with many fictional answers as to why this 36 year-old driver from Kannapolis, North Carolina has not been able to perform according to their standards.

These standards are what every NASCAR fan hopes their favorite driver can achieve, but unfortunately, not all drivers are capable of reaching them, whether it be because of talent, skill, heart, desire, equipment or whatever excuse will be placed upon them.

Excuses have become second nature whenever Earnhardt’s fans have tried to justify or explain why he is having trouble with an organization that is said to have the best equipment in the sport.

How many organizations can boast of having a four-time, along with a five-time champion, on the same team?

Wasn’t it just last season when a 50 year-old driver by the name of Mark Martin, who was driving in his first season with the organization won five races, along with finishing second in the points behind cup champion Jimmie Johnson?

Martin just about stole the headlines away from Johnson towards the end of the season, but the big story was the signing of IZOD IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick, only a few days after NASCAR’s season ending awards banquet.

The signing of Patrick took the focus off of Johnson’s fourth championship, when a legion of doubters began flooding the NASCAR social sites explaining why the GoDaddy.com poster girl should not be allowed to race in NASCAR’s second tier series.

Marketing has always been the cornerstone of this great sport of ours, and it’s no wonder that Mr. Hendrick has made it one of his key ingredients when it comes to building a successful organization.

After all, when you look back to Earnhardt’s last three seasons with the organization, the majority of the fans began putting him into the same category as Patrick with the moniker that Hendrick only hired him because of his popularity.

Now, whether it is true or not has yet to be proven, especially after Hendrick heard the cry from the fans and replaced Earnhardt’s long time crew chief Tony Eury Jr. with Lance McGrew.

It wouldn’t take long before Earnhardt’s fans would begin questioning whether McGrew was the right man for the job, and once again, the focus of Earnhardt’s poor results would be back in the hands of his crew chief.

So when Hendrick made the announcement at the end of the season that Earnhardt would be getting Gordon’s crew chief Steve Letarte to start the 2011 campaign, along switching the shops of the 24 and 88 teams, almost immediately Earnhardt’s legion of fans went into a frenzy saying this should be the move that puts their driver back in victory lane.

Now from a marketing standpoint, it made all the sense in the world, especially when you are dealing with the sport’s most popular driver and part of the focus being on keeping his fans happy.

Changing shops is not the answer to the problems which Earnhardt has faced since coming on board with HMS in 2008, and when you think about it the only difference is the car number sitting next to his.

Earnhardt will be working with a new group of team members, which will be led by his new crew chief Steve Letarte.

Sharing a race shop with five-time champion Jimmie Johnson will not make him a better driver, nor will it help the team since each driver has their own driving style and set-ups which they prefer.

When looking back to 2002, when Johnson first came into the series, Gordon’s best season was in 2007 when he finished second in the point standings, with six wins while sharing the same shop with Johnson.

Gordon, who has proven to be a more experienced driver than Earnhardt, missed only one chase appearance in 2005, which happened to be the same year Steve Letarte took over for Robbie Loomis with 10 races left in the season.

Gordon would add an additional 10 wins, 78 top-five and 114 top-10 finishes in 190 starts with LeTarte as his crew chief, but in the end would only pick-up one win in the last three seasons which is way below Gordon’s standards.

“Five years is a long opportunity, and I had an opportunity to get him there, and we came close a few years but we never got there completely,” said Letarte who will not be back with Gordon next season.

Letarte also added that, “I’m definitely disappointed in that. … I’m a crew chief in this sport because of Jeff Gordon, and Rick Hendrick.”

Letarte knows he will have his hands full next season and the task at hand will not be an easy one, especially when you’re talking about a driver who means so much to the sport.

“I was excited for the opportunity. I was humbled. It’s a very important task for this company, for Dale Jr., for the sport, and I take it as that. I was very proud that I was the guy tagged for that. I’m excited, and I’m ready to go,” said Letarte when talking about the move to the No. 88 team.

Whether or not the changes will be beneficial to Earnhardt is a question mark that will be answered once the 2011 season begins, even though in the minds of the purist races are run on the track and not in the shop.

As far as Earnhardt’s fans are concerned, they need to realize a four-time champion encountered his own problems while sharing a shop with Johnson, and it’s not the shop that makes the driver, even though Earnhardt feels otherwise:

"I needed this to happen. Hopefully, this will get me back to winning races, running in the top five and running in the top 10." said Earnhardt of the change.

Earnhardt also added, "The only person that can truly help me get where I need to go starts with me, then it goes to Rick, Steve [Letarte] and those guys in your inner circle every week and in your corner every week.”

How many crew chiefs will it take to get Earnhardt back into victory lane is anyone’s guess, but the answer may be plain and simple in the eyes of NASCAR’s most popular driver:

"My biggest problem, I think, is my confidence,"

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Gomez will drive his championship-winning car, the No. 22 Century Boatland Chevrolet, in the 110-lap Spear SRL Southwest tour race, along with competing in the 50-lap Auto Club Late Model race.

The SRL tour will be making its third and final stop at the progressively banked half-mile speedway, with Gomez having scored his second of two victories in the series here at the track back on July 17.

Gomez, who began Friday night’s practice session in his late model, brought it back to the pits early in the session after noticing the rpm's were running high.

After exiting the car, Gomez said, “We had the wrong gear in it, so we didn’t get any practice in tonight.”

Gomez added, "The Heritage Cattle Company hasn’t run for over a year, but it’s always a good-running car.” When the evening’s practice began for the SRL tour, Gomez climbed into his Chevrolet only to have misfortune strike twice in one night.

A valve spring broke on the left side of the engine, which ended Gomez’s practice session earlier than expected.

The crew quickly went to work on both cars and, before the evening ended, had both cars ready to repair once the parts arrived.

A rear end for the late model, along with a valve retainer for the SRL car, was to arrive Saturday morning in time for the crew to make the necessary repairs.

Crew member Derek Copeland said, “Luckily, when the valve spring broke, he pulled off before the valve dropped.”  

The team was in really good spirits, along with his father, Jon, even though the night didn’t go as planned, as most of it was spent diagnosing the repairs needed to get both cars ready for Saturday night's main events.

Gomez himself was optimistic that both his cars would be ready for Saturday's practice, but even more so for the upcoming evening race.

“We are here to have fun since we are not points racing, and I have no clue what to expect. We have never run the car at Irwindale, so there will be a lot of new people I have never raced against,” said Gomez, who will be making his first start in a late model at the track.

Gomez added, “We are getting all the kinks worked out so we can come out tomorrow and do some racing and hopefully win the guitar and surfboard." 

The winner of the 110-lap SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series race at the CANIDAE California Classic will take home a one-of-a-kind Troy Lee Designs surfboard and guitar, along with $5,000, the second-largest winner’s payout in series history.

When talking about his championship season, Gomez added, “It’s a good feeling to know that all the hard work the team and I put in all year paid off. We start the year off working towards the championship and to finish with the championship.”

Gomez also took time to thank his sponsors, Heritage Cattle Company, Century Boatland, J&C Custom Harvesting, United Oil, Modern Machinery, DJ Safety and Gomez Farms.

VERSUS Network will broadcast the CANIDAE California Classic and will televise the special event on December 26 at 4:00pm EST and December 30 at 6pm EST.

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick will make an official announcement tomorrow concerning three driver crew chief combinations, which will take effect immediately.

Mark Martin will be paired with Earnhardt’s crew chief Lance McGrew while Earnhardt will pick up Steve LeTarte from Jeff Gordon.

Gordon will have Alan Gustafson atop his pit box, and the only driver who will see no changes is Jimmie Johnson who will keep his long-time crew chief Chad Knaus.

According to a Hendrick Motorsports press release, the cars of Martin and four-time Sprint Cup champion Gordon will be fielded out of the same facility, now known as the 5/24 shop. Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolets will be prepared out of the renamed 48/88 shop alongside those of five-time and defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

"This will improve us as an organization, across the board," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.

Hendrick also added, "We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

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Expectations once again ran high as they do every time the month of February rolls around, when his legion of followers prepare themselves for what they hope will have a championship ending.

Once again Earnhardt failed to produce a happy ending, but instead found himself following the same path he embarked on six seasons ago.

Less then stellar is one way of describing his sudden fall from grace, and upon further review 2004 was by far his best season and a time when he looked to be a legit championship contender.

Earnhardt won six races, along with adding a career best 16 top-five, and 21 top-10 finishes while finishing fifth in the final point standings, and Jimmie Johnson was the only driver to win more races them him that year.

The next three seasons Earnhardt would only make two visits to victory lane, and it was then he would shock the racing world saying he was ready to leave the organization his late father and step mom founded in 1980. 

Earnhardt would leave behind his long time sponsor, along with the number he used in honor of his grandfather, and find refuge with  NASCAR’s most popular organization.

Hendrick Motorsports would welcome Earnhardt with a new set of sponsors, along with the number 88 which was used by Robert Yates Racing.

Robert Yates felt because, "Ralph Earnhardt drove the No. 88 Olds in 1957 and because of this number's history with the Earnhardt family, I felt car No. 88 should continue with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,"

So here is NASCAR’s most popular driver, sitting behind the wheel of the sports most technologically advanced organizations race car, ready to give his career a much needed boost.

Earnhardt was able to notch his first win during his inaugural season (2008) with his new team,  but once again he would falter the rest of the season even though he qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.

With five finishes outside the top-20, which included three finishes outside the top-25, and two outside the top-35, proved to be his biggest downfall.

When consistency plays a huge role, Earnhardt never found a rhythm which led to him finishing 12th in the point standings, 557 points behind eventual champion Jimmie Johnson.

For the next two season Earnhardt’s fans waited patiently for something positive to materialize, but with only five top-five, and 13 top-10 finished in 72 starts, they began to wonder what had become of their driver.

Nothing seemed to help their ailing driver, and it wasn’t long before Rick Hendrick himself stepped in and figured a change of crew chiefs was in order.

With Lance McGrew calling the shots for the 2010 season, Earnhardt still continued to struggle even though he improved his 2009 overall finish with a 21st in the point standings.

Improvement is what his fans have been waiting to see, and this year was no different when post after post was written about what can possibly be done to put their driver back into contention for a championship.

Just about every scenario has been thought of, including having him pack up his belongings and leaving the confines of Hendrick Motorsports, in hopes and of finding greener pastures with another organization.

Where can NASCAR’s most popular possibly go to find solitude along with  a new beginning, when three years ago these same fans were overjoyed when he made the best decision to leave Dale Earnhardt Incorporated for Hendrick Motorsports? 

Many have voiced their opinions that Richard Childress Racing would be the best fit, even though there is no room since Paul Menard signed on as their fourth driver.

D.E.I. was also thrown in the mix, but lets not forget that Teresa Earnhardt still owns the team, and wasn’t it three years ago the fans were lobbying for him to walk out on her?

Would Earnhardt be willing to leave the manufacturer that has been synonymous with the Earnhardt name, and jump on board with lets say Ford, Dodge, or even Toyota?

All of these suggestions don’t mean a thing if he is not welcome, or for a better way to put it Rick Hendrick keeps him right where he is.

The headline reads, “Dale Earnhardt Jr. Leaves Hendrick Motorsport; Where Goes Is Anyone’s Guess.”

For his fans the first half of the headline would be a breath of fresh air, but what about Earnhardt’s feelings about this, and where would he go?

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Instead, it was replaced with a look of repugnance, after watching his dominating performance take a backseat to Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick’s late-race fuel strategy payoff.

Hamlin, who led a race high 190 laps while Johnson failed to lead a lap and collect the extra five bonus points, now finds himself having to protect a small lead against the four-time champion who looks to have the chase format mastered.

Not only did Hamlin allow Johnson to close within an arms distance of winning his fifth championship, he also gave Kevin Harvick a second wind after pushing him back from being a serious threat. On lap 233 Robby Gordon spins out, bringing out the caution as the leaders head to pit road.

Kyle Busch beats Hamlin off pit road to grab the lead with 87 laps left in the race.

Johnson passes Harvick in the pits to take fourth, while Mike Ford tells Hamlin they're about 12-13 laps short on fuel.

Knowing from team radio chatter that Hamlin was not going to be able to make it to the finish without stopping again for fuel, Knaus began scheming with Johnson to save fuel with hopes of cutting into Hamlin’s point lead. 

Knaus’s gamble paid off when Johnson started conserving fuel with 15 laps left, and the team was able to finish race in fifth, seven positions ahead of Hamlin.

More importantly Johnson was able to shave an additional 43 points with the gamble and put himself within 15 points instead of 58, had Hamlin also gambled and finished the race in second without running out of fuel.

On lap 288 Hamlin told his crew chief, "Don't let them short-pit us, Mike,” and two laps later Hamlin also begins saving fuel knowing that Ford had already told him earlier they would be 12-13 laps short.

Hamlin begin to drop even farther back from race leader Carl Edwards, and with 21 laps left in the race Hamlin’s deficit was 2.3 seconds.

Finally with 14 laps left in the race, Ford called Hamlin in for two tires and fuel which took him 7.6 seconds and put him a lap back.

It wasn’t until lap 301 when Hamlin would pass Edwards and get his lap back, with Johnson and Harvick running fifth and eight respectively. 

Hamlin was quickly running out of time, and with only five laps left he was still outside the top-10 in 15th place, while Johnson was in serious conservation mode running in sixth and Harvick closing in from the seventh position.

By the time the checkered was thrown, Hamlin crossed the line in 12th, Johnson picked up a spot and finished fifth with Harvick right behind in sixth.

Now going back to the last round of pit stops on lap 225 when Ford told his driver they would be 12-13 laps short.

Why would Ford have Hamlin begin to save fuel on lap 291, only seven laps from his next stop on lap 298 already knowing they did not have enough fuel to finish the race?

Hamlin lost valuable time by slowing down to conserve fuel, along with losing positions which meant losing points in the process.

Ford should have brought his driver down pit lane on lap 291, instead of having him conserve fuel for seven laps especially when he already knew they would be making one more stop for fuel.

Hamlin was able to pick-up seven positions in 12 laps, and could have picked up another four or five spots, or possibly caught Johnson or Harvick had Ford not slowed him down and brought him in on lap 291 instead of lap 298.

Instead of the 15-point advantage over Johnson, and the 46-point advantage over Harvick.

With four more positions Hamlin would have a comfortable 58-point lead over Harvick, and a 27-point lead over Johnson which would have put more pressure on Johnson and Harvick to perform.

If Hamlin is going to hang on and win the championship, Ford also will have to walk the walk—and hope this time he's fast enough and smart enough to beat the crafty Knaus to the finish.

You have to wonder if Ford was listening to the radio chatter the same way Knaus was because those extra seven laps of having his driver run at full speed and picking up those extra points could be the deciding factor.  

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Summer to most of them meant going to visit distant relatives, maybe some camping, going to the movies with some of your friends or even an amusement park or two.

Summer can also be a time when some youngsters look for a job to put extra cash in their pockets. But to a 14-year-old native of Rockford, IL, it meant spending his weekends, helping his dad win his first Great Northern Series championship.

This father and son combination would also finish second in the Winston Racing series. What a joy it must have been for this young man’s dad to see and hear his son in the box during his championship season.

The son grew up around the racetracks helping his father race against the likes of Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Rusty Wallace and Dick Trickle, while never realizing that someday his son might be named amongst some of the best crew chiefs that NASCAR has ever seen.

Twenty-five years later as the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship is only one race away from crowning the 2010 champion, and the NASCAR history books could very easily be rewritten. 

Who is this crew chief that started winning championships at an age when most young boys were busy chasing girls and probably worried more about staying away from their own parents, then spending all weekend with them?

Chad Anthony Knaus has exemplified in today’s racing world what crew chiefs for years have tried to master by putting their drivers in victory lane.

Knaus has brought with him over 25 years of experience, dating back to a time when most teenagers were still having trouble doing their everyday chores, but yet to this young man, his chore carried a huge responsibility that most men twice his age couldn’t handle, which was helping his dad win auto racing championships.

Knaus has taken the job of a crew chief to whole new level and has shown the most effective way to get the most out of his driver with the humbleness of letting the racing world know that it’s the driver who is most important.

Behind every great driver is the mastermind of the whole operation, and they are the backbone of the team since they are also the ones who carry the brunt of how their driver performs.

What Knaus has done, since he got his first job back in 2001 while sitting in the box for Stacey Compton, is shown the racing world that he belonged among some of the best in the business, and it’s his strategy that gets tested week after week, race after race.

Knaus started his Winston cup career with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, which was led by then crew Chief Ray Evernham.

Knaus was the team fabricator, but then quickly moved up to the chassis and body manager and eventually would move into the role of a tire changer on the “Rainbow warriors” pit crew, helping to lead the team to championships in 1995 and 1997.

Knaus felt that his calling was more than just working on a pit team, so he left HMS and had a short stint with D.E.I. working as a car chief for Steve Park.

From there Knaus would once again get teamed up with Ray Evernham, after Evernham bought his own race team in 2000.

Knaus knew that his heart was still with the Hendricks organization and in 2002; he was offered the job of crew chief for Rick Hendricks up and coming driver...Jimmie Johnson.

In his first season with the No. 48 team, Knaus earned, “The Crew Chief of the Year” award, even though Johnson lost the “Rookie of the Year” award to Penske driver Ryan Newman.

Controversy is no stranger to Knaus and company, and it was back in 2007 during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Speedway, when he and Steve Letarte were both found in violation of a pair of out of shape fenders by NASCAR, and they were both fined and suspended a total of six races each.

Ever since Knaus was caught stretching the rules a bit, he has been tabbed by a lot of today’s NASCAR fans, as a crew chief that will go to any length to bend the rules to his liking.

Knaus and Johnson have had more than their share of success, by winning races using pit strategy, fuel mileage and an occasional bump here and there, and of course the most important tool that any winning team must have...communication.

The way these two communicate, before and during the race, exemplifies how championship teams are supposed to be run.

Knaus has shown throughout his NASCAR career that he does belong beside some of the great crew chiefs of the past, and in today’s modern racing era, he has taken a front row seat to greatness, and has set a new standard that all young crew chiefs could learn from.

With one race left, its time recognize and give credit to the man who not only helped Johnson reach his potential but also the man who works long hours to make sure that his driver has the tools to win races, and championships. 

How much faith does his driver have going into Homestead this Sunday?

“I know that with Chad [Knaus] on the box, we're going to work on a strategy and hopefully find an upper hand somewhere, somehow. The first goal is to have enough speed to run away from them, not worry about it. If not, you have to back up and punt and figure out what to do from there."

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Busch is having another spectacular season with seven wins, 11 top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in only 14 starts in the Camping World Truck series alone.

Then you add the record-breaking season he’s had in the Nationwide Series with 12 wins, 21 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes while missing six starts, along with three wins, 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in the Sprint Cup Series for a total of 22 wins in NASCAR’s top three touring series.

Busch who is known for his outlandish tirades when things don’t go his way, which include storming off the track and refusing to be interviewed has outdone himself this past weekend in Texas.

Busch became frustrated from a new rule change, which took effect at the beginning of the season, which states that speeding on pit road to keep from going down a lap was changed to a one-lap penalty to keep drivers from speeding intentionally.  

Initially the rule was when a driver was caught speeding on pit road; he would go to the end of the line.

Busch was caught during the ESPN telecast giving a NASCAR official the one-finger salute, while serving his penalty sitting on pit road.

“I don’t know if the camera inside the car [impacted the penalty] or not, but it’s just unfortunate,” said Busch after the race.

Busch also added, “It’s something that I lost my cool in what I was doing and I had no worries about a camera inside the car at that point.”

Busch was then told by NASCAR that he was being penalized two laps for the obscene gesture. He then told his team over the radio, “That’s freedom of speech; they’re going against the constitutional rights for everybody.”

Busch’s crew chief Dave Rogers tried to calm his already frustrated driver, when he told him, “Kyle, stop, please, we all work too hard for this."

"You’re costing us. Bring it to pit road, park it for two laps…You’ve got to bring it in right now or we can roll it on the lift gate.”

Even though JGR President J.D. Gibbs said, “I’d be surprised if there are any more penalties coming,” NASCAR penalized Busch $25,000 and placed him on probation until Dec. 31.

The penalties stemmed from his actions during last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing—inappropriate gesture and verbal abuse to NASCAR Officials) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

Whether his fans feel either of the penalties was warranted, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said, “What he did on pit road was unacceptable. You can’t do that to an official. It’s inappropriate at any level of sport...Respect and the actions you take towards one of our officials, that’s serious. We take that very seriously.”

Busch can only blame himself, as he is the only one who has to learn from his mistakes. There is still the one lingering question: How far will his talent carry him beyond his not-so-spectacular attitude?

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