How do You Stop Jimmie Johnson? Answer: You Just Can’t
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Is there such a thing as penalizing a driver, crew chief and team for being too good, if it ultimately is for the betterment of the sport?
Or, more specifically, to keep NASCAR’s fan base from shrinking any further?
I’ve been getting lots of emails lately from fans who don’t necessarily begrudge Jimmie Johnson from what appears likely to be a fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship this season.
But at the same time, the underlying theme of many of those e-mails is the same: they’re losing interest in their own favorite drivers, teams and the sport as a whole because JJ and the No. 48 team are just so darned good.
And, no matter how they try to rationalize things, the end result for many fans is they’re just not having much fun any more, not enjoying the anticipation or hoping their driver will pull an upset, because the Johnson Express is simply unstoppable.
This same subject has arisen over the last three seasons, which all ended in the same result of a Johnson championship. But now, as Johnson goes for a historic fourth straight Cup title, equaling teammate Jeff Gordon’s four Cup championships, the belief by many that Johnson is taking away a lot of the fun of the sport – their fun, especially, as fans – is something that has to at least be thought about.
Is Johnson being so good making things so bad for the sport that sooner or later it’ll tip the proverbial line of demarcation?
But, realistically, what can NASCAR do, without it being accused of meddling at the very least, or fixing things like race and championship outcomes at the very worst, if it tries to circumvent Johnson’s ability to shine at the most crucial time of the year?
While Johnson is a great champion, ambassador and representative for the sport, he is causing many people to believe that no matter how well their own driver does in the first 26 races of the year, that it has now become a foregone conclusion Johnson will be right there in the 10 Chase races and ultimately take home the championship and another cool $10 to $15 million for his efforts.
Sure, sooner or later, Johnson is going to lose a championship battle. It’s inevitable.
But I have some bad news for those of you that may think it’s going to happen any time soon: Johnson just turned 34 in September. He’s in the prime of his racing career. Frankly, I can easily see him win another three or four more titles in a row – which would ultimately tie him with Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt for the most career Cup championships, or if he gets four more, it would make him the undisputed all-time champ in NASCAR history.
I empathize with guys like Brian France and Mike Helton. They want to present a fair, balanced sport full of parity, and they do … that is, until the Chase rolls around and Johnson again does his incredible thing.
But what can France, etc., realistically do?
Unfortunately, absolutely nothing. Their hands are tied because Johnson is doing nothing wrong. He’s simply outperforming everyone else, even if it means the rest of the sport may be suffering a bit as a result.
Admit it, if you’re a diehard Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr., fan, you’re tired of seeing Johnson win so many championships in a row, aren’t you?
And don’t you lament at how your driver can’t catch a break at the title because the No. 48 is always standing in the way like an insurmountable roadblock?
Short of NASCAR getting rid of the Chase for the Sprint Cup – and we all know how unlikely that’s going to be – I see the Johnson domination going on for several more years to come.
I honestly like Jimmie. But if he keeps winning championships at the rate he’s done up to this point, my fear and the fear of many fans is that the only fans that may be left around in the sport in a few years are only those fans of the No. 48.
