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Before drag racing fans put the 2007 NHRA POWERade season completely behind them and throttle down into the relative serenity of the offseason, one last recap of the ups and downs of the 2007 NHRA storybook would seem to be in order. It's usually not too difficult to identify the highlights and lowlights of a typical year on the quarter-mile. In fact the real challenge is trying to decide which ones should or should not be included in order to keep the list to a manageable length.

This type of random and strictly subjective compilation is never meant to be received with universal agreement and almost always results in fervent debate. But a difference of opinion is exactly how many drag racing historians believe the sport was born in the first place, so it makes perfect sense to throw caution to the wind and present the following collection of pluses and minuses of the NHRA POWERade drag racing season just concluded.

The Highs

1. The Final Day of the Season: We're beginning at the end. It has already been declared the most dramatic season finale in NHRA history. All four professional POWERade championships were decided during eliminations at the Auto Club Finals. Two were closed out in the very last round. A national record in one category could have made that three and the earliest any of them was clinched was Round 2. After all was said and done, nobody had any fingernails left.

2. Drag Racing Jumps to Mainstream Media: Two reality series based on NHRA drag racing, including the highly rated "Driving Force" drag-u-drama on A&E, brought the sport into countless new households which had never been exposed to the world's quickest motorsport. Ashley Force's appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" was another big step in familiarizing millions of potential fans with drag racing, while her being named in an AOL poll as America's Hottest Athlete surely didn't hurt either.

3. The NHRA POWERade Series Is Sold: As a nonprofit organization, the National Hot Rod Association was limited in what it could do in the current business environment to grow, flourish and branch out. With the sale of the NHRA's professional racing series and its wholly owned drag racing venues to DirecTV magnates HD Partners, drag racing's premier sanctioning body will have the legal and financial horsepower necessary to further its goals and energize its long-term growth.

4. Scelzi Decides to Postpone Retirement: Four-time POWERade champion Gary Scelzi has become one of drag racing's most popular stars with his quick wit, genuine friendliness and his refusal to take himself too seriously. After announcing he would be walking away from the sport at year's end, the former Top Fuel and Funny Car champion changed his mind, and to the delight of drag racing fans everywhere, the mustachioed Scelzi will be back on the job in 2008.

5. Burkart Becomes the Quintessential Giant Killer: After Phil Burkart Jr. lost his ride on Del Worsham's CSK Funny Car team at the end of 2006, the resilient veteran pulled together a one-race deal for this year's AC Delco Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., with FX Caprara Kia, located not far from Phil's home in Watertown, N.Y. With an 11th-hour agreement with cagey, crafty, longtime drag racer Paul Smith to tune for Burkart, the new and untested team advanced all the way to the Gators finals, where it was nipped at the stripe by Ron Capps.

The Lows

1. Wally Parks Passes Away: Loved by many, respected by even more, and missed by all, Wally Parks created, nurtured and lovingly stood over what grew to become the largest motorsports sanctioning body in the world. His abiding humility was matched by a passionate devotion to drag racing and hot-rodding -- with neither of those endearing qualities wavering or weakening until his passing at the age of 94. Wally was The Man.

2. Eric Medlen Loses His Life in a Testing Accident: Although he was as accomplished behind the wheel of an 8,000-horsepower Funny Car as any of his peers, Eric Medlen's thousand-watt smile and fun-loving personality set him apart. His death in March rocked the sport and sent emotional shock waves throughout the racing world, especially among those who considered him a friend and the many more who wished they had had that opportunity. The healing continues.

3. Tommy Johnson Jr. Takes His Last Ride with Snake Racing: Just as the '07 season was winding up, word came from Don "The Snake" Prudhomme that 2008 would see him concentrating on his Top Fuel team with driver Larry Dixon and that unless a new sponsor was signed for his Funny Car operation led by Tommy Johnson Jr., there would be no F/C at Snake Racing in '08. TJ has not only become a potential POWERade champion but he and wife Melanie Troxel are popular fan favorites. Here's hoping Tommy will be racing somewhere on the POWERade trail next year.

4. Erica Enders Misses Much of the Season: Women who have competed successfully in Pro Stock are rare indeed, and one who is young, vivacious and capable of winning a national event is truly one of a kind. For Erica Enders, 2007 was a series of fits and starts as the lack of a major sponsor and the paucity of an adequate racing budget kept her from running the entire 23-race NHRA schedule. She has already proved she can drive, her pit area is constantly besieged by autograph seekers at any national event at which she competes, and her winning personality should attract corporate America on her worst day. Perhaps 2008 will be kinder to this future drag racing star who should be "Right On Track."

5. John Force Suffers the Worst Accident of His Career: When John Force collided with Kenny Bernstein in the second round of Funny Car eliminations in Dallas in October, it represented two "firsts" for the 14-time POWERade champion. It was the first time he had been unable to walk away from a racing accident under his own power, and it was the first time he had ever suffered a broken bone in a crash. Force's early days in drag racing resulted in a perpetual parade of rolls, explosions and wall bangers but none was as severe as his Dallas mishap which resulted in a broken ankle and serious injuries to his right hand. Now on the mend, Force is expected to be ready to race again when the 2008 season kicks off in Pomona, Calif., in February. And we are all deeply grateful for that.

Bill Stephens covers NHRA for ESPN.com