In July 2007, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. needed a driver for his JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. His selection of a lanky, 23-year-old Michigan native with 20 career starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a best finish of 25th raised eyebrows among many in the garage area.
But his choice of Brad Keselowski wasn’t just a sleeper pick. It was a decision that may well deliver a championship less that two years later.
Since his first race in the No. 88 at Chicagoland in 2007 (where he finished 14th) Keselowski has matured in his racing career at a phenomenal pace. Last year, his first full-time season in the series, he delivered on the promise Earnhardt saw with his first two wins, his first pole, 11 top fives and 20 top-10 finishes. Keselowski was also voted the series’ Most Popular Driver.
Brad Keselowski Will Pilot The No. 88 Navy Chevrolet Again In 2009
More importantly, Keselowski surged to second place in the championship standings by mid-summer. He held that spot for nine weeks before getting caught up in the incredible late-season surge of Carl Edwards, whose comeback effort against 2008 driver champion Clint Bowyer relegated Keselowski to third place in the final standings.
Although there won’t be a repeat driver champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year, there most certainly will be a repeat of the great late-season battle waged between Edwards and Bowyer.
And a seasoned Keselowski plans to be in that mix.
Bowyer won the 2008 championship over Edwards by 21 points, the fourth-closest margin in series history. Bowyer won’t be running enough races this season to defend his crown. But if Edwards, the 2007 champion, is able to muster even a fraction of the incredible comeback karma he surrounded himself with last year, he should be a favorite to become the seventh two-time champion in the series.
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Clint Bowyer
The NASCAR Nationwide Series has also recently become known for its spilt championships among drivers and owners. Over the last two seasons – and three times overall – there have been split titles. Edwards and his No. 60 Ford team (along with new crew chief Dan Stillman, as Drew Blickensderfer was promoted to Matt Kenseth’s Sprint Cup team) Keselowski and the No. 88 crew and other contenders will have their hands full in 2009 as that streak could very well run to three consecutive shared championships.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota won the owner crown last year, upending the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet from its 2007 championship perch. The No. 20 will be back to defend the title, with Joey Logano sharing time with Denny Hamlin and Brad Coleman. Logano will pull double-duty in 2009, although his full-time focus will be as a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
But the No. 20 car will have to do battle with the team’s second car, the No. 18 Toyota and driver Kyle Busch. The No. 20 won nine races last year, the No. 18 won 10. All Busch did was win 10 races in three different cars, leading the way with eight in the No. 18. He finished sixth in the series standings despite competing in only 30 races. His 10 victories tied the record set in 1983 by two-time series champion Sam Ard.
The No. 29 is back to contend, led once again by Jeff Burton, who is fourth in career series wins (27) and was the co-driver of the 2008 owner champion car. He’ll work with at least one teammate to challenge no fewer than six other full-time teams featuring multiple drivers that should make the 2009 owner championship as exciting as the driver title chase.
Normally, a driver of Edwards’ talent and results – a driver title and top-three championship finishes in each of his four seasons in the series – would instantly make him the man to beat, especially considering Bowyer’s move to a partial schedule. But the strength of the competitors in the series, from double-duty drivers like himself and Busch series-only regulars like Keselowski and a new group of young up-and-comers, doesn’t give Edwards much of an opportunity to rest.
On the contrary, the 2009 season may be the most competitive since 2003, when six drivers were within 89 points of first place going into the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway before Brian Vickers claimed the title by just 14 points over veteran David Green. And by the way, that also was the first season in series history that the driver and owner titles were shared.
In addition to Edwards, Keselowski and Busch, two other drivers who ranked in the final top 10 last year are back to make a run at the title. Mike Bliss, who finished fourth, and Jason Leffler who was ninth, will be factors again.
If such an award existed, Bliss would have been the leading candidate for series comeback driver of the year last season. He started the year with Fitz Motorsports and then moved to Phoenix Racing, where he continued to post solid results. He hasn’t won since registering his lone series win in 2004 but felt like he was close toward the end of last season.
Leffler is back for his third full season with Braun Racing in the No. 38 Toyota. He’s finished in the top 10 the last two years, but in 2008 was shut out in the win and/or pole column for the first time in three seasons. He ended last year on a high note, finishing fourth at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which tied his season-best result. Braun also will field a second team with former series champion Vickers teaming with Burney Lamar in the No. 32 Toyota.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Regular Jason Leffler
Jason Keller with Baker Curb Racing, Kenny Wallace with Jay Robinson Racing, Eric McClure and Bobby Hamilton, Jr. with Rensi Hamilton Racing, and two-time series champion Kevin Harvick with his own KHI team are other key returnees.
Steve Wallace has progressed from young gun to young series veteran, entering his third full year with Rusty Wallace Racing in the No. 66 Chevrolet. He finished a career-best 14th in the standings in 2008 and posted his first two career top-five finishes, which could prepare him for his first true top-10 assault. He’ll have a new teammate in Brendan Gaughan, who is making the jump after a six-year career in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to man the No. 62 Chevrolet. Gaughan will be a leading candidate for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 2009.
Erik Darnell also has made the climb up the NASCAR ladder. He spent the last three seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he finished a career-best fourth last year with a win and two poles. He’ll get the majority of the rides this year in a timeshare with David Ragan in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. The 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year, Ragan used his double-duty time wisely over the past two seasons and should be a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender this year.
The series has long been known as a developmental opportunity, and full-time newcomers in 2009 include a pair of 22-year-olds, Justin Allgaier moves from a successful ARCA career to Penske Racing, while Michael Annett is ticketed for his first full-time opportunity with Germain Racing. John Wes Townley, another ARCA alum who turned 19 on New Year’s Eve, announced a full-time schedule with RAB Racing.
Iowa Speedway Will Debut On The NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule On August 1st
The series’ 35-race schedule includes its debut at the .875-mile Iowa Speedway on August 1st, one of nine stand-alone events this year. There are 20 combination weekends with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, six of those featuring each of the three national series and a repeat of the unique doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Auto Club Speedway on February 22nd.
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Top Ten Driver Point Standings
| Driver | Points | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 |
| 1. Clint Bowyer | 5,132 | 35 | 1 | 14 | 29 |
| 2. Carl Edwards | 5,111 | 35 | 7 | 19 | 22 |
| 3. Brad Keselowski | 4,794 | 35 | 2 | 11 | 20 |
| 4. David Ragan | 4,525 | 35 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| 5. Mike Bliss | 4,518 | 35 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| 6. Kyle Busch | 4,461 | 30 | 10 | 18 | 20 |
| 7. David Reutimann | 4,388 | 35 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| 8. Mike Wallace | 4,128 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 9. Jason Leffler | 4,086 | 35 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| 10. Marcos Ambrose | 3,991 | 35 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
NASCAR Nationwide Series Points Champions (1999-2008)
| Year | Driver | Points |
| 1999 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 4,647 |
| 2000 | Jeff Green | 5,005 |
| 2001 | Kevin Harvick | 4,813 |
| 2002 | Greg Biffle | 4,919 |
| 2003 | Brian Vickers | 4,637 |
| 2004 | Martin Truex Jr | 5,173 |
| 2005 | Martin Truex Jr | 4,937 |
| 2006 | Kevin Harvick | 5,648 |
| 2007 | Carl Edwards | 4,805 |
| 2008 | Clint Bowyer | 5,132 |
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver
Brad Keselowski
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Award
Carl Edwards
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year
Landon Cassill
2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule
| Date | Event | Track | Time EST | TV | Previous Winner |
| 2/14 | Camping World 300 | Daytona International Speedway | 1:00 PM |  | Tony Stewart |
| 2/21 | Stater Bros. 300 | Auto Club Speedway | 7:00 PM | | Tony Stewart |
| 2/28 | Sam’s Town 300 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 4:00 PM | | Mark Martin |
| 3/21 | Scott Turf Builder 300 | Bristol Motor Speedway | 2:00 PM |  | Clint Bowyer |
| 4/4 | O’Reilly 300 | Texas Motor Speedway | 2:30 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 4/11 | Pepsi 300 | Nashville Superspeedway | 3:00 PM |  | Scott Wimmer |
| 4/17 | Bashas’ Super Markets 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | 9:00 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 4/25 | Aaron’s 312 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2:30 PM | | Tony Stewart |
| 5/1 | Lipton Tea 250 | Richmond International Raceway | 7:00 PM | | Denny Hamlin |
| 5/8 | Diamond Hill Plywood 200 | Darlington Raceway | 7:00 PM | | Tony Stewart |
| 5/23 | CarQuest Auto Parts 300 | Lowe’s Motor Speedway | 7:00 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 5/30 | Heluva Good! 200 | Dover International Speedway | 2:00 PM | | Denny Hamlin |
| 6/6 | Federated Auto Parts 300 | Nashville Superspeedway | 7:00 PM | | Brad Keselowski |
| 6/13 | Meijer 300 | Kentucky Speedway | 8:00 PM | | Joey Logano |
| 6/20 | Camping World RV Rental 250 | The Milwaukee Mile | 7:30 PM | | Carl Edwards |
| 6/27 | Camping World 200 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 2:30 PM | | Tony Stewart |
| 7/3 | Winn Dixie 250 | Daytona International Speedway | 7:30 PM | | Denny Hamlin |
| 7/10 | Dollar General 300 | Chicagoland Speedway | 7:30 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 7/18 | MO-ILL Dodge Dealers 250 | Gateway International Raceway | 9:00 PM | | Carl Edwards |
| 7/25 | Kroger 200 | O’Reilly Raceway Park | 7:30 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 8/1 | Iowa 250 | Iowa Speedway | 4:00 PM | | |
| 8/8 | Zippo 200 At The Glen | Watkins Glen International | 2:30 PM | | Marcos Ambrose |
| 8/15 | Michigan 250 | Michigan International Speedway | 3:00 PM | | Carl Edwards |
| 8/21 | Food City 250 | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 PM | | Brad Keselowski |
| 8/30 | NAPA Auto Parts 200 | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 2:00 PM | | Ron Fellows |
| 9/5 | Degree V12 300 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 6:30 PM | | Matt Kenseth |
| 9/11 | Richmond 250 | Richmond International Raceway | 7:00 PM | | Carl Edwards |
| 9/26 | Dover 200 | Dover International Speedway | 3:00 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 10/3 | Kansas Lottery 300 | Kansas Speedway | 3:00 PM | | Denny Hamlin |
| 10/10 | Camping World 300 | Auto Club Speedway | 4:00 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 10/16 | Dollar General 300 | Lowe’s Motor Speedway | 7:30 PM | | Kyle Busch |
| 10/24 | Memphis 250 | Memphis Motorsports Park | 3:00 PM | | Carl Edwards |
| 11/7 | O’Reilly Challenge | Texas Motor Speedway | Noon | | Kyle Busch |
| 11/14 | Arizona 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | 4:00 PM | | Carl Edwards |
| 11/21 | Ford 300 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 4:00 PM | | Carl Edwards |
2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Daytona Broadcast Schedule
Practice
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
3:00 PM EST (No TV Coverage)
Practice
Thursday, February 12, 2009
9:30 AM EST
Qualifying
Friday, February 13, 2009
3:00 PM EST
Race
Saturday, February 14, 2009
1:00 PM EST
My Prediction For The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion
As I have mentioned above, the 2009 NASXAR Nationwide Series season will be full of excitement. There will many twists and turns in the driver points and owner points battle. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler and Brad Keselowski will all have great runs this season.
Expect to see Keselowski and Carl Edwards to be duking it out in the final races for the NASCAR Nationwide crown this season. I believe the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion will be……
A Guitar Won’t Be The Only Trophy Brad Keselowski Hoists Up In 2009
Brad Keselowski. That is my pick to win the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship. Keselowski will bring JR Motorsports their first-ever title and make owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. very happy!
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