Bad sports, good sports: Jimmie Johnson may be the best ever in NASCAR

Posted on November 22nd, 2010 by Alan Spoll

It is time to start talking about NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson being one of the greatest sports figures of all time. Whether you are a fan of NASCAR or not (I am), there is no denying the monumental feat Johnson and his team accomplished on Sunday, winning their fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. This year’s edition was the closest one in recent history, with the top three drivers separated by less than 50 points going into the final race of the season. It appeared to me that most of the experts were picking Denny Hamlin, the points leader headed into the finale, to win the title. I would say that was wishful thinking, more than anything else.

To put this into perspective, only two other drivers won more than five championships in their whole careers. Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt each won seven titles, and neither one of them ever won more than two in a row. Johnson broke the consecutive championship record last year when he won his fourth, leaving Cale Yarborough’s record of three behind. He has now tacked another title onto his streak, making it clear that he deserves to be in the discussion about who is the best ever. There was a time when the popular opinion was that the driver most likely to equal or beat the career championship record held by Petty and Earnhardt was Johnson’s friend and teammate, Jeff Gordon. Gordon, who is actually a part-owner of Johnson’s team, won four championships by the age of 30. Now, nine years later, he is still stuck on four. Johnson has now won it all in five of those nine years, finishing second twice and fifth twice. If anyone is going to surpass Petty and Earnhardt, it would appear to be Johnson.

Auto racing is a team sport, and I would be remiss if I did not mention Johnson’s team in some detail. As great as Jimmie is as a driver, Chad Knaus may be even better as a crew chief. No other crew chief had ever won more than two championships in a row until Knaus’ five. His ability to set up a car for a race is only bested by his incredibly calm demeanor at all times, no matter how dire the situation. He keeps the team focused, relaxed, and driven. Johnson never gets too high or too low in the car because he always has Knaus in his ear, imparting advice and wisdom like his very own Yoda.

There are people out there who will argue that the Chase, NASCAR’s version of playoffs that was instituted in 2004, two years before Johnson’s first title, is unfairly titled toward the 48 team. They say the tracks that are part of the Chase are Johnson’s best tracks, and the schedule should be changed. Others say that Johnson could not have won all of his titles under the old point system that did not have the kind of point reset that the Chase has with ten races to go in the season. There is no way to know, of course. I would argue that it is even harder to win consecutive championships under this system, as the rules do so much to even things out and give all of the title contenders an equal chance. Johnson wins because he is the best. Even more remarkably, he does it without the slightest hint of trouble or controversy. He is as good a guy as you’ll find in sports, and a true ambassador for NASCAR.

Congratulations to Johnson, Knaus, the 48 team, and all of Hendrick Motorsports. You are true champions.

Good sports, continued:

2) Golfer In-Kyung Kim did something remarkable this week. After winning the Lorena Ochoa invitational last Sunday with a fantastic final round, she donated her entire $220,000 prize to charity. Fantastic.

3) University of Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure had the game of his life on Saturday. In the Illini’s game against Northwestern, Leshoure rushed for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Illinis beat the Wildcats, 48-27.

Bad sports:

1) I love posting links to videos of embarrassing goalie gaffes. Its a weakness of mine. Watch St. Louis Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak score on himself. Awesome.

2) Calvin Borel, an incredibly accomplished jockey who has won the Kentucky Derby three times in the last four years, was thrown from his horse during a race on Saturday, breaking his jaw. He’ll be okay, but he will be out for several weeks while it heals.

3) Earlier this season, the talk in Nashville was about how much quarterback Vince Young had matured, as compared to his early days with the team, when he had a lot of personal problems that had threatened to derail his career. Sunday, Young showed that his progress may have been overstated. After leaving the game between the Tennessee Titans and the Washington Redskins due to injury, he sulked on the sideline. When the game ended, Young, angry about not being put back into the game, stripped off his jersey and shoulder pads and threw them into the stands on his way off the field. Reports are that he then got into a verbal altercation with head coach Jeff Fisher in the locker room. It seems clear that Young’s time as the team’s quarterback is now in the past.

4) On Saturday, Northwestern played Illinois in football, as mentioned above in the story about Mikel Leshoure. The game was at storied Wrigley Field in Chicago, home of the Chicago Cubs. It was the first football game played at Wrigley since 1938. Despite months of planning and the sign-off of a whole lot of different people on the field layout and dimensions, a last minute change was required that nearly made the game a joke. Due to concerns about the padded brick wall running behind (and partially through) the east end zone, the Big Ten decided that, for the sake of safety, all offensive plays would be run in the direction of the west end zone. The teams switched ends after each possession. Sounds like something we used to do in the backyard when I was a kid.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday.

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02