Johnson chases down NASCAR history
By Jay Hart, Yahoo! Sports Nov 22, 11:53 pm EST
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – With the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway flooded with bystanders wanting to be close to history, Jimmie Johnson was left with maybe a 20-foot alleyway to celebrate his fourth consecutive Cup title. Unfazed, Johnson revved his engine, smashed the brake and smoked the tires on his 3,450-pound race car right between two parallel rows of people.
(Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
It was a moment that would give an insurance adjuster a heart attack. But there was no safety issue here. Johnson, as he’s been from the moment he stepped into the Cup Series eight years ago, was in complete control, so much so that when he got out of his car, he didn’t forget to make a beeline for his wife.
Smart on and off the track, Johnson is testing the shackles of imperfection, at least professionally. He’s won at least three races every year he’s been in the Cup Series, he’s never finished lower than fifth in the standings and now this, his fourth straight Cup championship – something no other driver has been able to do in NASCAR’s 61 years.
“I’m blown away by what I’ve been able to accomplish over the last eight years in this sport,” a very humble Johnson said after clinching title No. 4.
His fifth-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was good enough to leave him 141 points clear of Mark Martin.
“I’ve always set my marks high … but I had no clue this would happen,” Johnson said. “I’m so honored, so happy, so fortunate, but at the same time, I’ve worked my entire life to be in this position. So has [crew chief] Chad [Knaus], so has [team owner] Rick [Hendrick]. It’s not that we backed into this. … We’ve gone out and worked really, really hard and dedicated our lives to it, and it’s paid off.”
Between now and February’s Daytona 500, the race will be on to evaluate Johnson’s place in NASCAR history and beyond. In the NASCAR world, Johnson has already earned himself a seat at the head table next to the likes of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. Beyond the race track, he and his team have established themselves as one of the all-time great dynasties in American sports. Before Sunday, only four organizations had won four straight championships: the Boston Celtics (1959-66), the New York Yankees (1936-39 and 1949-53), the Montreal Canadiens (1956-60 and 1976-79) and the N.Y. Islanders (1980-83).
Now, make it five.
But to place Johnson anywhere now would be premature. Petty won his seventh title at age 42; Earnhardt won his seventh at 43. Johnson is just 34, having just completed a season in which he won more races (seven) than anyone else and bested the field by the widest points margin in the six-year history of the Chase.
“Let’s just let it play out,” said Martin, who wound up second in the standings for a fourth time. “He’s not done yet.”
“I never thought I’d see anybody win four in a row,” said Jeff Gordon, who finished third in the Chase to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2-3 finish in the standings. “Who’s to say they won’t go win five in a row next season?”
Certainly not Las Vegas, where Johnson will surely be pegged the 2010 favorite before he lands there next week for NASCAR’s champion’s banquet.
When asked if equaling Petty’s and Earnhardt’s seven championships is on his radar, Johnson didn’t shy away. He said it is, but he admitted he isn’t sure how realistic that is.
“I don’t know if we’ll win another championship. I have no idea what next year will bring, what the challenges will bring,” he said. “I feel in my heart we’ll be competitive. But at some point in time we won’t be that team. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure we are that team, but you just never know what the future holds.
“Yes, I would love to win seven, eight championships, but me saying that is like Gordon saying he wants to win. Of course we want to win, but is it realistic saying it at this point in time with the level of competition in this sport? I don’t know, but we’re sure as hell going to try.”
