iNSIDE SCOOP: Memorable Moments

The 2014 NASCAR season is in the rear-view mirror, much like the field was at Homestead for Kevin Harvick, and we're getting ready to take a well-deserved rest from the weekly grind.

So this is as good a time as any to review the memorable moments from the season just past.

For starters, let's travel back to Daytona in February, when the revised Gen-6 car made its debut to rave reviews. Speeds were up, so was the excitement level and nobody knew what to expect once the teams got to hammering away at the setups.

When the smoke had cleared, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the first to paste one of those little Winner decals on the door of his Chevrolet. All was right with the world.

How about Charlotte, in May? That is notable because, prior to that night, Jimmie Johnson had yet to win a race. Fans wondered what the heck was going on, but Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus weren't worried. After the race, Johnson quipped in the media center, "Well, we've won. What the h*ll are you going to write about now?" Well-played, Six-Time!

Fast forward to Watkins Glen, where one of the most intense battles of the season took place between Marcos Ambrose and AJ Allmendinger. The two road-course racers put on a fierce battle over the closing laps, with Allmendinger winning it and advancing to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. For Ambrose, it was probably the final nail in what turned out to be his final season as a NASCAR driver. He announced that he was going back home to his native Australia to drive V8 Supercars for Roger Penske and Dick Johnson.

How about Charlotte in the fall? Brad Keselowski got into it with the better part of Joe Gibbs Racing and added Tony Stewart to the mix after the race was over. The shenanigans prompted one of those brawls that saw pockets of tussling all over the pit area. Matt Kenseth launched himself in a running tackle of Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin was after the 2012 champion as well. 

It was a prelude of things to come.

Keselowski won at Talladega on a Hail Mary to advance, and Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne were all eliminated from further Chase contention that day. At Texas, Keselowski made a move on a late restart that ended up cutting Jeff Gordon's tire and costing the four-time champion a chance to move on. That triggered a brawl--with an assist from Kevin Harvick--that left both drivers bloody.

The final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway was down to Harvick, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Hamlin, and it turned out to be a barn-burner.

Harvick won it, by half-a-second over Hamlin, and a new champion was crowned.

There are many more memorable moments to review, but hey, we've got 11 weeks to do it!