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2008 OPeR Award: Worst Attempt at Adjusting the Rules

Unlike my pal Steve, who never read a rule book tight enough for his satisfaction, I love cheating. Therefore, though awkwardly named, this is my favorite OPeR.

And in 2008, it was well won.

By using a glorified refrigerator magnet to limit the apparent power of their engines in dyno tests, Joe Gibbs Racing nabbed the ON PIT ROW hutzpa award for ’08.

But it was no slam dunk. Bob Osborne and the no. 99 team nearly stole it with the “ejecting oil tank lid”. Nice try guys.

2008 OPeR Award: Best Junior High School Drama

Last year, it was Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth who mixed it up – in a very lame way – in the pits and earned the dreaded “High School Musical” OPeR. Or was it Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon? Or Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart?

Whatever. This time, there was no mix-up. Happy Harvick and Cousin Carl got into it after practice for a Nationwide Series race and there were plenty of photogs around to catch the action.

If only the ruckus had happened at one of Humpy Wheeler’s races, we might actually have some of those pics.

2008 OPeR Award: Worst Post Race Interview

Every few weeks ON PIT ROW, the fact that the driver who has won more Sprint Cup races the last four years and now, three straight Cup Series championships, just doesn’t get the respect he deserves.

Jimmie Johnson deserves better. But hell, we’ve even been spelling his name incorrectly for the last three years. Who are we to change now?

J J gets the OPeR for bad post race interviews for the same reason that he probably gets slighted in the respect department. He’s boring. If he’d stop winning and get pissed off once in a while, he’d get noticed more. Well, maybe.

2008 OPeR Award: Best Guest ON PIT ROW

I’m going to boast a little, if that’s OK with you.

Steve does a great job of lining up guests for our weekly radio show. It almost makes it worth having to listen to him brag about the names that he has saved in his cell phone.

This OPeR isn’t meant to slight any of our semi-regulars, like Jeff Hammond, Lee Spencer, Dave Despain or Booty Barker. I don’t have room to list all our guests and there isn’t one that hasn’t been a blast for us.

But when NASCAR opens the new Hall of Fame, Bobby Allison may very well be in the first class inducted. And we talked to him last while he was watching a young family member’s Little League game. It was the best.

2008 OPeR Award: Best Driver

Love him or hate him – or maybe like me, it’s a bit of both – Kyle Busch drove hell out of everything he climbed in during the 2008 season.

Twenty two wins in the top three NASCAR touring series? At one point, fairly deep into the season he led  - I think – all three championship point standings. Had the Sprint Cup Series championship been determined in the pre-Chase to the Cup way of doing such, it’s unlikely anyone would have caught him for the Cup.

Kyle faded in the Chase. But he was the most spectacular driver in NASCAR during 2008. Watch out Shrub haters, Kyle’s coming.

2008 OPeR Award: Best Crew Chief

This was a close one. Bob Osborne, crew chief for Carl Edwards No 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion was a strong contender for our top crew chief. The comments from our original 2008 OPeR post are a good indication. If Bob had won, I would have had no problem with it.

But Ozzy didn’t get the coveted OPeR this time. Chad (yaawwnn) Knaus did. Again.

Once again, Knaus seemingly made all the right moves, the necessary adjustments and took advantage of heading the most stable of all Sprint Cup Series teams, from 2007 to 2008. Somebody’s going to have to beat these guys.

2008 OPeR Award: Worst Crew Chief

I was surprised at the unanimity of agreement on this one. I guess it points out, in a way, just how much pressure having NASCAR’s most popular figure – Dale Earnhardt Jr – as your driver. 

Tony Eury Jr DID get Junior and his no. 88 Amp Energy Drink/National Guard Chevy into the Chase for the Sprint Cup. They won a qualifying race at Daytona, the Budweiser Shootout and the first 2008 race at Michigan International Speedway. That is not, by my definition, a failure of a season.

But I voted right along with Steve and Marc and Matt. Better win it all in 2009 Tony.

2008 OPeR Award: Best Owner/Team

All right all you fans of the Coach and the Cat in the Hat, bring it on. But you will not convince me that, in 2008 – and ’06 and ’07 too – Joe Gibbs, Jack Roush or anyone else was the equal of Mr Hendrick in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

A third straight championship probably would have been enough, but throw in the recruitment and successful integration of NASCAR’s biggest box-office star, Dale Earnhardt Jr, the addition for ’09 of Hall-of-famer Mark Martin (full time too) and a satellite team that includes Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.

That’s Earnhardt Jr, Stewart, Martin, Newman to go with the seven Cup Championships of  Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson. We rest our case, your Honor.

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