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A few weeks ago, I’d have told you that I wasn’t very interested in NASCAR. I could have said with little hesitation that, while I didn’t hit the MPH that racecar drivers did, my ride to and from work was more interesting than a NASCAR race.

Heck, my commute included left AND right turns! Sometimes even a Michigan left!

So, I offer a humble apology and a big thank you to Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards.

This past Sunday, I watched the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race: last race of the season, 36 of 36, the ultimate match-up to decide the 2011 champion.

It was very simple, even for a newbie to the race world like me.

Tony Stewart vs. Carl Edwards. Winner takes all.

Steady Carl Edwards, who only finished outside the top 10 in one race in his last 12 races before Sunday, led in points for the championship. Fiery Tony Stewart (they don’t call him “Smoke” for nothing), after an awful beginning to the season, stormed to second place in the standings by winning four of the last 10 races.

Winner of the Ford 400 takes all.

Edwards started the race in the pole position after a dominant showing at time trials. Bad luck early (contact with debris punched a hole in Stewart’s #14 Chevrolet) dropped Stewart to as low as 40^th, but he would not go away.

Lap 109 found the race being halted by a lengthy rain delay. Stewart seemed very loose, striding around pit row, talking with his crew.

An interviewer caught up to Stewart (currently in fifth place) and asked how the rain delay would affect him.

“Fixin’ to keep delivering this whooping.”

Really? How can you not love this? When the race restarted over an hour later, the chess match between Stewart and his Office Depot/Mobil 1 crew and Edwards resumed. Gambling on his gas consumption and staying out an extra 10 laps while the other leaders, including Edwards’ #99 car, pitted for gas and tires proved to be a shrewd move. After a restart on Lap 231 (of 267), Smoke dropped the hammer and never looked back.

Battling through rain delays, bad luck and 42 other drivers, Tony Stewart won the Ford 400 and the Sprint Cup Series championship. And shouted out his sponsors, too. Check out 1:49 into the video. Pretty darn cool.

“If this doesn’t go down as one of the greatest championship battles in history, I don’t know what will,” said Stewart.

I kind of feel spoiled. It was one of my first indoctrinations into a sport that I’m really looking forward to following more closely, and it’s one of the closest fought championships ever.

I have faith that 2012 is going to be an amazing year. Quicken Loans is really excited to be sponsoring Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.

Only 97 days until the start of next season.

See y’all in Daytona.

Fun facts from the race:

• Tony Stewart passed 76 cars on the track in Sunday’s race.
• Stewart-Haas Racing earned its 13th victory, and the team’s six wins in 2011 are tied for the most.
• This is the seventh time the Cup Series champion won the last race of the season. The most recent time was Jeff Gordon in 1998.
• Tony Stewart won his third Cup Series championship in 464 starts. He won the 2002 and 2005 Cup championships.
• Tony Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships in 63 Cup Series seasons.
• This is the first time the champion and second in points finished 1-2 in the season finale.
• Tony Stewart is 40 years old (May 20, 1971) and from Columbus, Ind. He is the oldest champion in the Chase era.
• Tony Stewart has at least one Cup victory in each of his 13 seasons  – the longest active streak.

Top photo taken by Andrew Coppley/CIA Photo.

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