Johnson Now a Serious Threat to Petty’s And Earnhardt’s Championship Record
By winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship Sunday at Homestead Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson turned a huge corner.
He is now tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for third place on NASCAR’s all-time championships list, putting him directly behind leaders Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt, who have seven titles each between them.
Sunday, Johnson entered NASCAR’s most elite class – a class that he now is the star pupil in – and becomes a most significant and legitimate threat to break a record that many people thought might never be broken.
While it’s unlikely he’ll ever top Petty’s 200 career Cup wins, Johnson is now within striking distance of Petty’s and Earnhardt’s shared championships mark.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility now. Given how relatively easy he’s made winning his first four Cup titles look, Johnson appears headed to do something Gordon has pretty much given up on: winning a fifth Cup title.
And even though it’s coincidental that it would be a fifth-straight championship for Johnson next season, the fact remains that the torch Gordon has carried as the most successful active driver in NASCAR has now officially been passed to Johnson.
Sure, Gordon has 35 more career Cup wins than Johnson, but as each year has passed since Gordon’s last title in 2001, it has become more and more apparent that Gordon will not come much closer to the joint Petty/Earnhardt mark, a record that many longtime Gordon fans thought he would have at least tied, if not broken, by now.
Johnson, on the other hand, is essentially just getting started. At the age of 34, he has a good six to eight more years ahead of him. And, given how he led the series with seven wins this season – and continues to appear to be in the prime of his racing career – one thing is pretty apparent.
The quest for a fifth straight is a given. The quest for winning a record eight championships overall – or more – is now a distinct possibility and ultimately a potential reality.
If you would have told me last year, after Johnson won his third straight, that he would be a serious challenger to Petty’s and Earnhardt’s mark, I would have said no way. He’d have had to win four more titles to win and five to break the record.
It’s funny how one more championship now, though, can change my thought process – and I’m sure the thought process of many others. Now that he’s tied with Gordon with four championships each, Johnson needs to win only three more to tie and four to break Petty’s and Earnhardt’s record.
Somehow, it’s like he’s climbed over the top of a mountain and now that goal is much more in sight and potentially attainable.
That’s bad news to the rest of his NASCAR challengers, for if Johnson continues his stranglehold on remaining champion, a lot of potential championship opportunities for other drivers will continue to fall by the wayside, year after year after year.
Carl Edwards? May never see his first Cup title.
Ageless Mark Martin, who finished second for a fifth consecutive time in his career this season? The only way he’ll get a chance at the title is if/when Johnson retires. Then again, knowing how strong Martin’s competitiveness and ability still are at the age of 50, he may just try and wait Johnson out to finally get that elusive first Cup title.
Tony Stewart? Somehow, as long as Johnson’s still around, it’s likely Smoke won’t be adding to the two Cup crowns he’s already earned.
And what about Dale Earnhardt Jr.? As much as I hate to say it, particularly since Johnson is his teammate, I think Junior fans better get used to the fact that their heartthrob also will never win a Cup championship while Johnson is still around. And given that Earnhardt is the same age as Johnson, again, as much as I hate to say it, we may have already seen the best seasons of Junior’s Cup career.
Can Johnson win a fifth next year? Most definitely. I’d say he’s already the big favorite to do so, given how he won No. 4.
Can he win more than five? Without a doubt. In fact, as I reflect back on what are now four consecutive championships, I was struck by a thought: a relatively dangerous thought at that to Johnson’s fellow competitors.
What if, even with the incredible achievement of four consecutive championships now, Johnson is ultimately just warming up?
Check back with me in about six years from now. I wouldn’t exactly be surprised if we’re talking about – and celebrating – Johnson’s record 10th consecutive championship.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/22 at 10:47 PM“Check back with me in about six years from now. I wouldn’t exactly be surprised if we’re talking about – and celebrating – Johnson’s record 10th consecutive championship.”—I don’t think NASCAR would let him get to 6. I think if he dominates again next year and wins no. 5, the Chase points system will be overhauled. Because if there’s been one constant during Johnson’s run, it’s been declining fans, attendance at tracks and ratings. Yes, what JJ has done is historic, but it’s come at the expense of fans who have dropped the sport because they have no use for someone whom they don’t like and don’t want to embrace.
Then again, Brian France and Co. have shown how clueless they are—i.e. praising the abomination at Talladega as a great race—so who knows? We might very well have races with empty stands and they’ll probably still bury their collective heads in the sand and say the sport is going great.
With all that Johnson has accomplished, I find it hard not to see an “*” next to his name in the record books indicating that his, “insert record number of consecutive championships here”, occurred during the “Chase” format.
I’ll have to do some more research, but does anyone know if Johnson would have won the last four under the original points system? His talent as a driver is only overshadowed by his team’s ability to run well in the final 10 races. If I am remembering correctly, Johnson would have won 3 of the last 4 under the old points system, so maybe there needs to be a “**” with that info to quiet all the controversy.
Whatever the outcome, my opinion is still the same…I don’t like the chase format. I don’t like it at all. I like to crown the most consistent driver over the entire year, not one that hung around the top 12 to run well in the final 10.
-Taglia
Not to worry. The addition of Danica Patrick will fix everything.
Prediction: Brad K wins Cup title before KyBusch. Speaking of whom, why did Jerry omit him in the column?
Mmark
Let the hyperbole begin. One of Jerry’s former colleagues just posted one of the most moronic columns I have ever read where he categorically states that Jimmie Johnson is a superior athlete to Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady because he’s won 4 consecutive Cups. Hey, I understand the physicality of sitting in a car for 4 hours and making left turns, but come on. It’s columns like that that open NASCAR to ridicule from other sports fans.
Aside from the fact that NASCAR is one sport where the equipment contributes heavily to the driver’s success (which said colleague tries to refute by claiming, and I quote, “Equipment is a key element of every sport. When’s the last time you saw a baseball player succeed without a bat, or a football player succeed without pads?”, which is a bogus comparison, because the type of pads or bats you use don’t provide an inherent advantage, as opposed to the fact that the type of equipment you use in NASCAR absolutely gives you an advantage), I’d love to see Jimmie Johnson, or hell, Mark Martin, who’s held as the gold standard as far as athleticism and fitness when it comes to NASCAR drivers, to 2-a days, play in steamy weather or frigid conditions, break a bone or strain a ligament, tape it up and then get right out there again, etc. Are the drivers “athletes”? Yes, they are, but to state unequivocally that Jimmie Johnson is the greatest athlete walking God’s green earth right now because he’s taken advantage of some bogus points system and giving short shrift to what athletes like Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Derek Jeter have done is the reason that NASCAR will always be treated like a joke by the general public.
Right on George. The NASCAR media’s quest to equate racing to ball and stick sports in an effort to gain cross over fans is laughable.
Athletes? Yes, but some perspective please. I saw a live WWE event last night for the first time. Athletic? Very. Entertaining? Yes. Greatest athletes ever? Well…
Mmark
It was never more evident how delusional some motorsports writers are than when Carl Edwards broke his foot (playing frisbee no less, certainly one of the manliest of sports) and they started talking about him like he was Willis Reed.
Although if he had won a race with a broken foot, I would have given him major props if he did the backflip afterward. Tough it out, Carl. tough it out!!!!
Lord, I hope not… I couldn’t stand 3 more championships from JJ, let alone 4. Nothing against him personally. I’d have an equally tough time stomaching those championships if they were won by Tony Stewart or - heaven forbid - Kyle Busch. Even Mark Martin would probably get tiring if he had managed to pull off four championships. Look at the reaction people had to Jeff Gordon back when he was winning. In a way, I’m glad I wasn’t watching when Earnhardt won all those championships. By the time I got around to watching, he was the struggling near-senior citizen. He was all set to run competitive, too, when he lost his life. That would have been a story because of the length of time he had NOT been able to keep up in the championship hunt.
If Jimmie Johnson is a superior “athlete” then lets do a decathalon with Jimmie Johnson against Kobe, Jeter, Champ Bailey, Federer, Beckham, etc. etc. I am sure Jimmie Johnson is in good physical condition and him looking liking a fool against real athletes shouldn’t make us think any less of him.
Oh,,,one more thing.
Didn’t Valentino Rossi win the MotoGP championship on the bike with best manufacturer and then switch to the bike by the worst manufacturer and still win a Championship?
Jimmie needs to drive for Furniture Row Racing and win another championship before I switch my respect from the owner to the driver when it comes to winning consecutive NASCAR championships.
One Jerry, if Johnson wins a fifth you will have to be writing about another sport nascar will all but be gone. The chase ,everyone in the know,knows it needs to be fixed ,the points the ,timing its runned and yes the fact it gives an advantage to maybe four drivers and mostly to Jimmie Johnson .No road race for one and because we have five different configurations of tracks five should be in the last ten races.Being as graet as Petty Earnhart yes championships are one thing but wins top fives top tens and so on make THEE champion of champions and no way if JJ beats everypart the greats as we call them now will still be remembered at there positions NOW
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