2015 Champions and Recap

Well fellow race fans the 2015 season is officially over. What a crazy season it has been first off I'm so thankful that all drivers made it through the year. There were a lot of scary crashes and three drivers especially that lived despite horrific crashes that easily could have killed them. Austin Dillon's crash at Daytona for him to survive that was a miracle as I said back then I truly thought watching it that he was dead and I'd just witnessed my first fatality. Kyle Busch also at Daytona without hans devices he definitely a few years ago would have died and you look at his injuries it's a miracle he was okay. Finally Austin Theriault's crash at Las Vegas hearing that his hans device broke he's incredibly lucky to still be alive and it shows that we still will never have a perfectly safe sport. There were many other wrecks and hard hits but those three made me thankful for all the safety NASCAR has implemented throughout the years. There was a lot of crazy moments for me personally with my 4 favorite drivers. Seeing Jeff Gordon run his final season (see my next post all about that) and learning that next year will be Tony Stewart's final season. Learning that Michael Waltrip Racing was to end operations at season's end. It was a crazy season and for me personally it was the season that I saw my second race live once again at the Michigan International Speedway. It was also the first season that I watched without my NASCAR buddy and the women who truly was my second mom. I miss her every day it's so surreal that a year of NASCAR news that we would have talked about is gone. Tonight one of my favorites won the championship and I wish more than anything that I could have had her congratulations and playful teasing however I didn't and I have to get use to the fact I can't text or talk to her about NASCAR however I'm not sure the longing to ever will. So without further ado let's head on to the champions.

First up the Truck Series anyone who has followed my blog knows that I'm a huge Erik Jones fan and he had an incredible season with his 3 truck wins, 2 xfinity wins, and amazing runs in his cup series starts. He capped the season off winning a championship in the truck series. To think he's only 19 and this was his first full time season shows his potential. He ran higher than most of the other young guns (Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, and at points Ryan Blaney) in his sprint cup starts. He is a future talent and reminds me so much of his mentor Kyle Busch. He handled himself so well all year with all situations he was put in. I love his fiery competitive spirit much like his mentor Kyle. Seeing the passion that he brings to the sport and knowing that he got here off his talent and hard work he didn't come from a racing family. The fact that he beat the drivers he did for his wins this year was incredible. To think that in his first cup start he lead a lap and nearly finished in the top 5 that right there is talent.  Being that he drives for one of my other favorites Kyle Busch I was thrilled to see him cap off the season with the Truck championship the first driver championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Erik is an incredible driver and I'm so proud to be a supporter of his I like a lot of the young up and coming drivers with them being close to my age but my favorite is Erik Jones. Congrats on being the 2015 NASCAR Truck Series Champion Erik.

Second Up the Xfinity series I was personally pulling for Ty Dillon or Chase Elliott to win the title. I'm not a Chris Buescher fan however he did an incredible job and he earned that title. I've been a fan of his cousin James and I wish James still had a ride. It amazes me the difference between the Roush Xfinity Program and the Roush Cup Program. I don't think it has to do with driver talent like I know some people do however it is a little surprising to me. Congrats on being the 2015 Xfinity Series Champion Chris.

Finally the Sprint Cup Series I'm so stoked that Kyle Busch won the title after all he's been through this year. First off I want to start by addressing the controversy. I know there are a lot of people out there who say Kyle shouldn't have been in the 16 drivers competing for the title and there for shouldn't have been able to race for the title. I just have a few things to say about that first off I'd like to say anyone who says that go through what Kyle went through and let's see how you do. I highly doubt that many people other current NASCAR drivers included could have went through what Kyle did and gone on to win the title. I doubt that many people who are 100% healthy could have gone and had the season Kyle did let alone had the injuries Kyle did and then have that season. Kyle came back before most expected. He did what NASCAR said they didn't change the rules for him to make the chase he still had to finish in the top 30 in points and win a race (to be in the chase that's what you need to do no matter what) Kyle did that and did what his competitors did with 11 less races. The odds were stacked against Kyle to make it to the chase let alone the final 4. Most of the experts who call the races doubted that he would be able to make it. He had a 179 points deficit to make it to the chase at one point he crashed in a couple of his first races back making his job that much tougher. However he went on his roll to win during a incredible summer that saw him win 3 races in a row. He won four races at that point how can you honestly say a driver that won 4 races shouldn't be able to compete for the title. I know there are a lot of people out there who say Kyle shouldn't have been able to win tonight's title. In the end I'm not here to change their minds as a Kyle fan and even as a Joey, Erik, Denny fan I'm use to seeing people hate on my drivers. It doesn't mean that I like it but I also know the incredible drivers and even more so the incredible people they are off track. They are fierce competitors (even getting in fights with each other) who overcome adversity better than most and who only want to win and that rubs people the wrong way. So if you don't like my drivers or you don't feel that Kyle should have won the title that's your opinion and your welcome to it however I will not accept any nasty comments on my blog they will be deleted and if you dislike those 4 drivers then this probably isn't the blog for you. There my four favorites and I talk about them a lot I do my best to be supportive of other drivers even those I dislike knowing that we will never all agree and that's okay. In the end I will support Erik, Denny, Kyle and Joey through the thick and the thin and as Taylor swift said And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off. Kyle had an amazing season and to overcome his injuries after the crash that easily could have killed him, or ended his career first off I'm thankful that he's alive and healthy. I loved seeing his heart and determination this season. A lot of people including those with a lot of NASCAR experience doubted that Kyle could make the chase let alone win it all. I was never one of those people I knew that Kyle hated finishing second and he certainly wasn't one to lay down and give up the fight. He was going to fight until the last race trying to make it. I knew that especially after the 2008 season he was a driver more than capable of rattling off a stretch of wins that would make it easy to make the chase. In the end he did just that once he made the chase I just had a feeling that he would win it all when I filled out my chase grid I had Kyle being the champion and I do my best not to let my favoritism slip in when making my chase grid. I want to be fair and write it based on stats and results because I want to see just how close I am and if I'm always playing favorites I'll never be close. Throughout this all with Kyle I just had a almost psychic feeling around this situation. When Kyle crashed before I even knew what his injuries were I knew he had broken his leg and he wouldn't be racing the Daytona 500 or anytime soon. I had a feeling that he would go on a summer stretch of wins to get into the chase and I had a feeling he would win it all. It's crazy how it all worked out but I'm so happy for Kyle, Samantha and all of his family, team and friends. I believe a lot in fate and destiny and Kyle had never come close to winning the title before but after tonight I honestly believe he couldn't until he had Brexton. Brexton changed his whole life and completed the family picture with the title. I also bet Kyle will never forget Brexton's birthday 5/18/15 5 his first car number in the sprint cup series full time for Hendrick Motorsports 18 his second car number in the sprint cup series full time for Joe Gibbs Racing and 15 the year he won his first sprint cup series championship. It was a crazy season for Kyle Busch that started in a hospital bed in Florida and ended in Florida with him as the Sprint Cup series champion. Kyle Busch deserved to be the champion and as a Kyle fan I couldn't be happier. 2015 was a season of ups and downs but it ended on a high note. Kyle you showed so much passion, heart and determination in your incredible comeback and I couldn't be prouder to be a Kyle Busch fan. Congrats on being the 2015 Sprint Cup Series Champion Kyle.

Well that's a wrap for the season I'll be posting another post soon (hopefully tonight) to pay tribute to Jeff Gordon who deserved his own post. I wish all those drivers still seeking a ride the best of luck and I'm happy to say that overall it was a crazy year for NASCAR. Mother Nature got involved way too much and there was craziness as their always is. I love NASCAR and I'm so glad to be a fan of such a awesome sport. For me personally it was a rough start before the season started with losing such a important person, second mother, fellow NASCAR fan and my NASCAR buddy I dedicate this post and every post to you. This blog is my only way to express everything I wish I could tell you and I know your smiling down from up above happy for me tonight that my driver won and happy that I continue to write about you and to honor your memory. I will never forget you and although I can't talk to you personally about NASCAR I know one day I'll see you again until then rest in peace and enjoy the races from high up above. Despite it's rough start with the loss and then Kyle's accident to finish the season my season ended up great. Adding all my four drivers together their combined stats across all three series were in 188 starts they had 29 poles, 34 wins (including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400), 102 top five finishes, 135 top ten finishes, 6,438 laps lead and 2 championships. So as I said earlier people may hate on my drivers but they produce pretty good results and I'll take them any day. Now over the off season two of them head into surgery Denny get's his right ACL repaired and I believe Kyle is having some of the hard wear in his foot removed. So prayers that both of your surgeries go great and you recover quickly. I hope that Joey, Brittany, Erik, Hayley, Sam, Kyle, Brexton, Denny, Jordan and Taylor all have a great off season and amazing holidays. Have a great off season fans and I'll see you all in Daytona.  Enjoy the holidays with you families. I'll try to post a couple posts between now and the Daytona 500. Congrats again to all the champs and thank you to all my readers who read my blog your support is much appreciated as always feel free to try and comment.