And up on the championship stage at Homestead-Miami Speedway, there was Tony Stewart -- he of the broken leg suffered in a sprint-car accident -- leaning on a cane while congratulating Jimmie Johnson on his sixth NASCAR title. on the other is his teammate Hamlin, missing four races due to his back injury, and falling short of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time. It was a season that reminded everyone there are no absolutes in terms of safety -- just ask Michael Annett, who missed nearly three months after fracturing his sternum in a crash during the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona. It was a campaign that illustrated the gap in safety systems between NASCAR and many lower circuits, brought home in the sprint-car crashes that injured Stewart and took the life of former NASCAR driver Jason Leffler. More...