This is an update to:
Winning 3 Consecutive NASCAR Championships - Great Sports Feat, Or Great Sports Luck?
Johnson’s third straight title is much more significant. In fact, it is one of the most significant accomplishments in NASCAR history.
Richard Petty, who has a record seven Cup championships, never won three in a row. Dale Earnhardt, the other seven-time champion, didn’t either.
Nor did Jeff Gordon, the four-time champion who has emerged as the greatest driver of the current era.
David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison. All were great champions and are legends of the sport. But none accomplished what Johnson will do when he seals his third straight title at Homestead this week.
Only Yarborough, the legendary tough man, accomplished the feat, and it had been grossly overlooked until Johnson came along to match him.
But Yarborough won his titles at a time when winning the series championship wasn’t such a huge deal. Back then, winning big races — the Daytona 500, the World 600 and the Southern 500 — were how the greats were measured.
Yarborough was indeed one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers. His 83 career victories and three straight championships put him among the top five drivers of all-time.
But in just seven years, Johnson has also cemented his status as one of the greatest ever.
At age 33, he could easily double his victory total and no doubt has more championships ahead of him. One more and he will tie Gordon, who is generally regarded as one of the top five of all time.
On the cusp of a record-tying third straight title, Johnson has already achieved greatness. The question now is, how high can he go?
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