Subscribe to this blog's feed« Interesting times | Main | Test ban treaties now and then »
November 11, 2008
Jimmie IS One Of The Best Ever, Period
By Mark Young
OK race fans the time has come. As we sit smack dab in the middle of the final race week of the 2008 season it seems to have not as big of anticipation as it should. Jimmie Johnson is sure to clinch his third consecutive Sprint Cup Title and nobody is making much out of it, including this blogger. But I have decided to commit my post this week to giving some much deserved respect to Jimmie.
Three consecutive championships has only been done once and it his name wasn't Petty or Earnhardt. Cale Yarborough not only won three championships in a row he dominated them, much the same way Jimmie Johnson has in his last three seasons. Sure the Chase format has managed to keep it relatively close but none the less, Jimmie flat out dominated.
He has won at every possible type of track except for a road course. He has taken a bad car and, with the help of a great crew chief,won races. In fact, Jimmie has done in so smoothly that I can't recall any on-track or off-track confrontations with other drivers.
Do I sound sappy? Do I sound like a suck-up because my favorite driver didn't win it? You might think so but I don't care, I am just finally admitting that Jimmie Johnson is not only a great driver but quite possibly one that should be mentioned in the same sentence with Earnhardt, Petty, Gordon, and Yarborough.
What do you think?
November 11, 2008 | Permalink
Comments
*
Posted by: Bob | Nov 11, 2008 10:10:34 PM
Come on Mark.Settle down,take a chill pill.Though credit is warrented to the 48 TEAM,putting JJ in either of the crowd mentioned is borderline on acid.The guy has had great sucess no doubt,but untill his goggles get oil and dirt under his eyes i can't even remotely put him in that cat.Now granted JG hasn't had that grime look,but he did race against the man.No not a big fan of Sr.But based on the pansy pretty boys I see out there now,None could hold a candle to Sr,Petty, Cale...or Bobby or Pearson and even DW.Yep,it is a different era,but you compare the whining these drivers do today about the car vs. old school??You got what you got so just race the hell out of it vs. todays constant complaining about the car of today's drivers,yes even Jr.....
JJ can't drive a not set up right car.Can he drive a good set up car and keep his nose clean?Yep.He has a great CC.That is his $$$ maker.His record in a lower tier BUSCH team is weak.Look at his effort in a truck.
Botton-line...it is the equipment that makes JJ great.It is the CC that betters that equipment that makes JJ finish well.Sorry,Good team and a good driver but no where near GREAT...........
Posted by: DJ | Nov 11, 2008 10:51:53 PM
You see DJ that is where you missed it. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart both sucked in the Busch series. We have seen him with a junk car and won through communication to his team and talent to drive a bad car long enough to get it right.
Each of those drivers we both have listed have had great teams behind them. And they all had great equipment under them. If they didn't, they wouldn't have won as many as they did.
Posted by: Mark Young | Nov 11, 2008 11:07:21 PM
Mark, thanks for doing a post on Jimmie
Johnson and I agree he's a great driver.
Like you said, we have seen him with a junk
car and won through communication to his
team and talent to drive a bad car long
enough to get it right. There are some good
drivers in NASCAR but if their car is bad
they aren't going to win the race, I don't
care who the driver is. It takes a good CC.,
good driver and a good team to win races and
the #48 Team has it all. Sure C.K. is a
great C.C. but J.J. drives that #48 and does
a darn good job of it. I like Jimmie Johnson
though he's not my favorite driver but I
will give the whole 48 Team credit for
what they have accomplished.
Posted by: Dottie | Nov 12, 2008 1:05:22 AM
I hear you Mark,but I guess I am old school and when all you hear from these drivers is "I can't drive this" or "the car is junk".You said it....through communication with the TEAM he has had sucess.You mentioned TS and JG sucking in Busch.Yep,and just like JJ,they were plucked from that deal and put into great equipment.Give me TS anyday over JJ.I guess I'm not a stat man,so Raw talent and being able to save a car from wrecking or a gutsy pass does it for me.Just have not seen that too much with JJ.He has the wins and championships,but just have a hard time putting him that class you mentioned.I don't hate the guy at all,guess I am just tired of him stinking up an already boring for the most part product on the track.
Good posts regardless Mark and we all got either similar or different thoughts on it.Take care........
Posted by: DJ | Nov 12, 2008 9:12:29 AM
Mark,
I'll give that he's one of, if not thee, best right now, but, "One of the Best Ever/Great One's," I reserve that for after the career is over, and I'm sure he'll get those accolades, someday. It's just premature.
Speaking about premature, David makes some good points about NASCAR and the media's premature bump to cable. The media has spoken. NASCAR is a second or third tier sport; the Chase is more like a nickname than a valid playoff, and while they may have lost viewers, they got them commercial dollars airing AFH Videos. Way to go TV Guys!
Posted by: Keith | Nov 12, 2008 9:51:51 AM
Mark, calm down. Johnson has never had a bad car to overcome. As for confrontations with other drivers, you obviously missed the epidemic of melees he caused earlier this decade at Talladega and elsewhere; so much so he had to address his driving style to the media.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Nov 12, 2008 12:21:31 PM
Well, like it or not, Johnson is in a club of only 6 other men who have won 3 or more championships. Sorry, folks but they just don't give those things away.
It really doesn't matter if Johnson sucks at driving Busch cars, or craftsmen trucks, or tractors. He wins races and championships in the Cup car..in both the old car and the new car. He may be the only driver to ever be able to say he won a championship in both the old car and the COT.
He may not be a great natural driving talent like Tony Stewart and win in anything he gets in, but that doesn't much matter. He has proven he can win in the Cup cars and has an extra championship over Tony to prove it.
Regardless of what the fans think of Johnson, (i don't care for him personally) Ask any driver out there, whether they think Johnson is a punk or not, they will not say Chad is the only reason he is winning.
P.S. I believe most recently came back from a junk car at Atlanta and laps down to finish 2nd.
Posted by: Michael | Nov 12, 2008 1:51:03 PM
Count me among those who have a great deal of respect for JJ and the team and what they have achieved over the past three years.
Posted by: David Green | Nov 12, 2008 10:01:31 PM
Mike Daly, I agree that Jimmie's escapades on plates track a couple of years ago were less than stellar but since then I give him anod of improvement. But then again there are very few who haven't made a mistake on your coveted plate tracks.
Face it people, we haven't seen anyone win three in a row since Cale did it in the mid 70's. I don't remember it because I was in grade school and there wasn't satellite or cable..........
Posted by: Mark Young | Nov 12, 2008 10:27:26 PM
Good for you Mark. Its nice to see someone finally give JJ some respect. I'd rather see someone else winning but you must give the guy credit for his success.
For those who say he can't drive unless his car is perfect, that is a load of crap. Hell, no one wins if their car isn't really good. Jeff Gordon said the reason he picked JJ was because of how well he did in the Busch series with a car that was far from perfect.
Winning in Cup requires a solid team from top to bottom, and the 48 team is the best for the past 5 years IMO. Sure Knaus is the man too, but behind every great driver is a great crew chief.
Winning 3 championships is a remarkable feat and to do it 3 years in a row is amazing.
Posted by: Tool | Nov 13, 2008 8:43:45 AM
DJ, you say you're not a stats guy. You have to be. Otherwise I could argue that Mikey is the best driver ever. As I said elsewhere, I am not a Hendrick fan or a Johnson fan, and was a huge Yarborough fan, but this 48 team is as good as it gets. As someone else said, they don't give you Cups for just showing up - you have to earn them, and the 48 team has done just that. I liked Knauss's comment after Johnson won a chase race: "That's the way to do points racing - take 'em all!"
Posted by: Doug in CA | Nov 13, 2008 4:16:47 PM
Never had a bad car to contend with? Johnson vs Stewart?
Dudes. Pull your heads out. Johnson has finished every season in the top 5 in points. There's no debate here, the #48 team whipped on every other team, and it takes a driver who's smooth, consistant, and damn fast.
Nobody can claim Johnson cant save himself from a wreck because its been done.
And on that note, a driver who takes a car to the point of needing to save it isnt a sign that he's good. The car WILL get away from a driver from time to time but a smart driver doesnt make a habit of risking it all to take a position. A smart driver knows to keep the equipment clean. Risking a bad position in a 2nd place car also risks wrecking a car that could be driven to a win in future races.
Posted by: AlpineDigital | Nov 13, 2008 6:23:58 PM
Doug....not sure what your point was about Mickey?You are right .....he is as good as it gets.TODAY.Damn people....I gave the team credit.I know they are the best going TODAY and the last three years.The topic at hand was mentioned comparing drivers like Cale,Petty and Big E to JJ.There is no comparison other than the stats.Yes,you have to be really good to win 3 Cups anytime not just in a row.Like I said I'm old school.Those guys mentioned were "racers" and not just trying to save equipment like Alpine likes to have a good finish.They raced hard and got wins and Championships without having to make a CC make a hundred adjustments to satisfy today's whiney drivers.That was my point and my opinion......
So you guys would rather watch JJ race against the comp OR watch Cale,Big E and the KING or even Stewart get nasty and race by the seat of thier pants to get a win?
Give me those guys anytime for my entertaiment value........
Posted by: DJ | Nov 14, 2008 1:26:16 PM
DJ,
Then again, who's to say those greats would have excelled with today's abortion of a car and the Farce, or that Johnson wouldn't have made a mark in that bygone era? It's apples and oranges. Every era, having it's own particular requirements and demands, will have it's own "Great Ones." Past champions raced with cars and technology that sometimes demanded brute force more often than the crew finessing the car. I'd bet my Sr. Chief ass they'd be just as demanding and whiny as today's drivers had it been an option, and visa versa.
And, LOL, anybody who'd even think to argue Mikey was a great one needs help.
Posted by: Keith | Nov 14, 2008 2:11:41 PM
Yeah I know Keith....I guess I would have loved to see JJ and others drive the cars say mid 90's on back to the 70's.I just believe that the old school guys and even some guys out there today in inferior equipment could do the same if not better in equipment say like the 48 and have the Knaus effect that he obviously has on JJ and his performance.
Like I said...Good choice to debate on the topic.I like apples not oranges!LOL.
Posted by: DJ | Nov 14, 2008 2:34:18 PM
Keith, you're right about apples and oranges. I find it fun to talk about JJ vs Cale et al., but the real comparison is the #48 team 2006-08 vs the #11 team 1976-78. These two teams are great teams because they had great drivers, great crew chiefs, and great communications. They raced their asses off when they had to and finessed when they had to, whatever it took. Today's teams may make more adjustments to suit whiny drivers, but that's partly because they CAN make those adjustments after radio communications, which they may not have had back in the day. (Historians - when did two-way radios become common in Cup?)
Is Johnson as colorful as Cale? Is Chad Knauss as downright cool as Junior Johnson? Is JJ even as cool as Tony Stewart? Hell, no. But it's still a great race team, doing what it has to do to win in this day and age.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Nov 14, 2008 2:44:06 PM
Ok, Ya'll can praise JJ for his accomplishments, But working in tha ASA and other series, I was witness to his escapades, and when I heard he was tapped for HMS, I thought No F'n way...and I will admit I still chuckle when he makes me relive "Back in the Day moments", I will give props to Chad, he's his Daddy's boy, and HMS for the resourses, cuz I didin't see it coming! But to me comparing JJ to Cale, is like comparing Babe Ruth to Barry Bonds...different times different Men, todays champs would not be as successful
Posted by: Fan #5 No Bama 08 | Nov 14, 2008 4:04:38 PM
You can say jj is one of the best but when he is put in different races besides cup the results are not even close, in the last race of champions he was in he did't make it out of the 1st round and his teammate a moto-cross rider finished 2-3 rounds ahead
of one of the best of all time. If there is one of the best of all time its chad not jj
Posted by: Jon | Nov 15, 2008 9:27:46 PM
Hey Mark,
Yes, JJ is one of the best. Spent years in denial about Jeff Gordon, so this Jimmy pill has been a bit easier to swallow. Sometimes it takes one to know one and in this case Jeff did.
Hey Keith, that is so cool of you to stick up for Mikey like that. Good to hear you back on board.
Posted by: Larry | Nov 17, 2008 3:31:29 PM
Post a comment
Advertisements
