My bad. Life has been busy. Besides, I have Twitter to keep folks updated on what's going on in my life.
Anyway, since the end of the 2010 NASCAR season, folks have tried one way or another to explain how to fix one thing that has gotten totally out of hand over the last decade or so: Sprint Cup drivers winning races and championships in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
I remember as a boy watching Nationwide (then Busch Grand National) Series races where guys like Mark Martin, Harry Gant, and the Intimidator Dale Earnhardt himself winning NNS races. But the thing about that era Cup driver coming over and moonlighting on Saturdays was the fact that a) they didn't race every week and b) they didn't win every week.
Nationwide only drivers competed for wins and championships and attracted top-dollar sponsors throughout the late 90's when NASCAR's boom really got started. That carried over to the 2000 season as well. But then, in 2001, something happened.
A full-time Cup driver also ran for, and ultimately won, the Nationwide championship.
I have nothing against Kevin Harvick, but his running both series is really the catalyst for what we have now: a "junior" series that has dwindling attendance and television ratings, an obvious lack of high-dollar sponsors going after non-Sprint Cup drivers, and unfortunately a class of talent that will never be able to groom their abilities and have the chance to move into a top tier ride.
Harvick, along with names like Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Brad Keselowski are the stars of the Nationwide Series. Problem is they also run full-time in the Cup Series.
So basically what you have is a Nationwide Series that has lost its identity. Most folks call it "Cup Lite" (yes I spelled that correctly.)
So how do you fix this problem? Well there are several things that could help, but ultimately it comes down to one thing.
First: the small steps. The new Nationwide car. It debuted at Daytona in July. Junior took it to victory lane first. So folks are automatically in love with this new car. I agree. I got to take a look at one up close that hot July weekend, and I gotta say these new cars that will run full-time in 2011 are awesome. I think the racing is gonna be incredible in 2011 and since they are the little cousin of their Sprint Cup equivalents, the cost of building cars should go down for independent owners in this series because you can race the same car at Bristol that you can race at Michigan or Talladega.
Another option that I think should be implemented, but know very little about, it more stock parts and stock engines. Make the cost of running this series a little bit lower and owners could potentially be able to sign new and retain current sponsors because the cost of the series would be lower. I've heard several drivers say a top-tier NNS team could run on about half the current budgets if NASCAR stepped in and made the rule book a little easier to get along with.
Next, get rid of all these Sprint Cup/Nationwide companion events. In 1996 there were 12 stand alone races. Last year there were 9. If more Cup drivers had to go somewhere else in a weekend more often, I honestly think fewer would want to run the full Nationwide season. Of course with easier ways of traveling and most of these drivers having their own planes to fly around the country in, some one say this option really doesn't matter. Take what you want from it.
Ultimately, it all comes down to money. Didn't we know this was coming? The series has what I would say three times as much money pumped into it yearly than it did a decade ago. The series has built an identity of where it's perfectly acceptable for Cup drivers to race and win on Saturdays. And until NASCAR comes out and declares that this is a development series then Cup drivers are going to continue to win races. Only twice in 2010 did a non-Sprint Cup regular win a race, and a Nationwide-only competitor hasn't won a championship since 2005.
This series will continue to be dominated by Cup drivers until someone says what its supposed to be; what it was designed to be: a development series.
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Why 19 is bigger than 79
Ok weird title I know, but I have a point to all of my madness.
I know in real numbers that 79 is way bigger than 19. But today, it's gonna be reversed. I'm sure some of you are saying right now "wow that idiot must have failed math." Well I did (a couple of times) but that's beside the point.
Over the last 3 years, Kyle Busch has put up remarkable win totals in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck series. He's now got 79 total over the three series (19 Cup, 40 Nationwide, 20 Trucks.)
And the majority of those have comes since he moved out of the inn at Hendrick Motorsports following the 2007 season, and into the season of a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing at the beginning of the 2008 season. He's scored 58 wins in that time frame over the three series. Yeah, that's impressive.
He won the Nationwide Series championship in 2009 - another trophy that some could say elevates him to elite status in NASCAR.
He started his own truck series team earlier this year and has been to victory lane in it 4 times this year, including the last two in a row at Bristol and Chicago.
Two weeks ago he did the triple at Bristol, winning all three races which is something that I figured he'd end up getting around to one of these days.
He's accomplished all of this against some very, very difficult competition, including his own JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano and 4-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
All this success, however, isn't all that great in my opinion. Yeah, like I said, 19 is bigger than 79.
Kyle Busch is a Sprint Cup Series driver. He should be winning all of the lower support series races he enters. Why? Because he's better than his competition in those races. There's a reason why he climbs behind the wheel of an upper tier car on Sunday and those other Nationwide and Truck series drivers don't.
He's driving equipment in the lower series that is so much better than his competition it's not funny, and when he wins I don't think he should brag about it. Rather he should say yeah I whipped em again. Give me the trophy and the check and let's get outta here.
Wrecking Jennifer Jo Cobb to win at Bristol in the Truck Series shouldn't be celebrated. Wrecking driver X in the Nationwide Series to take the lead shouldn't be celebrated. Making a pass on the outside of Jimmie Johnson for the win in the closing laps of the Sprint Cup race in Chicago - now that's impressive. That's what should be celebrated.
My point is this: people may say Kyle is one of the greatest ever; he may reach 100 wins across the three series; he may do this and he may do that, but until he wins championships and more races in the Sprint Cup Series, what does all this Nationwide and Truck success do to further his career? In my opinion, not much.
It's like Brett Favre going back to the college ranks. It's like Greg Maddox throwing in the minors. It's like Michael Jordan in a pick-up basketball game. Succesful athletes are celebrated and honored for winning at the highest level, not for beating up the younger, less experienced and less talented folks in a lower division.
I'm sure when Kyle reaches 100 wins across the three series that the media will appoint him the new King of NASCAR. But hopefully, if most of those wins aren't in the Sprint Cup Series, that they will think before they speak.
19 is bigger than 79. But call/email/tweet me when Kyle reaches 200 wins in the Cup Series - then we'll talk.
I know in real numbers that 79 is way bigger than 19. But today, it's gonna be reversed. I'm sure some of you are saying right now "wow that idiot must have failed math." Well I did (a couple of times) but that's beside the point.
Over the last 3 years, Kyle Busch has put up remarkable win totals in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck series. He's now got 79 total over the three series (19 Cup, 40 Nationwide, 20 Trucks.)
And the majority of those have comes since he moved out of the inn at Hendrick Motorsports following the 2007 season, and into the season of a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing at the beginning of the 2008 season. He's scored 58 wins in that time frame over the three series. Yeah, that's impressive.
He won the Nationwide Series championship in 2009 - another trophy that some could say elevates him to elite status in NASCAR.
He started his own truck series team earlier this year and has been to victory lane in it 4 times this year, including the last two in a row at Bristol and Chicago.
Two weeks ago he did the triple at Bristol, winning all three races which is something that I figured he'd end up getting around to one of these days.
He's accomplished all of this against some very, very difficult competition, including his own JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano and 4-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
All this success, however, isn't all that great in my opinion. Yeah, like I said, 19 is bigger than 79.
Kyle Busch is a Sprint Cup Series driver. He should be winning all of the lower support series races he enters. Why? Because he's better than his competition in those races. There's a reason why he climbs behind the wheel of an upper tier car on Sunday and those other Nationwide and Truck series drivers don't.
He's driving equipment in the lower series that is so much better than his competition it's not funny, and when he wins I don't think he should brag about it. Rather he should say yeah I whipped em again. Give me the trophy and the check and let's get outta here.
Wrecking Jennifer Jo Cobb to win at Bristol in the Truck Series shouldn't be celebrated. Wrecking driver X in the Nationwide Series to take the lead shouldn't be celebrated. Making a pass on the outside of Jimmie Johnson for the win in the closing laps of the Sprint Cup race in Chicago - now that's impressive. That's what should be celebrated.
My point is this: people may say Kyle is one of the greatest ever; he may reach 100 wins across the three series; he may do this and he may do that, but until he wins championships and more races in the Sprint Cup Series, what does all this Nationwide and Truck success do to further his career? In my opinion, not much.
It's like Brett Favre going back to the college ranks. It's like Greg Maddox throwing in the minors. It's like Michael Jordan in a pick-up basketball game. Succesful athletes are celebrated and honored for winning at the highest level, not for beating up the younger, less experienced and less talented folks in a lower division.
I'm sure when Kyle reaches 100 wins across the three series that the media will appoint him the new King of NASCAR. But hopefully, if most of those wins aren't in the Sprint Cup Series, that they will think before they speak.
19 is bigger than 79. But call/email/tweet me when Kyle reaches 200 wins in the Cup Series - then we'll talk.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
AMS is filled with great NASCAR moments
(So, most of you probably know that I got hired to be a producer for Sprint Vision and I've spent the last month and a half living the dream. I meant to update that but never got around to it. So here's some random thoughts to chew on...)
After the madness that was Speedweeks 2010 at Daytona, followed by two weekends on the other coast, NASCAR finally returns to the southeast this weekend with the Kobalt Tools 500 for the Sprint Cup Series and the E-Z-GO 200 for the Camping World Truck Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
AMS is a fast 1.54 mile quad-oval that has been a fixture on the Cup Series since 1960. When I say fast I mean it too... the track record was set in 1997 by Geoffrey Bodine at over 197 mph and is the fastest single car lap on a non-restrictor plate racetrack that currently sits on the schedule. Glenn "Fireball" Roberts won the pole for the inaugural event and went on to win the race as well. The track has seen many renovations over the years from the building of new grandstands, new garages, a complete track redesign in 1997 to name a few; but it has seen its share of exciting door-to-door racing.
But I think more or less, Atlanta Motor Speedway is home to some of the greatest moments in the sport's history. I begin this walk down memory lane at the 1992 Hooters 500: the final race of the season that year. The moments that happened in that race will go down as legend... Richard Petty's final race and Jeff Gordon's first - the passing of the torch if you will. The epic points battle that came down between Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki in the closing laps that gave Kulwicki the title by just leading one more lap than Elliott did. The unfortunate turn that took away Davey Allison's shot at winning the title in a wreck on the frontstretch. Or maybe its the fact that both Kulwicki and Allison were both killed within a year of that race that made the players so much more of a part of that race. Many call the 92 fall race at AMS the greatest in the history of the sport. Hard to top that one for sure.
The fall 1996 race was also a good one. This championship run came down between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon. Early in the race, the 24 team had a problem with loose lugnuts warping the stud of a tire. Repairs cost Gordon nearly three laps but in typical "Rainbow Warrior" style, the car was able to get back onto the lead lap. However Labonte would prevail and pick up his second series championship. The race was more memorable because Bobby Labonte, Terry's younger brother, won the thing. Both took a victory lap side by side to celebrate. I wish more people would remember this race when bringing up the best AMS events over the years.
Probably my favorite was the 2000 Cracker Barrel 500 and that is for one reason and one reason only: Earnhardt won it. But it was a really cool finish and he didn't even wreck anybody to do it. The 3 car was able to hold off a charging Bobby Labonte for the win by just a few inches. What a great day that was - I remember it well. The first half of the race was cut off in South Carolina due to a Clemson basketball game being on and, apparently, the game took precedence over the race. Bummer. That was the next to last win for Dale Earnhardt Sr. as he was killed 10 months later on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001.
Which sets up my final AMS moment for this post.
The tragedy of the passing of Dale Earnhardt in February 2001 was one that I didn't think NASCAR would be able to get over and if it did it would be a while. Enter Kevin Harvick. In the car that Earnhardt would have driven at AMS that spring, the rookie held off Jeff Gordon in almost the exact same manner that Earnhardt held off Labonte a year earlier. I think the sport began to heal a little bit that March afternoon in 2001.
So Atlanta Motor Speedway has seen some great moments. Maybe we'll see another this weekend. Enjoy the show folks.
After the madness that was Speedweeks 2010 at Daytona, followed by two weekends on the other coast, NASCAR finally returns to the southeast this weekend with the Kobalt Tools 500 for the Sprint Cup Series and the E-Z-GO 200 for the Camping World Truck Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
AMS is a fast 1.54 mile quad-oval that has been a fixture on the Cup Series since 1960. When I say fast I mean it too... the track record was set in 1997 by Geoffrey Bodine at over 197 mph and is the fastest single car lap on a non-restrictor plate racetrack that currently sits on the schedule. Glenn "Fireball" Roberts won the pole for the inaugural event and went on to win the race as well. The track has seen many renovations over the years from the building of new grandstands, new garages, a complete track redesign in 1997 to name a few; but it has seen its share of exciting door-to-door racing.
But I think more or less, Atlanta Motor Speedway is home to some of the greatest moments in the sport's history. I begin this walk down memory lane at the 1992 Hooters 500: the final race of the season that year. The moments that happened in that race will go down as legend... Richard Petty's final race and Jeff Gordon's first - the passing of the torch if you will. The epic points battle that came down between Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki in the closing laps that gave Kulwicki the title by just leading one more lap than Elliott did. The unfortunate turn that took away Davey Allison's shot at winning the title in a wreck on the frontstretch. Or maybe its the fact that both Kulwicki and Allison were both killed within a year of that race that made the players so much more of a part of that race. Many call the 92 fall race at AMS the greatest in the history of the sport. Hard to top that one for sure.
The fall 1996 race was also a good one. This championship run came down between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon. Early in the race, the 24 team had a problem with loose lugnuts warping the stud of a tire. Repairs cost Gordon nearly three laps but in typical "Rainbow Warrior" style, the car was able to get back onto the lead lap. However Labonte would prevail and pick up his second series championship. The race was more memorable because Bobby Labonte, Terry's younger brother, won the thing. Both took a victory lap side by side to celebrate. I wish more people would remember this race when bringing up the best AMS events over the years.
Probably my favorite was the 2000 Cracker Barrel 500 and that is for one reason and one reason only: Earnhardt won it. But it was a really cool finish and he didn't even wreck anybody to do it. The 3 car was able to hold off a charging Bobby Labonte for the win by just a few inches. What a great day that was - I remember it well. The first half of the race was cut off in South Carolina due to a Clemson basketball game being on and, apparently, the game took precedence over the race. Bummer. That was the next to last win for Dale Earnhardt Sr. as he was killed 10 months later on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001.
Which sets up my final AMS moment for this post.
The tragedy of the passing of Dale Earnhardt in February 2001 was one that I didn't think NASCAR would be able to get over and if it did it would be a while. Enter Kevin Harvick. In the car that Earnhardt would have driven at AMS that spring, the rookie held off Jeff Gordon in almost the exact same manner that Earnhardt held off Labonte a year earlier. I think the sport began to heal a little bit that March afternoon in 2001.
So Atlanta Motor Speedway has seen some great moments. Maybe we'll see another this weekend. Enjoy the show folks.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Jimmie Johnson named AP Male Athlete of 2009
It's been about a month since I last posted. In that time I've graduated college and embarked on a new chapter in life. Just wanted to get that out of the way and now on to my point...
Monday morning Jimmie Johnson was announced as the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He beat out names like Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez, and (yes) Tiger Woods. He became the first NASCAR driver to ever win the award. Yes, Jimmie Johnson has done something else that Petty, Earnhardt, Pearson, and Yarborough never did. Just the fact that Johnson was in the running is remarkable and it boasts so much about how NASCAR's place in mainstream sports media has jumped over the last decade. When I began watching NASCAR in the late 1980's, I doubt anyone would have selected a racecar driver as male athlete of the year. Here we are: December 21, 2009, and it's become reality.
I've talked at length about the enormity of the Johnson's accomplishment this year. A fourth straight championship is remarkable in any sport. I've noticed over the years that drivers who win a lot get booed by fans. Gordon, Stewart, Kyle Busch all come to mind for receiving their fair share of boos. But in the races I've been to in the four seasons that Johnson has taken home the crown, I don't ever remember hearing boos. I don't remember hearing cheers either. Are NASCAR fans nonchalant about Johnson and what's he done?
But back to the point at hand and this morning's announcement of Johnson's newest title. Take a look back at the 2009 sports world. Let's see what's happened in the last 12 or so months. A-Rod finally won his World Series title, Big Ben Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl with great heroics, Peyton Manning is on the verge of perfection in this year's version of the National Football League. And Tiger Woods overshadowed both John & Kate separating on national television and Mark Sanford and his antics with South American women.
But whatever Rodriguez, Roethlisberger, Manning, and Woods have done this year, have they done more than what Johnson has done? The obvious answer is no and anyone who is still thinking about this question needs to hit the refresh button because you are taking WAY too long.
I think NASCAR fans look at this from a two-fold standpoint. First, those that are Jimmie Johnson haters don't like this because it's Jimmie Johnson and they'd rather someone else had won the award. On the other hand, you've got a core group of NASCAR fans, some of whom have felt very neglected by mainstream media over the years, that are just happy that a driver had been chosen.
I remember when Dale Earnhardt made the cover of Time Magazine following his February 2001 death at Daytona. I remember thinking how huge it was for the sport to have one of its own on the cover despite the manner in which Earnhardt got there. Last February I was surprised to see the number of different national news outlets that were on hand for the season-opening Daytona 500. And now I'm seeing news people from all over the world at Daytona to watch Danica Patrick make single-file runs in an ARCA car (a topic by the way that I haven't even begun to vent about and will do so at length at a future date and time.)
But the fact of the matter is that the Associated Press has named a NASCAR driver as it's male athlete of the year. I like the idea and I say that while disclosing that I'm not necessarily a Jimmie Johnson fan. It's true I didn't like him that much when he first got into the sport and he certainly didn't help his cause with me when he won his first, second, and third championships. But you've got to respect the man and his latest accomplishment.
Take pride NASCAR. For the next 12 months you have the top male athelete in your ranks. Enjoy the ride. Maybe five in a row will also warrant the honor as well.
Monday morning Jimmie Johnson was announced as the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He beat out names like Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez, and (yes) Tiger Woods. He became the first NASCAR driver to ever win the award. Yes, Jimmie Johnson has done something else that Petty, Earnhardt, Pearson, and Yarborough never did. Just the fact that Johnson was in the running is remarkable and it boasts so much about how NASCAR's place in mainstream sports media has jumped over the last decade. When I began watching NASCAR in the late 1980's, I doubt anyone would have selected a racecar driver as male athlete of the year. Here we are: December 21, 2009, and it's become reality.
I've talked at length about the enormity of the Johnson's accomplishment this year. A fourth straight championship is remarkable in any sport. I've noticed over the years that drivers who win a lot get booed by fans. Gordon, Stewart, Kyle Busch all come to mind for receiving their fair share of boos. But in the races I've been to in the four seasons that Johnson has taken home the crown, I don't ever remember hearing boos. I don't remember hearing cheers either. Are NASCAR fans nonchalant about Johnson and what's he done?
But back to the point at hand and this morning's announcement of Johnson's newest title. Take a look back at the 2009 sports world. Let's see what's happened in the last 12 or so months. A-Rod finally won his World Series title, Big Ben Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl with great heroics, Peyton Manning is on the verge of perfection in this year's version of the National Football League. And Tiger Woods overshadowed both John & Kate separating on national television and Mark Sanford and his antics with South American women.
But whatever Rodriguez, Roethlisberger, Manning, and Woods have done this year, have they done more than what Johnson has done? The obvious answer is no and anyone who is still thinking about this question needs to hit the refresh button because you are taking WAY too long.
I think NASCAR fans look at this from a two-fold standpoint. First, those that are Jimmie Johnson haters don't like this because it's Jimmie Johnson and they'd rather someone else had won the award. On the other hand, you've got a core group of NASCAR fans, some of whom have felt very neglected by mainstream media over the years, that are just happy that a driver had been chosen.
I remember when Dale Earnhardt made the cover of Time Magazine following his February 2001 death at Daytona. I remember thinking how huge it was for the sport to have one of its own on the cover despite the manner in which Earnhardt got there. Last February I was surprised to see the number of different national news outlets that were on hand for the season-opening Daytona 500. And now I'm seeing news people from all over the world at Daytona to watch Danica Patrick make single-file runs in an ARCA car (a topic by the way that I haven't even begun to vent about and will do so at length at a future date and time.)
But the fact of the matter is that the Associated Press has named a NASCAR driver as it's male athlete of the year. I like the idea and I say that while disclosing that I'm not necessarily a Jimmie Johnson fan. It's true I didn't like him that much when he first got into the sport and he certainly didn't help his cause with me when he won his first, second, and third championships. But you've got to respect the man and his latest accomplishment.
Take pride NASCAR. For the next 12 months you have the top male athelete in your ranks. Enjoy the ride. Maybe five in a row will also warrant the honor as well.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Jimmie Johnson is one of the greats. Period.
Sunday afternoon Jimmie Johnson locked up his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship. On route to the title this year, he scored seven victories, three poles, 15 top 5's, and 23 top 10's. In his four championship seasons (06, 07, 08, and 09) he has accumulated 29 victories, 64 top 5's, and 94 top 10's.
Allow me to do the numbers for you: in 144 starts in those four years, he won 20.1% of the races, finished in the top five in 44.4% of the races, and finished in the top 10 in 65.3% of the races. That my friends is what you call domination.
The man has accomplished something that no other driver in the 61 year history of the sport has done and he's done it without boasting about his ability, but rather giving credit to his Hendrick Motorsports team. He's done it by consistently finishing races and finishing well (only seven DNF's in that four year streak.) And he's led laps and gained bonus points as a result (over 6,300 laps led in that time.)
Folks, what don't you get about this guy? He might be the best ever. He was hand picked by Jeff Gordon. He was mentored by Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon. He grew up racing motorcycles on dirt before switching to off-road racing and finally to stock cars. He has car control down to a science. He has strategy and knowledge of the sport down. His crew chief is the most detail guy I've ever seen on a pit box and was a protege of Ray Evernham (who I might add was one of the greatest crew chiefs of all time.) There is a reason why the #48 Lowe's team has been at the head table at the banquet for the last four years.
Jimmie Johnson has not ruined NASCAR. He has not ruined the chase. He has realized how to win the chase and that's what is most important. He's realized how to make this racecar do what he wants it to do and he's figured it out faster than a lot of other guys. And when I talked about the COT and his figuring it out I'd also like to point out that he won two championships with the old car as well.
Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus have done something that nobody else has been able to do. Petty couldn't do it, Pearson couldn't do it, Yarborough almost did it and failed, and Earnhardt and Gordon all came close but failed.
To the people who are upset at this point or stopped watching the Chase after the Talladega race I am very sorry that you didn't get to witness history. When you look at all the sports dynasties out there, Jimmie Johnson ranks among the greats.
In the late 90's Jeff Gordon and his Rainbow Warriors had a banner in their shops. On that banner was a checklist of goals. It went from Upstart to Contender; From Contender to Winner; From Winner to Champion: and from Champion to Dynasty. Jimmie Johnson is a dynasty. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion. His legacy will live on for the ages. And if you think for one minute that he shouldn't be called "Great" then look at what he's done and look at what others have tried to do.
He may go for five. He may go for six. He may surpass Earnhardt and Petty and win eight in a row. The thing is until someone steps up to prove him otherwise, Jimmie Johnson is currently the best driver in the sport. And for anyone to downplay what he's accomplished in the last four years or to say he couldn't stack up with the Yarboroughs, Pettys, and Pearsons is just plain wrong.
Congratulations Jimmie, Chad, and Mr. H. I'm waiting to see what you can do in 2010.
Allow me to do the numbers for you: in 144 starts in those four years, he won 20.1% of the races, finished in the top five in 44.4% of the races, and finished in the top 10 in 65.3% of the races. That my friends is what you call domination.
The man has accomplished something that no other driver in the 61 year history of the sport has done and he's done it without boasting about his ability, but rather giving credit to his Hendrick Motorsports team. He's done it by consistently finishing races and finishing well (only seven DNF's in that four year streak.) And he's led laps and gained bonus points as a result (over 6,300 laps led in that time.)
Folks, what don't you get about this guy? He might be the best ever. He was hand picked by Jeff Gordon. He was mentored by Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon. He grew up racing motorcycles on dirt before switching to off-road racing and finally to stock cars. He has car control down to a science. He has strategy and knowledge of the sport down. His crew chief is the most detail guy I've ever seen on a pit box and was a protege of Ray Evernham (who I might add was one of the greatest crew chiefs of all time.) There is a reason why the #48 Lowe's team has been at the head table at the banquet for the last four years.
Jimmie Johnson has not ruined NASCAR. He has not ruined the chase. He has realized how to win the chase and that's what is most important. He's realized how to make this racecar do what he wants it to do and he's figured it out faster than a lot of other guys. And when I talked about the COT and his figuring it out I'd also like to point out that he won two championships with the old car as well.
Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus have done something that nobody else has been able to do. Petty couldn't do it, Pearson couldn't do it, Yarborough almost did it and failed, and Earnhardt and Gordon all came close but failed.
To the people who are upset at this point or stopped watching the Chase after the Talladega race I am very sorry that you didn't get to witness history. When you look at all the sports dynasties out there, Jimmie Johnson ranks among the greats.
In the late 90's Jeff Gordon and his Rainbow Warriors had a banner in their shops. On that banner was a checklist of goals. It went from Upstart to Contender; From Contender to Winner; From Winner to Champion: and from Champion to Dynasty. Jimmie Johnson is a dynasty. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion. His legacy will live on for the ages. And if you think for one minute that he shouldn't be called "Great" then look at what he's done and look at what others have tried to do.
He may go for five. He may go for six. He may surpass Earnhardt and Petty and win eight in a row. The thing is until someone steps up to prove him otherwise, Jimmie Johnson is currently the best driver in the sport. And for anyone to downplay what he's accomplished in the last four years or to say he couldn't stack up with the Yarboroughs, Pettys, and Pearsons is just plain wrong.
Congratulations Jimmie, Chad, and Mr. H. I'm waiting to see what you can do in 2010.
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