The trophies have been delivered and the checks have been cashed. All that’s left of the 2006 NASCAR season is our wrap-up of season superlatives of the Busch and Craftsman Truck series.

There was plenty of talk about Nextel Cup drivers competing in the Busch Series, so it should be little surprise one of them – Kevin Harvick – won the series championship. The Cup series was also well-represented in Trucks, with former Cup driver Todd Bodine winning the series championship and current Cup star Mark Martin winning the most races (six).

Busch Series

Team of the Year: Richard Childress Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet. Harvick drove for this team most of the season, but it also earned a victory with RCR teammate Jeff Burton behind the wheel for a total of 10 wins in 35 races.

Best race: The August race at Michigan, which saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. spin leader Carl Edwards on the last lap to gain the victory. In what can only be described as a shocking moment in NASCAR history, Earnhardt Jr. was unmercifully booed by fans while in Victory Lane.

Biggest disappointment: Kevin Harvick Inc. rookie Burney Lamar. He started the year finishing second in the season-opening race at Daytona Beach, Fla., then ended the season without a ride.

Worst NASCAR decision: It’s a tossup between allowing John Andretti, who has more than 300 Nextel Cup Series starts, to compete as a rookie and awarding rookie of the year honors to Danny O’Quinn Jr., who finished 35th in the series’ final race while Andretti finished 16th. The two were tied in rookie points heading into the final event.

2007 champion prediction: While the number of Cup drivers competing in both series will drop in 2007, Edwards will continue double-duty and should be the favorite to win his first championship.

2007 surprise: Expect a strong showing from Jon Wood, who will run the full Busch schedule as well as make his Cup series debut next year.

Craftsman Truck Series

Driver of the Year:

It’s a tough call, with Bodine winning his first NASCAR championship – also Toyota’s first in NASCAR’s three national series – on the one hand, and Johnny Benson’s stellar season (five wins) on the other. We’ll give the nod to Bodine, driver of the No. 30 Toyota Tundra, since he came close last season and was able to put it all together this year.

Team of the Year: Roush Racing’s No. 6 Ford. Martin drove the truck in 14 races and David Ragan, who will debut as a rookie in the Cup next season, did nine more races with the team. Martin won six races, while Ragan earned two poles and six top-10 finishes during his stint.

Best race: The June race at Michigan which saw Benson win his first series race while holding off a determined Martin, who finished second. Benson would win four more times during the season.

Biggest disappointment: It was a tough year for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, which had contended for the championship in recent years with veteran Dennis Setzer. Setzer finished 13th in points and left for Spears Racing at the end of the season.

2007 champion prediction: There is little doubt Toyotas should remain strong and since Benson seemed the most consistent at the end of the season from that group, we’ll go with him.

2007 surprise: A reorganization and rededication of Brendan Gaughan’s team – the seeds of which were planted late this season – should

return Gaughan to the title hunt in 2007.