SM Staff

Q. Who was the first driver to ever be black flagged at Daytona and why? The contest begins on January 15, 2017 and ends on January 29, 2017. The winner of the *Amazon.com eGift card will be drawn in a random drawing from all of the correct answers.

I awoke this morning and, as is my custom, I started listening to SiriusXM’s Morning Drive program. It wasn’t long before the news that Carl Edwards would not drive in 2017 hit home. Carl was one of my favorite drivers to talk to at the track or anywhere else.

As the 2016 season came to a close, silly season in NASCAR officially began. One of the biggest announcements is the new Cup Series sponsor for next year. On Dec. 1 it was revealed that Monster Energy and NASCAR have entered into a multi-year agreement with Monster Energy.

This year Roush Yates Engines’ achievements proved that the organization continues to be a driving force in racing worldwide.

We start off the first offseason View from my Recliner by welcoming back Dale Earnhardt Jr. He completed a test at Darlington Raceway and was cleared by doctors and NASCAR to return to driving in the 2017 season.

The 42-year-old has one more item on his checklist before Daytona. He confirmed that he will participate in a private test in December at a track to ensure that being back in a racecar does not trigger any symptoms, such as nausea or vision problems.

Jimmie Johnson scored his seventh championship at the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship finale on Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In doing so, he joined legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, tying the record for most Cup championship titles.

Once upon a time, Roush Racing (now Roush Fenway Racing) put its five teams – yes, once a team owner could have as many teams as they wanted – in the 10-car Chase. Today, they’ve gone from four cars to three, and with the news of today, now there are only two.

After 10 years with Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart took a risk and became the co-owner of what was then Haas CNC Racing. A team that in six years had one top-five and 14 top 10 finishes before Stewart was offered a partnership with Gene Haas and formed Stewart-Haas Racing.

For a long time, the sanctioning body has used gimmicks to attract fans and it is apparently not working. When it first came out, I railed on the “Lucky Dog.” It was designed so that the “average fan” could understand who was leading.