Opinion: Racing enthusiast reflects on high-speed excitement and mourning

by | Dec 31, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports

Auto racing’s season offered excitement, close championship chases and, unfortunately, death during 2011. NASCAR, Formula One, Indy Car, American Le Mans Series, the World Endurance Championship, Australian V8s and so many more… this past season has been one to remember. Let’s take a look back at what happened–good and bad–during a sometimes tough but always exciting year in this high-speed world. One man, a 24-year old German named Sebastian Vettel ruled Formula One’s season. With an incredible 15 pole positions and 11 wins in one season, the championship was decided with several races left in the season. It was due to Vettel’s dominance this season that he was able to win the championship for the second year in a row. Vettel, along with this teammate at Red Bull Racing, Mark Webber, helped secure the manufacturers’ championship for the team as well. This has been called Red Bull’s year, and it certainly was. In NASCAR, the series championship was not decided as easily. When it came down to the final race of the season, two of its biggest-name drivers were neck and neck. Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart began the final race only a few points apart. Toward the final few laps of the race, with rain looming in the forecast, Stewart was ahead of Edwards by only a couple of seconds. It was a nail biter all the way to the checkered flag. When Stewart crossed the line in first place and Edwards in second, the championship ended in a tie. According to the rules of NASCAR, if the end result is a tie, then the winner is decided by...