Datona International Speedway Tag

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The 2012 season has came and went.  The season ended with a fury for some and a fizzle for others.  Brad Keselowski captured his first Sprint Cup championship and Jimmie Johnson came up short on his quest for a sixth championship.  The season literally ended in a fury for Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer.  Some contact at Phoenix turned into a forced accident which then transpired into an all out brawl that left Gordon at the bottom of a pile of members from both teams.  Pretty exciting stuff for NASCAR junkies.  Gordon, who most thought should have been suspended, then won his first career race at Homestead the following weekend.

Interestingly enough, Bowyer finished in second place in the standings and just 39 points behind Keselowski.  NASCAR got lucky that the point differential wasn't close enough that Bowyer could blame Gordon for not a having a legitimate shot at the championship.  In the end I would just call it a "no harm, no foul" situation.  This season is now in the history books so lets get up to speed with some new things starting at Daytona in February and brief look at the upcoming 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule.