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Is Jimmie Johnson the Greatest Ever?

Shadowracer · 2009-10-20T08:24:01Z

From Marty Smith's Column on ESPN.com. Thought it might make some interesting discussion.Article link here.Marty,I saw this week on "NASCAR Now" when you asked [Barney Hall] from MRN where Jimmie Johnson ranked in the all-time greatest drivers. He said one of the best in the past 10 years. Where would you rank Jimmie Johnson among the best Marty? -- Rick King, Tallapoosa, Ala.This answer will be blasphemous to old-school fans who appreciate the hardships the sport's founders endured -- outrunning the law and risking life and limb for pennies -- and detest the money and fame and pampering today's stars enjoy. Ready? Here it is: Jimmie Johnson very well may be the greatest NASCAR driver ever. I can hear the good ol' boys hollerin' down the mountain now: "You dumba--! He's a pretty-boy Jeff Gordon clone who was handed everything! And they're cheaters!" Whatever. What Johnson is doing in the era he's doing it in is nothing short of amazing. It is harder to win right now than it's ever been. By design, the cars are closer than they've ever been. The ebb and flow of excellence is fickle -- last year Carl Edwards won eight races and thus was the championship favorite among 80 percent of the media last February. Edwards hasn't won in 2009. And the 48 continues to maintain an unparalleled performance level.[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Reed SaxonJimmie Johnson has 45 wins in 285 career Cup starts, a winning percentage that ranks among NASCAR's greats.Some of that is Chad Knaus' ability. He is probably the best crew chief ever, though Smokey and Ray Evernham would beg to differ. Some of that is the bottomless financial and technological and engineering pool that Rick Hendrick supplies his teams. But the 24 and the 88 and the 5 have that same pool at their disposal and haven't enjoyed the sustained dominance the 48 has. Johnson's too-perfect polish annoys many fans. It's hard to respect for some, and leads many to misperceive its genuineness and necessity. Johnson came from a humble background. He was raised in a trailer park until he was 8 years old and worked for everything he ever got. Having no money to fund his own effort, he had to be a good spokesperson. He had to be cordial. He had to smile and shake hands and mention sponsors and make darn certain not to ruffle too many feathers.You don't just cut that off -- unless you forget who you are. That approach never abandons you, regardless how much fame and wealth you accumulate. Johnson is becoming more comfortable with speaking out and has begun to accept his place in NASCAR history, though he won't embellish. Few drivers in their prime will do so. I was hanging out with a buddy late Wednesday night, an ol' Earnhardt fan, and between sips of Jack Daniel's we debated Johnson's image. My buddy says he's too pretty, too perfect, too corporate, too New York. Then I told him Johnson will raise hell with the best of them. And that his commitment to excellence is barely rivaled. He doesn't coast. He easily could coast. He has three straight titles and a bushel of wins and a plane and a model wife. So what'd he do? Went out and hired a revered personal trainer and got in the best shape of his life. He's in the gym every day. And his fitness level is ridiculous.One of my favorite television programs -- that just sounded like my 95-year-old grandmother -- is "Around The Horn" on ESPN. Love the banter, especially when my boy Cowlishaw prevails. The other day Jay Mariotti won, and during his final-thought diatribe mentioned that we should pay greater respect to Peyton Manning's ability, that we are witnesses of historic greatness and letting it pass us by with a passing glance. He was talking about Manning. But what I heard was Johnson. The very same principle applies. What Johnson is doing transcends racing. It's sports excellence, not just racing excellence. Richard Petty won 200 races in 1,184 starts, a 17 percent win ratio. David Pearson won 105 races in 574 starts -- 18 percent. Dale Earnhardt earned 76 wins in 676 starts for an 11 percent winning rate. Those three gentlemen are widely regarded as the best three drivers in NASCAR history. By comparison, Johnson has 45 wins in 285 starts, 16 percent. Oh, wait … I hear the good ol' boys hollerin' down the mountain again … "Petty and Pearson and Earnhardt drove crappy cars with no power steering or pretty-boy cool-suits, idiot! And Johnson has always had the best stuff." Yep, that argument gets tossed around a lot. And, yep, Johnson has always had good cars at the Cup level. But it's the consistent excellence that's so striking. He's never been a nonfactor.Jeff Burton made a good point this week: It's nearly impossible to respect an athlete or team's excellence in the moment. The further down the road you get from those perfor...

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Shadowracer

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Nov 19, 2009 10:32 am

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Thats ok Charlie, I wasn't one of the people that paid $150 to $200 for the thing. But I do agree with you that Dale Jr was brought in for money that he brings in.

I cant help but think that Dale was brought in not just because of souvenir money, but because of the idea that being put into a less tumultuous environment than DEI might allow him to get back to just focusing on the driving. Dale Jr has indeed shown flashes of brilliance in the past, so you know there's some talent there. He just doesn't seem to be able to call it up.

He knows with Hendrick he's out of excuses now, and that's created a lot of pressure. I think Dale Jr will go down in history as the guy who was his own worst enemy. And really that's pretty sad. I actually feel for the guy.

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ernie

Nov 19, 2009 3:56 pm

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It is not a coincidence that Jr started going down hill when Eurey Sr left him. Jr then started believing the hype about himself. If he is ever going to get back to where he was he needs Sr back or someone else who will kick him in the ass and tell him to shut up and drive the car.

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charlie7

Nov 20, 2009 12:30 pm

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He lives in his fathers shadow....That is the fault of the fans. Im sure people would love to see him drive a black #3 car for RCR too..............But that is not reality, its the past.

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CanadianRacingOnline

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Nov 22, 2009 8:46 pm

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OK so they call this a 4th cup in a row but not the same as the others that truly earned it over 36 races. I don't know why but NASCAR didn't interest me as much as it has in the past years. The only thing that kept me following it till the end of this season hoping that Mark Martin would win it all. I have nothing against Jimmy Johnson but NASCAR is not the same since the chase.

As Jimmy Spencer said a lot of drivers are really boring. I maybe caught a couple of pre-race shows this year. I loved NASCAR when you had drivers upset or just were interesting to listen to. I caught myself falling a sleep watching many races this year. Has NASCAR sucked the fun out of Nascar or are there just 12 drivers worth watching out of the 43?

Canadian Racing Archive Project.
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Nov 22, 2009 10:12 pm

(@al)

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yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

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