From Where I Sit: 2010 NASCAR Year in Review

Looking back on 2010, the NASCAR images that are emblazoned in my mind are those I witnessed in person.

Richard Petty and Bobby Allison running into each other before the Homestead race.

A young Dale Jr. fan telling Jimmie Johnson she'd switch drivers if he'd only sign her hat (which he promptly did with a smile).

Tony Stewart handing his Coke bottle to a little No. 14 fan after driver

The Fifth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Five in a Row

Jimmie Johnson celebrates each of his five championship wins - from 2006 to 2010.

Cale Yarborough didn't do it.

Dale Earnhardt didn't do it.

Even King Petty didn't do it.

But Jimmie Johnson, a kid from El Cajon, Calif., did.

Johnson's five consecutive Cup championships are unprecedented and unparalleled.  And with his monumental come-from-behind points win in 2010, the driver has

The Eighth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 8 NASCAR Babies

Ryan and Chrissie Newman
welcomed Brooklyn Sage
on Nov. 18, 2010.
In 2010, the Sprint Cup drivers' lot turned into Romper Room.

And it's not because Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski got into a play fight.

There was a bona fide baby boom in NASCAR that set this season apart.  At last count, a whopping seven babies were born to drivers and their wives - and there's one due at the end of this year

The Tenth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 10 Years of Harvick

Kevin Harvick celebrated his tenth year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in 2010.

And boy, what a year it was.

Harvick was the regular season champ and the perennial fan favorite.  When the Chase began, he kept fans' hopes high that a Richard Childress team would knock the dynastic No. 48 off its pedestal.

And, as always, Harvick kept things interesting.

He tangled with Joey Logano on track

The Eleventh NASCAR Day of Christmas: 11 Car-a-Spinnin'




The team works on the No. 11 car before the start
of the Ford 400 at Homestead.

In addition to "Jimmie Johnson Wins Fifth Consecutive Title," the headline following Homestead could well have been "The Mighty Denny Has Spun Out."

And though Denny's misstep made for a more dramatic race, it wasn't the cause of his failure to win the Chase crown.

His run for the championship started to

The Twelfth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 12 Chasers Chasing

.One of the best things about the 2010 season, was that the Sprint Cup Chase was the closest in Chase history. 

Twelve drivers didn't just make the Chase, they made the Chase exciting.

There were flying fists, fingers and fines.  There was high drama and low blows. And, to top it off, there was a reigning champ who came from behind to score his fifth championship in a row - a feat unparalleled

A NASCAR Christmas List

Now that "Team Earntarte" is a reality, Junior fans  have reason
to call Christmas merry.
Logs are crackling in the fireplace.  Lights are flickering on the tree. And marshmallows are melting their gooey goodness into my hot chocolate.

It's the perfect night for writing a Christmas list.

Or better still, the perfect night for contemplating what gifts our favorite drivers and their fans might

Johnson Gets Even More "Perfect" - As If That Were Possible

His chase for the Sprint Cup may not have been perfect, but his rebound from a points deficit was about as flawless as you can get.

So it's only right that five-time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson is one of the athletes featured in ESPN The Magazine's "The Perfect Issue," which is on newsstands now.

In the issue, Johnson joins top pros Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Charles Woodson and Maya Moore

Johnson Has Nothing Left to Prove ... Almost

 Jimmie Johnson hoists the Sprint Cup Championship trophy
after claiming his fifth consecutive title at Homestead Miami Speedway.
Love him or hate him, Jimmie Johnson is the man.

He can win the Cup title when he dominates the Chase.  He can win the Cup title when he's trailing.

And what he doesn't do in the clutch may be even more important than what he does do.

Namely, he doesn't beat

'Twas the Night Before Homestead ...

'Twas the night before Homestead and all 'round the track,
Palm trees were swaying in the tropical black.

The drivers were tucked in their RVs with care,
in the hopes that a trophy would tomorrow be theirs.

Mike Ford in his kerchief, lay nervous in bed,
Where visions of fuel mileage danced through his head.

Denny Hamlin paced wildly 'cross his motorhome floor,
saying "I have to catch Jimmie

Score One for Johnson

Don't look now, but Jimmie Johnson has brought his "A" game to Homestead.

In one of the most important qualifying runs of the year, the defending champ threw down a dynamite lap time to cement a top 10 start - sixth to be exact.

The best part for Johnson? His fellow championship contenders didn't fare nearly as well.

He'll begin the race 22 spots ahead of his nearest title rival - Kevin