The best, biggest and most bizarre

Here’s our take on the best, biggest and most bizarre moments in NASCAR’s Nationwide and Trucks series in 2011:

Nationwide Series

Driver of the year

Unlike NASCAR’s new points system, I don’t believe the driver of the year should automatically come from only those eligible for the series championship.

Carl Edwards’ battle for the Sprint Cup championship went down to the wire, but on the Nationwide side he found many more trips to Victory Lane. In 33 starts, he won eight races and finished with 23 top-five finishes, 27 top-10s and six poles.

Race of the year

Both races at Iowa Speedway were thrillers and had the same winner — 2011 Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. But the August race resulted in one of this year’s top moments.

As he was leading out of Turn 4 on the final lap, Stenhouse’s engine blew up. Edwards, running a distant second, had his view blinded by the smoke and oil from Stenhouse’s expiring motor and plowed into the rear of Stenhouse’s car, which sent Stenhouse across the finish line first.

Story of the year

Stenhouse began the 2010 season with his job in jeopardy but rallied to claim rookie of the year honors. He began 2011 with uncertainty but ended it as a NASCAR champion. There are few drivers who have gained more accolades on the track and respect off of it than he has in the past two seasons.

Most bizarre moment (tie)

Two winners here: After Steve Wallace wrecked hometown favorite Patrick Carpentier at the series race in Montreal, Carpentier’s crew chief, Jerry Baxter, reached into Wallace’s car as he was driving down pit road after the race and grabbed his hair — all caught on live TV.

Reed Sorenson — still in the hunt at the time for the series title — receiving no penalty for pitting while pit road was closed at the September race at Dover, Del. He ended up finishing seventh. NASCAR claimed it simply missed the call — one made countless times in every race.

Truck Series

Driver of the year

There was no sophomore slump for Austin Dillon, who followed his 2010 rookie campaign by winning the series championship in impressive fashion, including two wins, 10 top-fives, 16 top-10 finishes and five poles in 25 starts.

Race of the year

A flat tire caused Timothy Peters to spin midway through the race in Clermont, Ind., forcing him to pit for service out of sequence. The unscheduled pit stop allowed Peters to have the advantage over the competition as the race finished with a long green-flag run. Peters passed James Buescher — who led 97 of 200 laps — with six laps left to earn the spin-to-win upset.

Biggest moment on the track

Kyle Busch, angry with how title contender Ron Hornaday raced him, ran Hornaday down under caution early in the race at Texas and intentionally wrecked him. The move cost Hornaday any chance at the title and NASCAR parked Busch for the remainder of the weekend.

Biggest moment off the track

After the race at Kansas, team owner Richard Childress, angry that Busch had run into one of the trucks he owned driven by rookie Joey Coulter, found Busch in the garage and struck him more than once with his fist. Childress earned a $150,000 fine from NASCAR.

By Jim Utter, The Charlotte Observer