(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)
Friday night in Las Vegas concluded the longest season in all of sports with the crowning of Jimmie Johnson as the 2010 Sprint Cup champion. However that banquet didn’t really hand out some of the awards that WOMR feels should have been awarded.
So WOMR is giving out its first annual awards called the REDNECK!
Just for the record, the accounting firm of Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe was responsible for tabulating the results of the vote! So without further adieux, the envelopes please…..
For the best engineering move in racing:
That award goes to NASCAR for removing the idiotic wing on the rear deck lid and replacing it with the “new/old” spoiler. Wings are for airplanes, not for race cars!
The Gutsiest Driver Award:
To Denny Hamlin. After winning a rain-delayed event at Martinsville in March, Hamlin went under the knife for knee surgery and was back in the car at Phoenix just over a week later. One race later, he wound up in victory lane in Texas. Who says race car drivers aren’t athletes? A simply amazing feat!
The Birdies are Fine in Golf but not in NASCAR Award:
To Kyle Busch. One day after dropping the F bomb in front of the media in Texas, ol Kylie proceeded to give a NASCAR official the huge middle-finger salute as he sat in his car on pit road with his in-car camera clearly focused on the driver. The whole world say ol Kylies and his huge middle finger sticking up at the NASCAR official! Hey Kylie, see that in-car camera to your right? You know that one that your team and sponsors will pay to have installed into your car for that valuable “TV” time!! Just what were you thinking? Say cheese, dude, your wallet just got $25,000 lighter!
The Hulk Hogan Headlock Award:
To Jeff Gordon. Hulk Hogan is widely-regarded as a great entertainer with terrible ring technique each time he steps inside the squared circle. So in honor of his unsuccessful attempt to put Jeff Burton in a headlock in Texas, this award is headed Gordon’s way. Hey Jeffie, you need to pump some iron and eat your vitamins, brother!
The Said Head Award:
To Boris Said. The curly-haired Said gave his fan base plenty of reason to cheer following his dramatic last lap Nationwide Series victory in Montreal in August when he edged Max Papis in a photo-finish. Said accomplished the feat with RAB Racing, which has no affiliation with a Sprint Cup team. Who said? Boris Said!
The Do You Think That We Could Still Buy A Seat Award:
This year’s Brickyard 400 was contested in front of more than 100,000 empty seats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway which, according to Wikipedia, boasts a seating capacity of more than 257,000. The track estimated the day’s attendance to be 140,000. It was simply amazing to see so much shining metal from the grandstands that afternoon. Or was that race fans cleverly dressed up like empty seats?
The Good to See the Black RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Back in Victory Lane Award:
To Austin Dillon. It wasn’t in the Sprint Cup Series,however, but it did do WOMR’s spirit good to see Richard Childress’ grandson pilot the paint scheme made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt to victory in a NASCAR truck series race in Iowa.
The Best Race from Start-to-Finish of the Year Award:
There was a tie in the vote. The first is the spring race in Talladega. There were an incredible 88 lead changes among 29 drivers during 188 laps of racing. It was highlighted by Harvick’s crafty slingshot move around McMurray in the tri-oval on the final lap. The other race that tied in the vote was the fall Camping World Truck at the famed Talladega Superspeedway as well. The finish was a photo finish between as sideways Kyle Busch, and angry Aric Almirola, and a whining Johnny Sauter!
The Best Looking Car of the Year Award:
To the new car in the Nationwide Series. They only hit the track five times this season, but Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota’s versions of the Nationwide Series’ new car looks like they rolled right off the show room floor. Each model looks spectacular up close. The new car goes full-time in NASCAR’s junior circuit in 2011. Now those cars look like race cars!
The What In The Heck Were They Thinking Award:
To Toyota and Michael Waltrip Racing. Ford still regrets the day they let a promising young driver named Jeff Gordon slip out of their camp and jump to Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports in 1992. We’ll likely look back in five years and wonder why Toyota and MWR let Trevor Bayne escape to Ford and Roush Fenway Racing in 2010.
What is your thoughts on the 2010 season?
Enjoy the short off-season!
I will see you at Daytona in February!
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
