The Beyond The Flag NASCAR Awards are back for a second year and once again readers can vote for their favorite NASCAR drivers and NASCAR moments from 2015.
Welcome to the second-annual Beyond The Flag NASCAR Awards. After each NASCAR season we here at BeyondTheFlag.com like to come up with various award categories and drivers to nominate for each of those categories. We then turn the reigns over to our readers who will have the opportunity to vote on all of the categories and ultimately decide who wins each award.
Voting for the awards will end at 9:00 AM on Sunday Monday December 14th, 2015 with the winners being announced later that afternoon. Be sure to get your votes in for your favorite driver. Also, if you think we should have nominated a certain driver for a certain category be sure to let us know by commenting below or reaching out to us via our various social media platforms.
Please note: The first slide includes all of the 2014 winners.
Next: 2014 Winners
The 2014 Winners
Before we jump into the voting and the nomination reveal for 2015, let’s take a look at what took place last year during the first-annual BTF NASCAR Awards.
The Results:
- Crew Chief of the Year – Rodney Childers
- Most Improved Driver – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- 2014 Rookie of the Year – Kyle Larson
- Headline of the Year – NASCAR Changes Chase Format
- Moment of the Year – Brad Keselowski Brawls With Gordon and Kenseth
- Most Disappointing Driver – Tony Stewart
- Coolest Paint Scheme – Jeff Gordon’s Fire Red Axalta
- Best Finish – Gordon, Kenseth, Keselowski and Logano at Richmond
- Villain of the Year – Brad Keselowski
- Driver of the Year – Kevin Harvick
Next: Let's Start Off The 2015 Voting
USA Today Sports
Crew Chief of the Year
Being a crew chief for a team is like being a head coach in the NFL. Everything that happens during a race runs through one man and often when it’s time for heads to roll, the crew chief is the first to go. That being said, sitting atop the pit box is by no means an easy or glamorous job. Every decision that a crew chief makes could be the one that puts their driver in a position to win the race or it could be the one that takes their driver out of the running.
It’s stressful to think that there are multiple times during a race where such decisions have to be made and most of them have to be made in a matter of seconds.
The Nominees:
- Cole Pearn (No. 78 team) – Pearn helped guide Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 team into the Chase in 2015 after a dismal season in 2014. Not only did Truex Jr. win in 2015 but early on in the season he was one of the most dominant cars out there aside from Kevin Harvick.
- Rodney Childers (No. 4 team) – Childers put together another strong effort in 2015 coming off of his championship effort in 2014. The No. 4 team won three times on their way to a second-place finish in the standings. Additionally, Kevin Harvick was easily the fastest car most weeks when he was on the track.
- Adam Stevens (No. 18 team) – Winning a championship is always a step in the right direction when you’re a crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 2015 Stevens guided the No. 18 team through the 11-race absence of Kyle Busch before helping Busch guide the No. 18 car into the Chase and onto a title.
- Todd Gordon (No. 22 team) – Gordon and the No. 22 team did not finish where they wanted but it doesn’t mean that Gordon didn’t help lead his team to tremendous heights in 2015. The No. 22 machine went to victory lane six times in 2015 and three of those were consecutive wins in the second round of the Chase. In the latter part of the season the No. 22 team appeared unstoppable at times.
- Alan Gustafson (No. 24 team) – Being on the box for the final season of Jeff Gordon and dealing with all that comes with it is a tall task. Throw into the mix the chemistry issues that the crew had early on in the season and the mistakes that Gordon was making it Gustafson could have had a disaster on his hands. In the end though the No. 24 team rebounded on their way to a win and a spot in the final-four in Miami.
Next: Who Improved The Most?
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Most Improved Driver of 2015
Every year it seems as though there are a few drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that come out of nowhere and have a decent or great season. Sometimes it’s drivers who had a horrible season the year before and sometimes it’s drivers who have never truly had success in NASCAR but finally managed to break through. Below is a look at some of the drivers who improved and surprised us in 2015.
The Nominees:
- Martin Truex Jr. (2014: 24th in the points with one top-five finish, five top-10’s and one lap led) compared to (2015: 4th in the points with one win, eight top-five finishes, 22 top-10’s and 567 laps led). Truex Jr.’s average finish went from 20.2 in 2014 to 12.4 in 2015.
- Kurt Busch (2014: 12th in the points with one win, six top-five’s, 11 top-10’s and 220 laps led) compared to (2015: 8th in the points with two wins, 10 top-five’s, 21 top-10’s and 788 laps led). Busch’s average finish went from 18.9 in 2014 to 11.1 in 2015.
- Joey Logano (2014: 4th in the points with five wins, 16 top-fives, 22 top-10’s and 993 laps led) compared to (2015: 6th in the points with six wins, 22 top-five’s, 28 top-10’s and 1,431 laps led). Logano’s average finish went from 11.1 in 2014 to 9.2 in 2015.
- Matt Kenseth (2014: 7th in the points with no wins, 13 top-fives, 22 top-10’s and 529 laps led) compared to (2015: 15th in the points with five wins, 12 top-five’s, 20 top-10’s and 927 laps led). Kenseth’s average finish went from 13.2 in 2014 to 14.3 in 2015 but he did win five more races in 2015 as opposed to 2014.
Next: Which Young Star Impressed You?
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
2015 Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year Award is not designated just for those drivers eligible for Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Instead the Rookie of the Year award looks at some of the best young drivers across all of NASCAR. The drivers nominated in this category are on their way to becoming the next big stars of the sport.
The Nominees:
- Brett Moffitt – Moffitt was named the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. Moffitt was the highest running rookie 17 times during the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. He finished 34th in the standings with an average finish of 30th during the season.
- Matt DiBenedetto – DiBenedetto came in second to Moffitt in the Rookie of the Year standings. DiBenedetto was the highest finishing rookie 13 times in 2015. DiBenedetto made two more starts than Moffitt and finished 35th in the standings with an average finish of 32nd.
- Chris Buescher – 2015 Xfinity Series Champion.
- Erik Jones – 2015 Truck Series Champion.
Next: So Many Headlines To Choose From
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Headline of the Year
Each NASCAR season there are plenty of headlines that help shape and define that particular season. Some of those headlines involve on-track things while other involve some of that off-track stuff. Sometimes one headline is captivating enough to define an entire season while other times a season is defined by various headlines. Here is a look at the headlines from 2015 that made the most impact. Each of these was special but only one can be the Headline of the Year.
The Nominees:
- Jeff Gordon Announces His Retirement Following The 2015 NASCAR Season.
- NASCAR Suspends Kurt Busch For Domestic Abuse Allegations
- Kyle Busch Breaks His Leg In Daytona Wreck.
- Michael Waltrip Racing Announces They Are Shutting Down After 2015.
- Dale Jr. Finally Gets Engaged.
- Tony Stewart Announces His Plans To Retire After 2016.
- Clint Bowyer To Replace Tony Stewart At SHR In 2017.
- Kyle Busch Wins 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.
- Kenseth Takes Out Logano, NASCAR Parks Him For Two Races.
Next: One Of These Moments Has To Win
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Moment of the Year
One of the coolest thing about sports is that it allows for moments to be created that are impossible to be created anywhere else. These moments are magical and often can define an athlete, season or career. When it comes to sports the first thing we think of is our favorite athlete or team and then the next thing that we think of is a moment that we remember them being involved in. Here are some of the best moments from the 2015 NASCAR season.
The Nominees:
- Joey Logano wins his first Daytona 500.
- Kyle Busch wins after missing 11 races due to a broken leg and foot.
- The Daytona crowd erupts after Austin Dillon climbs out of his destroyed No. 3 machine after it got turned into the catch-fence.
- Erik Jones wins the Truck Series title at the age of 19.
- Jeff Gordon wins Martinsville to earn a spot in the final-four in Miami.
- Kyle Busch completes the comeback story by winning the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.
- Tom Cruise surprises Jeff Gordon at the NASCAR Awards Ceremony, moving Gordon to tears.
- Matt Kenseth Takes Out Joey Logano.
Next: Every Season Has A Disappointment
USA Today Sports
Most Disappointing Driver of 2015
Sometimes in life there is disappointment and there is nothing that we can do about it. At the start of every season the goal of every NASCAR driver is to make the Chase. From there the goal is obviously to win a championship. However the best laid plans only work so often, sometimes your favorite driver lays and egg and that can make for a long a disappointing season.
The Nominees:
- Tony Stewart – After missing three races in 2014 and finishing 25th in the standings, 2015 was supposed to be a bounce-back season for Stewart. Instead it was anything but that as Stewart finished 28th in the standings and did not record a single finish inside of the top-five.
- Kasey Kahne – Kahne made the Chase in 2014 and many thought he would do so again in 2015, however Kahne hit a wall towards the middle of the season. In the last 10 races before the Chase, Kahne’s best finish was 12th to go along with six finishes of 19th or worse.
- Danica Patrick – 2015 was a contract year for Patrick and she began the season proving many of her critics wrong. Patrick had four top-16 finishes after eight races. Over the next 28 races she would only finish in the top-16 five times and two of those five came in the final three races of the season.
- Kyle Larson – 2015 was supposed to be the break out season for Larson and the No. 42 team but he fell flat. In 2014 Larson finished 17th in the standings with eight top-five’s and 17 top-10’s. In 2015 Larson regressed and finished 19th in the points with only two top-five’s and 10 top-10’s.
Next: Cool Paint Job Bro!
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Coolest Paint Scheme
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a fun paint scheme? Each season there are so many different paint schemes in NASCAR that it’s always a challenging task to narrow the field down to a handful. This year it was not any easier as the NASCAR drivers truly outdid themselves. Below you will see the nominees for coolest 2015 paint scheme.
The Nominees:
- Jeff Gordon – The Final Ride Paint Scheme
- Dale Jr. – Dew Shine Paint Scheme
- Jeff Gordon – Rainbow Warrior Paint Scheme
- Kyle Larson – Throwback Mello Yello Paint Scheme
- The 2015 SpongeBob Paint Schemes
- Kyle Busch – Crispy M&M’s Paint Scheme
- Dale Jr. – Baja Mountain Dew Paint Scheme
- Brad Keselowski – Classic Miller Paint Scheme
- Kevin Harvick – Vintage Budweiser Paint Scheme
- Jimmie Johnson – Red Vest Lowe’s Paint Scheme
Next: What A Finish That Was
USA Today Sports
Best Finish of 2015
What’s one of the greatest things about NASCAR? The racing of course. Each year NASCAR brings us action-packed race events and each year there are always a few races that stand out amongst the rest. Here is a quick look at the handful of races from 2015 that deserve the honor of being called Best Finish of 2015.
The Nominees:
- Matt Kenseth wins after everyone runs out of gas – Pocono
- Jeff Gordon holds off McMurray – Martinsville
- Kyle Busch overtakes Kevin Harvick – Homestead
- Logano wins the 500 – Daytona
Next: Who Said We Don't Need A Villain?
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Villain of the Year
Villains come in many different shapes and sizes and that certainly holds true for NASCAR. What makes a driver a villain is almost completely dependent on the NASCAR fan that you ask. Maybe said driver is perceived to be dirty or maybe said driver wins a lot and it upsets fans who cheer for drivers who don’t win a lot. It takes a lot to make a driver a villain and with that being said, one of the below drivers is going to be named the 2015 Villain of the Year.
The Nominees:
- Matt Kenseth
- Joey Logano
- Danica Patrick
- Kevin Harvick
- Kyle Busch
- NASCAR
Next: All Hail Greatness
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Driver of the Year
Often times fans think that the person or team that wins a championship is the best that sport has to offer in that particular season. Sometimes that is true and other times that is wrong. Winning a championship is huge but sometimes the best athletes and teams do not win titles for one reason or another. Sometimes success is measured by more than championships, then again sometimes it’s not.
The Nominees:
- Kyle Busch – 2015 Champion with five wins, 12 top-five’s and 16 top-10’s in only 25 races.
- Kevin Harvick – three wins, 23 top-five’s 28 top-10’s and the best average finishing spot in the series (8.7)
- Joey Logano – 2015 Daytona 500 and led the series with six wins to go along with 22 top-five’s and 28 top-10’s. Logano’s average finishing position in 2015 (9.2) was second only to Kevin Harvick.
- Jimmie Johnson – five wins to go along with 14 top-five’s and 22 top-1o’s.
- Matt Kenseth – five wins to go along with 12 top-five’s and 20 top-10’s.