Lost in the hubbub of the Chase was the fact that Jimmie Kenneth Johnson, the son of a truck driver and whose mom drove a school bus, won his 40th NASCAR Sprint Cup race. That he will be crowned Sprint Cup Champion next week is almost a foregone conclusion. A finish of 36th or better at Homestead will be good enough for Johnson to make NASCAR history by becoming the first driver since Cale Yarborough in 1976,77 & 78 to win 3 titles in a row.
Now back to those 40 wins. Let’s compare that victory total, achieved in 7 seasons to other notable NASCAR drivers. After 7 full-time seasons, the late, great Dale Earnhardt had 15 wins and 1 Cup. “The King”- Richard Petty- had 48 wins and 1 championship. Bobby Allison had 39, David Pearson, something of a part-timer, had 28. Johnson’s mentor- Jeff Gordon- 49 wins and 3 championships.
Jimmie Johnson is already in my mind the driver of the decade and one of the all-time greats, even if his career ended next Sunday. As further evidence, Johnson has never finished worse than 5th in the points since his rookie season in 2002.
Someday this monster run will come to an end, just ask any of the aforementioned drivers. Yet today, we saw another example of the El Cajon, California native’s greatness. Example: Jamie Mc Murray pulls ahead of Johnson in the race off pit road. The green flag drops, Johnson- after starting out on a high line- nails the entry in the turn and shoots past Jamie Mac like he’s driving in reverse. He drives smart, his crew chief is a genius and his wife is gorgeous.
It really must stink to be Jimmie Johnson…..nah.
Aside from Johnson’s studliness, fans were also treated to another installment in the resurrection of Kurt Busch. For the second place finisher, it was a second straight week of good racing from Penske’s “Invisible Man.” The previously mentioned Mc Murray had another nice run- especially meaningful because he may be driving for his job as Jack Roush will have to cut one of his five teams at the end of 2009.
Lest you think I’ve lost my marbles, I am well aware that Carl Edwards is still mathematically in the running to steal Jimmie’s crown. Edwards didn’t have the car to seriously threaten Johnson, but he sure succeeded in keeping our eyes on him. By not doing anything foolish, Edwards is the only driver left who could benefit from a meltdown by the points leader next Sunday.
Boy, did we have some wrecks today. David Gilliland got jacked up over Scott Speed. Brian Vickers tried to bend the wall. A.J. Allmendinger incurred the wrath of Matt Kenseth by trying to squeeze through a space not there. Kenseth was sure to return the favor on the final lap. I don’t know if the other cars caught up in that mess appreciated that a whole lot- though I wouldn’t dispute Kenseth was justified in some type of “Now listen here, Rook….” gesture.
To read what I just wrote, you’d think I’ve drank the Jimmie Johnson Kool- Aid. Those of you who know me know that as a fan, I’m actually rooting for Edwards. By making this statement, I hope you then understand that regardless of what you think of Jimmie Johnson or anyone else affiliated with the Hendrick organization (I know they have their haters out there), you appreciate what you’re seeing out on the track for what it is.
You’re witnessing history in the making.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Before you crown JJ as the greatest driver ever, you really need to look at the numbers a little closer. In addition to the benefit he has of peaking during the last 10 races of the year, which is what he needs to do in order to win championships, there’s also the matter of numbers.
By that I mean, in Dale Earnhardts first 7 “full” seasons, he ran in 180 races. JJ ran in 252 (counting next week) in his 7 seasons. And JJ was running much better equipment.
Comparing him to the King, who won 48 races in his first 7 “Full” seasons, it looks a little closer but Richard Petty ran 302 races while missing 41 in 1965 and 10 in 1966. I wouldn’t consider any season where you miss 41 races a full season.
Is Jimmy a good driver? You bet, and anyone who disagrees doesn’t know a thing about racing. But more importantly, he’s got a crew chief who saves him from himself and that figured out the way to win championships is to win in the 10 race chase.