NASCAR EXPANDS It was a year of change on every level. First, Toyota stepped up to compete in the Nextel Cup. Several teams, led by Roush-Fenway, complained that the Japanese company’s massive budget would leave the rest of the field in its wake. It didn’t happen. The Toyota Camrys were never competitive — even failing to qualify at several tracks — and were never a factor. The bigger change turned out to be Nascar’s Car of Tomorrow, which was introduced early in the season to make the racing closer, safer and cheaper. Hendrick Motorsports was the quickest to adapt and develop the new car, and its drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominated the 16 races in which the Car of Tomorrow was used. And in spite of the most intriguing change — the arrival of Juan Pablo Montoya, a Formula One driver still in his prime — the Chase for the Nextel Cup ended in the same manner as the previous season, with Johnson as champion.
| 
|