So it happened. We all knew it would. Someone was bound to get to seven championships again. And we all knew it would be Jimmie Johnson. Using a fast car, late restarts, and skills beyond belief, Johnson won the 2016 championship, and the final race of the year as well. Now, I look back on this year, and let’s see what all has happened.

The final standings:

1:Jimmie Johnson

2: Joey Logano

3: Kyle Busch

4: Carl Edwards

5: Matt Kenseth

6: Denny Hamlin

7: Kurt Busch

8: Kevin Harvick

9: Kyle Larson

10: Chase Elliot

11: Martin Truex Jr.

12: Brad Keslowski

13: Jamie McMurray

14: Austin Dillon

15: Tony Stewart

16: Chris Buescher

Season’s most successful driver: Jimmie Johnson. Championships don’t lie. Johnson was always just as good as he needed to be. He won when he had to, and finished well when necessary. No competition.

Runner up: Chase Elliot. Surprising, eh? Well, from what I saw, Elliot very well may have been better than Johnson. Consistent, fast, and honest. He never once was angry with his less than impressive crew, and this young gun was almost always near the front. Were it not for some seriously bad luck, Chase would have won at least three races.

 

Rookie of the Year: I will go against the actual stats in some of my awards, but not this one. Chase Elliot was rookie of the year. No completion. Chase earned this title, and he has the brightest future among the 2016 rookies.

Runner up: Ryan Blaney. I know, Chris Buescher won a race, unlike Blaney and Elliot. But Ryan took a non-factor Wood Brothers Racing 21 car, and nearly got it in the Chase. He had some misfortune along the way, but he was impressive. Blaey has a good future, and could very well put Wood Brothers Racing in the Chase for the first time in history.

 

Biggest failure: Joey Logano. Joey did something this year no one else has. He became the first drive to be in the championship 4 twice, and fail to win even one. Logano’s ridiculous driving style has made him an enemy of pretty much everyone, and it lead to a late wreck at Homestead which eliminated Carl Edwards from the championship battle. And none of his three victories were skill related. They simply hinged on the fact that others either didn’t race or had issues.

Runner up: Kasey Kahne. Come on Kasey! You’re in a Hendrick car, and you can’t make the Chase. Kahne seems to have lost his speed, and the clock is ticking with young guns Alex Bowman and William Byron working their way toward the Cup series.

 

Worst luck: No question: Martin Truex Jr. Truex lost so many races this year, and in so many different ways.  He was eliminated from the Chase by his first engine failure in years. He may as well be renamed ‘Heart Breaker.’

Runner up: Chase Elliot. Chase was so close to that elusive victory, yet it failed to come. That was mainly due to mechanical failures and ill timed cautions. It just goes to show how hard it is to win at this level.

 

Biggest outbreak: Kyle Larson. If you’d told me after week five that Kyle Larson would be in the Chase, I’d have said you were looney. But Larson mounted the best outbreak in years, and capped it off with his first career victory, which came in Michigan. Larson suffered several mechanical problem which dropped him out of the Chase, but still, momentum is momentum, and look for Larson to be a strong driver next year.

Runner up: Austin Dillon. Dillon was surprisingly consistent, and that got him in the Chase. And he nearly made it to the round of 8. No minor feat. Dillon still hasn’t claimed that first win, but he can taste it. And so can everyone else. It’s coming, and Dillon looks to be closing in on becoming a serious threat in the Cup Series. The 3 is to be feared.

 

Biggest comeback: Tony Stewart. No doubt here. Stewart made sure to get one last hurrah before his retirement. In classic Stewart fashion, it came in a wild finish at Sonoma, where he claimed his last victory. He made the Chase, but h=lacked the speed to get far. While it wasn’t as dramatic of a finish, Stewart gave fans what they wanted: One final win for Smoke. He now enters retirement with his head held high, and a spot in the Nascar Hall Of Fame pretty much guaranteed.

Runner Up: Trevor Bayne. Trevor was quiet this year, but when you actually looked at him, he was a surprise. He was consistent, and he was actually a playoff contender for most of the season. While he didn’t win or claim that victory everyone wants, he was a massive improvement over 2015, where he was 30th in point. Bayne may be on the road to getting into a=he playoff picture.

 

Best team: Joe Gibbs Racing. No doubt here. This team was outright dominate, and despite failing to claim the title, they became the first team to put two drivers in the final four. Had it not been for Joey Logano’s stupidity, they may have actually claimed the title.

Runner up: Stewart-Hass Racing. I know it’s strange to leave the championship team out of this ranking, but SHR was really better all around than Hendrick Motorsports. They had more wins (6 to 5), more winning drivers (3 to 1),  and more drivers in the Chase (3 to 2). Stewart-Hass is now entering a new era, so they may not be here long. Whether they go up or down is a question only time will answer.

 

Best Track: Daytona. You can’t deny it, Daytona put on quite a show this year. A photo finish in the 500, and amazing racing in the 400. No track was as thrilling.

Runner up: Phoenix. Any track with a photo finish is hard to beat. Phoenix got one of those in the Spring, with Kevin Harvick just beating Carl Edwards to the finish line. In the Fall we saw quite the finish as well. Phoenix earned this title.

 

Worst track: Talladega. I don’t know if it’s right to label the track this, but the Fall race at Talladega was an insult to the history of Nascar and the track. That was just one race, but it was sad.

Runner up: Atlanta. This one I can blame on the racing. I don’t know why Nascar ever used this track as the season finale. Atlanta is the worst track on the Cup schedule, but at least the drivers race there.

 

Well, that’s what I have to say about this season. It was quite the season, although for once it seemed that the Chase was the worst part. Not sure why. Anyway, I’m looking for ward to 2017. However, the sport won’t be the same without retiring Tony Stewart.

AlwaysRac14g. Thanks for the memories Smoke!