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Just How Good Is Jimmie Johnson?

NASCAR traveled cross-country this week, from Fontana to Richmond, but when the day ended, the same car was in victory lane.

Jimmie Johnson turned in another strong performance at Sunday’s, one-day late, Chevy Rock-and-Roll 400, as he held off Tony Stewart for another win, and there is no doubt that Johnson made a serious statement in the last two races of the pre-Chase season. That statement?

In case you’ve forgot I’m pretty good.

Johnson is more than pretty good, and with his recent accomplishments, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to put him in a very short list of drivers that have a shot at winning the Chase this season.

That would be three in a row.

Put that into perspective. There are several very good drivers that have two championships. One of those drivers, Tony Stewart, is also in the final 12, and this discussion could also be applied to him. There are only seven drivers that have won more than two championships, and should they win Johnson and Stewart would find themselves in truly elite company. We know about Richard’s seven, and Dale’s seven, and Jeff’s four, but the fact that Johnson could win three in a row is pretty special.

How special? Well, here are the drivers that have won three championships in a row:

Cale Yarborough.

Discussion over.

Jimmie Johnson has often been over-shadowed on his own team. Hell, being Jeff Gordon’s teammate is kind of like being Peyton Manning’s little brother. No matter how good you are, you’re always going to be compared to big brother. Now, there’s no doubt that Johnson has cemented himself as a great driver. He’s accomplished that feat whether he wins this season or not.

But if he does win the Cup this season, his place in the record books will be locked down, and Jimmie Johnson will have to be listed as one of the most successful drivers ever.

Rocky Kitts can be reached at wwwthreestrikesandout@yahoo.com or by visiting the website of the same name.  He thinks that Johnson is an even better driver than he was a coach of the Dallas Cowboys (what do you mean that was a different guy?)

Notes On Cali, Notes On Richmond

I’m going back to Cali, Cali, Cali
I’m going back to Cali.. I don’t think so
I’m going back to Cali, Cali, Cali
I’m going back to Cali.. I don’t think so

(Lyrics property of one LL Cool J)

Ok, I’m over California. First, we’re treated to a race that was about as exciting as watching what new types of bacteria are developing inside my refrigerator, and then on Monday night I got to watch my Vols go out to Cali and completely Michael Waltrip all over the place in Pasadena. Read more

Post California Commentary

I need to apologize in advance for what you all are about to read.  Since this was one of the most lopsided, “event” free races with more green flag laps than the RNC has attendees, there just wasn’t a whole lot of excitement to write about.  But, since I am a trooper, I labor on with the job at hand: trying to extract all the pre-race sideshow commentary and in-race non excitement blathering I can muster. Read more

NASCAR Tells Kyle And Carl To Play Nice

If you were wondering whether or not there were going to be any penalties due to Carl Edwards’ hands slipping on the wheel and turning Kyle Busch into a really fast pinata; the answer to that question has been given, and the great and mighty Oz of NASCAR had this to say:

“It was a postrace incident involving two highly competitive drivers, both of whom are in the midst of battling for a championship. The issue has been addressed with both drivers and they both know where they stand,” (Kerry) Tharp said. Read more

Changes are a-comin’ for the Bud Shootout

NASCAR and Budweiser recently announced that the Budweiser Shootout, an exhibition race held during Speedweeks prior to the Daytona 500, will undergo a major format change starting with the 2009 race.  For the past 30 years, the race sponsor extended invitations to those drivers who won a pole the previous season, or previous winners of the race.  Now, the race will only be open to the top 6 teams from each manufacturer.  The top 6 teams will be determined by the previous year’s points position. Read more

Double Clutchin’-The Good, Bad, And Ugly From Bristol

I bump you, you bump me, we’re a NASCAR family…

No Christmas cards will be exchanged between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards this year, and there probably wouldn’t have been before Carl took Kyle’s bump during the cool-down lap and gave him his best heavy metal left hook.

I love Bristol. Read more

Hey Open Wheel Guys, How’d That Work Out For Ya?

A mere two years after the beginning of NASCAR’s big ”Open Wheel Invasion,” we are about to come full circle.  As of now, it looks as though the two original drivers who defected from open-wheel racing may be the last ones standing for 2009.  Congratulations to Sam Hornish Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya for having such staying power.  Read more

Busch Bashed By Backflipper at Bristol

Ok, that’s really a very misleading headline, but Rocky beat me to the punch in his post, and I wouldn’t be able to sum it up any better than that.  So it’s back to the fallback “random thoughts” format for me.  By the way, this column was missing last week, and I apologize for that.  My computer got zapped due to some ill-placed JGR magnets near my hard drive. Read more

Edwards Wins More Than Just a Race At Bristol, Has Busch To Thank

Let me use a little bit of pro wrestling slang if you don’t mind.

Kyle Busch is easily the best heel in NASCAR.  What does that mean?  It means more than just being unpopular with a majority of people.  It means being downright hated by a bunch of people.  It means being hated to the point to where you make other drivers more popular just because they beat you.  It means that you are so hated that the crowd would rather see you lose, than they would their driver win.

I never thought that I would see the day that a driver got a bigger chorus of boos at Bristol than Jeff Gordon.  Gordon has always been public enemy number one at Bristol.  Not anymore.  The chorus of jeers that rained down on Kyle Busch from the grandstands of the Sharpie 500 left no doubt as to who’s number one on the most wanted poster.  Kyle’s not just hated, he’s despised.

When introduced, Carl Edwards got a nice little mix of cheers and jeers, but there were many drivers more popular than Carl and there were a few that were more hated than Carl.  The crowd seemed fairly indifferent to the man who has been the second-most dominant driver in NASCAR this season.

That all changed when he passed Kyle Busch for the lead.  When he passed Busch for the lead, Edwards took a crowd that had gotten a little sleepy, and a little restless from what looked like another easy Busch victory, and he popped them for a response that was worthy of any high moment in sports.  You could hear the crowd hold their breath as they hoped that Carl could hang on to win, and when he did they erupted.  He had beaten the bad guy.  Cousin Carl had taken the white hat off the rack and used it to hold off the hated Busch brother.

And then there was the after-race activity.  Let me tell you; if you thought the crowd popped when Edwards passed Busch for the lead, that pop was nothing in comparison to the one that Edwards received when he responded to Kyle’s bump by ramming him, hard.  The crowd ate Edwards up, and when his interview aired on the big screen, and he said, “my left arm must have slipped”, the crowd laughed.  The bad guy had gotten his, and Carl Edwards left Bristol the most popular driver of the night.  I bet he sold a few more t-shirts, and I bet he’ll here a few more cheers next week.  And next year when he comes back to Bristol, he’ll find out that Bristol fans have long memories, and he can expect more than a mix of applause.

And in a way he owes that to Kyle Busch.  Every sport needs a bad guy.  The New York Yankees come to mind.  The New England Patriots have turned into that for the NFL over the past few years.  There needs to be someone so good that people will tune in just to see them get beat.  Kyle has that.  Then, when you throw in Kyle’s attitude, which rubs many fans the wrong way, there is no doubt that he is probably the most hated man in NASCAR among fans right now.

Kyle’s not going to lose any sleep about that, nor should he.  He’s comfortable in his role, and in reality, NASCAR needs him in that role.  Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards was the man who went toe-to-toe with Superman and didn’t flinch. 

That win helped Carl much more than the loss hurt Kyle.  Kyle’s still first in the points race; and Kyle will win again, and in the process, he’ll probably get more heat for himself, and then the whole thing can start all over again.  Someone has got to be the bad guy, or there’s nothing to by which to judge the good guys; and Kyle Busch is one hell of a measuring stick.

Right now Kyle Busch is Ric Flair back in the day.  You love to boo him, and you love to watch him get beat, and you have to admit that he’s good at what he does.  Whether you like it, or whether you don’t.

I’ll have the race breakdown with the G, B, and U tonight or tomorrow; in the meantime, I hope that you enjoyed the race as much as I did.

Rocky Kitts watches entirely too much NASCAR and old pro wrestling, and thinks that the “I Quit” match between Tully Blanchard and Magnum T.A was the greatest match of all time.  He can also be reached at wwwthreestrikesandout@yahoo.com.
 

More Changes than Expected at RCR for 2009

The worst-kept secret in the Sprint Cup garage was announced today.  Casey Mears will be the fourth driver at Richard Childress racing next year, but he will not be in the car he was expected to drive.  Mears surprised everyone in the Bristol Media Center by showing up in a Jack Daniels shirt - with Clint Bowyer in tow wearing a Cheerios-logoed polo.  Teammate Jeff Burton, who will evidently get the new Caterpillar sponsorship in 2009, was also in attendance. Read more