Is Jimmie Johnson winning four championships in a row really all that special?
In a word NO.
I know, I know, you are saying wait a minute Ann. The man has won four championships in a row, no one has ever done that before. Not Richard Petty. Not Junior Johnson. Not even Cale Yarborough. Or even the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.
And that is why it is not that special. These drivers won their championships, working the whole year to win them. They won races, they were consistent the whole year. Not just for ten races at the end of the year.
If it were not for the chase, Jimmie Johnson would not have won four in a row.
If it were not for the chase, Jeff Gordon, would have five championships by now, possibly even six.
Tony Stewart would be fixing to wrap up his third championship of his career.
Carl Edwards or Greg Biffle probably would have a championship by now. At the most Jimmie Johnson would have one.
So the fact that Jimmie Johnson is about to win his fourth championship, after a ten race stretch for four years, is not that impressive.
It is when a guy goes the whole year being consistent and winning races, that he should be crowned champion. Not just after ten races.
So while NASCAR and the media is hailing Jimmie as the greatest champion in NASCAR history, in my mind he is at best a one time champion. Nothing special about that.
two time....jayski has Johnson listed as winning this years' title by 66 points from Gordon, with Stewart a further 5 points behind that under the old format.
ReplyDeleteThat maybe so. But if the old system was in place, Stewart would not have taken the chances he took, trying to move up in the points. He would have went into conserve mode, like he did in 2002 and 2005.
ReplyDeleteBut glad to know what the final score for this year was using the old mode based on what they did actually do in the track.
Thanks.
Hard to say if JJ could have won so many titles in a different format. Considering back in the day when NASCAR was not so strict in inspections, you really didn't have the domination that JJ has done.
ReplyDeleteI do find it hard to believe that one team only could have been so dominant and led so many races if not for lax inspections on NASCAR's part. Just hard to believe the other drives had nothing to keep up with the Jimmie and Chad show.
There has to be a dark sinister force hidden some where.
I don't like JJ, but I have to give it up for him. Winning 4 in a row, under ANY system is pretty strong.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe you can really say the points they get today with the Chase system as the same points they would get under the old system. Everyone's strategy would be different if not for the Chase.
If they were racing under the old system I think that Chad is smart enough to change his strategy for the whole year. Do you really think that JJ would have been 200 points behind Smoke this year, after 26 races, unless he knew a reset was coming?
No way do I think JJ's 3, 4, or even 8 in a row is as impressive as Cale's 3 in a row. But, If it's so easy to win a title now.....why isn't anyone else doing it?
photogr, it is hard to say. But just based on NASCAR history, it is not something that has ever been done before. And some of the greatest drivers out there were not able to do it. And as good as JJ is. I just cannot put him in the same league as Richard Petty or Junior Johnson.
ReplyDeleteThe dark and sinister is NASCAR! lol
Gene, my dislike for him does cloud my judgement. It has taken me 16 years to just tolerate Jeff Gordon. lol. Maybe when JJ has been around for 16 years, I will be able to tolerate him.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you can't really say for certain that under the old rules so and so would have won. It is more or less based on my need to do a "What if". lol
And my need to dislike JJ and the 48, and Hendrick just alittle bit more. lol
Hopefully next year someone else will figure it out and kick the 48 team to the curb.
Or we very well could be seeing him on his way to 7 or more in a row. By then, if NASCAR has any fans left, maybe they will do something to change the chase.