The good the bad and the ugly of the 2015 NASCAR season

Kyle Busch celebrated the birth of his first child and a NASCAR Sprint Cup title at the end of 2015.
Kyle Busch celebrated the birth of his first child and a NASCAR Sprint Cup title at the end of 2015.
Kyle Busch celebrated the birth of his first child and a NASCAR Sprint Cup title at the end of 2015.

So we’ve survived another long NASCAR season. From the green flag at Daytona International Speedway to the checkered flag at Homestead-Miami there were stories both good and bad, and some that were downright ugly. From a driver who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds, to drivers who hung up their helmets and tangled on the track, the 2015 season filled with tales that will be told for years to come.

There were stories, good, bad and ugly even before a racecar had turned a lap.

On January 22, only days before the annual preseason media tour, legendary driver Jeff Gordon made the stunning announcement that the 2015 season would be his last.  The surprise announcement made an impact on NASCAR as well as the mainstream media and ensured that the attention on the four-time champion and the entire sport would be bigger than ever. The following week during the media tour in Charlotte Hendrick Motorsports announced that young driver Chase Elliott, son of former champion and one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers Bill Elliott would take over the storied No. 24 Chevy in 2016.

Gordon would score a dramatic win at Martinsville in the fall that also saw drama between Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.