At the start and end of each racing season, we come up with lists, lots of lists. But a list of the top stories of the 2004 season does seem like a good way to put the past campaign to rest. And you’ll notice that the majority of my top stories have to do with things that happened off the track, the biggest of which was NASCAR's decision to change its format for crowning a Cup champion.

The year
that's past
The year 2004 was filled with headlines of things that happened outside the walls of speedways, things that will have a major impact on the sport for many years to come.

That’s not to take away from the racing.

I thought the competition this year was fun to watch, and fun is the most important thing from the grandstand side.

Yet there will be no way to look back on 2004 without noting the huge off-track headlines, most of which were overwhelmingly positive, and one of which was unbearably tragic.

Getting caught up in the Chase
NASCAR’s choice to alter the way its Cup champion is determined was a very bold move.

The creation of the The Chase for the Championship was different than the system used by any other major motorsports organization, and when announced it received its share of criticism from fans, drivers and media.

While some detractors still exist, the system won over the majority of drivers and fans after it played out for the first time.

There is no denying the drama of the Richmond race in September, the qualifying cutoff for the Chase, when drivers were fighting for inclusion in the championship playoff through the final laps.

Then the Miami season finale, a race that had all the drama and intensity a race fan could hope for to settle the title, won by Kurt Busch.

It’s something I’ll remember for a long time to come. 

In my opinion, the Chase was a huge gamble on NASCAR’s part, and it paid off big.

The impact it had on continuing growth for the sport was measurable, and will continue to be felt for many seasons to come.

There’s no question in my mind the Chase made for more exciting races and racing, and is the top story in the sport for 2004.

Safety out of the news
You didn’t hear a lot about safety in NASCAR Nextel Cup racing in 2004, which is a great thing.

The only time you hear about safety in racing is when people are getting hurt or killed.

If you don’t hear much about safety, then things are going well, and there were no major injuries to report in the season past.

Best of all, a major reason there were no major injuries is the continued emphasis on improving safety at tracks on the circuit.

The SAFER barrier is one of the most significant innovations to reach auto racing ever --yes, I said ever.

The barriers have come to most Nextel Cup tracks, with installation at the remaining few that don’t have the barrier already in the works. 

It’s a great thing, and a major reason injuries were few in 2004.

Safety may not have made big headlines during the year, but it was certainly a big story.

Courting a solution
There was a lot written about the movement of race dates for 2005, away from Rockingham and Darlington and to Phoenix and Texas.

Much was said about the particular tracks involved, but little was said about the real underlying importance of the story -- the settlement of the Ferko vs. NASCAR lawsuit, which was huge in my opinion to the future of the sport.

You’ll remember that Francis Ferko is the mysterious Speedway Motorsports shareholder from Texas who filed an anti-trust suit against NASCAR.

Ferko sought a second Cup race date for Texas Motor Speedway, and challenged the way NASCAR awarded race dates and managed the sport.

Make no mistake about it: this suit challenged the very structure of the sport.

If it had gone to trial and NASCAR had lost, the business of big league stock car racing would have looked like those credit card ads with the Huns running rampant through the shopping mall.

There would be people going in every which direction grabbing for control, and the sport would have suffered greatly as a result.

In settling the suit, the structure of the sport’s management was ensured, a structure that has unquestionably served the sport well.

There certainly is a downside to the movement of race dates that resulted from the settlements, particularly if you are a fan of Rockingham and Darlington like I am.

But the overall health and well being of the sport were preserved through this deal.

Next level with Nextel
Changing the title sponsor of NASCAR’s top series for the first time in over 30 years was a big deal.

That Nextel did such a great job its first time around is a bigger deal.

I thought Nextel took a great approach in its initial advertising, acknowledging the past history of the sport and easing its message in among the sport’s existing audience.

Then Nextel began to do what the previous sponsor legally could not -- promote the sport to a broader, general audience.

The use of NASCAR-themed ads by Nextel during non-NASCAR broadcasts was the beginning of the real payoff this sponsorship will bring to the sport, and an important step in the sport’s continued growth.

Taking over a major sponsorship like NASCAR’s top series is a huge project, yet it was accomplished smoothly and with style, so making this one of my top stories of the year is an easy call.

By the way, the recently announced merger between Nextel and Sprint will have no immediate affect on the sponsorship, and we’ll have to wait and see about any long-term impact.

Tragedy strikes
Sadly, there will be no recollection of 2004 without noting the terrible tragedy of Oct. 24.

The terrible plane crash that day that claimed 10 lives was so tragic it defies description.

All the people whose lives were lost, some members of the Hendrick family, were so well loved and respected, it’s just so hard to comprehend.

So many people within the sport were affected so personally by this tragedy that no memory of 2004 can ever be totally positive.

To me, the ability of the Hendrick team to continue -- not just to continue, but to go to Atlanta the very next Sunday after the crash and win -- and then to contend for the Cup title right to the final lap of the season, was a triumph of the highest order. 

Few of us possess the strength of spirit to carry on so well in the face of such personal grief, and I will always stand in awe of the people involved and their remarkable courage. 

Even more memories
So there are my choices of the top five stories of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

There were more I could have chosen: Brian France’s vision for NASCAR’s future beginning to be shown; remarkable rookie Kasey Kahne; Junior’s Daytona 500 win, and many stories that made the year one to remember.