Finally, NASCAR's merger mania comes to an end (cont'd)

How did it get to this point? It all began with the economic recession of 2008-09, which plunged auto manufacturers into bankruptcy, forced many companies to reduce their marketing and sponsorship budgets, and led most NASCAR teams to slash payroll. There had been a certain degree of wheeling and dealing before that, with several organizations selling part of their teams to outside interests in order to raise capital. But the longer the recession lasted and the harder it became to find sponsorship money, the more desperate teams became. In late 2007, the organizations owned by Chip Ganassi and Teresa Earnhardt joined forces. The next year George Gillett and Richard Petty merged, and subsequently absorbed Yates Racing.

Ryan Newman and Rick Hendrick

NASCAR realized what was going on, and that its four-car organizational cap was useless, and did away with the rule in early 2011. Suddenly, the floodgates were open.

And then things got kind of crazy. The ties between Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush-Fenway Racing became tighter, as the RPM organization basically moved into the Roush shop. The technical alliance between Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing grew so intimate that even Tony Stewart started showing up for work in a starched white oxford-knit shirt. NASCAR realized what was going on, and that its four-car organizational cap was useless, and did away with the rule in early 2011.

Suddenly, the floodgates were open. Roush announced what everyone had known all along, that it was pulling the strings at RPM, and rolled out the new "Roush and Richard" eight-car team. Not to be outdone, Rick Hendrick dispatched with all appearances and formally took control of Stewart-Haas. All the Toyota teams other than Joe Gibbs Racing merged into one team under the Toyota Racing Development umbrella. Continued sponsorship struggles led Richard Childress and Earnhardt-Ganassi to join forces. Seeing what was happening and not wanting to be the last teams left standing in this high-stakes game of musical chairs, Gibbs and Penske Racing struck a unique, cross-manufacturer merger that would field three Dodges and three Toyotas.

And for a while, that's how it remained, with five superteams dominating the NASCAR landscape. But with the well-intentioned but ultimately unenforceable car cap out of the way, there was no reason to maintain the status quo. Things became even further intermingled in 2013, when the continuing decline in auto sales led the sport's manufacturers -- facing heated competition from Schwinn, which had emerged as the world leader in wheeled conveyance -- to announce that they would combine all monetary and technical support. All the walls that had once stood between NASCAR teams had been torn down, and the mergers resumed at a frantic pace.

Roush and Petty bought out Gibbs and Penske. Childress, Earnhardt and Ganassi struck a partnership with Hendrick and Stewart. The two resulting organizations waged a heated battle for the Toyota team, the assets of which were eventually split by a federal mediator. All the while, secret backroom meetings were being held, and on the day before the 2015 Daytona 500, the inevitable became reality. HERSCH was born. Sprint Cup had become a one-team sport. The merger mania had finally ended only because there was no one left to merge with.

NASCAR tried to implement some measures to help the few remaining holdouts become more competitive. The series mandated a new spec engine available to all teams for $299. It expanded the Chase to 30 cars. It began inverting the field after the first 200 laps of every race. Nothing worked. HERSCH motored along, steamrolling any competitors and gobbling up all available sponsorship. It's estimated that the new organization will rake in an estimated $50 million this year from winnings and bonus money alone. Reports have surfaced at Homestead that the team may expand to add seats for Danica Patrick, Lewis Hamilton, John Force, Valentino Rossi and Lance Armstrong in 2016.

But those issues can wait. This night belonged to Logano, who reveled in the spoils of his first championship. And for NASCAR's new juggernaut, there are more pressing matters, like the upcoming postseason awards banquet. Just how are they going to seat 11 co-owners at the head table?

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.