Jimmie Johnson – A Deserving Champion November 22, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , trackback
Jimmie Johnson will likely drive away with his fourth consecutive championship in 2009.
Jimmie Johnson deserves to win the 2009 championship. After winning Sunday at Phoenix, he’ll have to finish 25th or better to clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. It’s certainly far from a done deal going into Homestead Miami Speedway – the race at Texas showed us that – but if the No. 48 team approaches the season finale like it has approached every other race this season, NASCAR fans will get to see history made.
A champion wins. Sunday’s Phoenix win was Johnson’s seventh of the season. He also has four poles this year. After he was involved in a wreck on lap three that resulted in losing more than 100 points of his lead on second place Mark Martin, Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the team did what they always do, going out and qualifying third at Phoenix, leading 238 of 312 laps and cruising to victory. His lead over Martin is now 108 points going into the last race, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be resting on their laurels this week.“I’m not one to let my mind wander and think about the possibilities – I’ve always known I’ve got to go out and race the race, get it done,” Johnson said after his Phoenix win. “When I go home, I’m going to be (mentally) driving laps, what I think I need to do in qualifying trim so I can put my best effort in on Friday. Same thing for race practice on Saturday, and go racing Sunday.”
Since Johnson became a full-time Cup Series driver in 2002, he’s won 47 races, 32 poles and has never finished outside of the top five in the points standings. In addition to his three consecutive championships, he’s finished second and fifth in the points two times each.
He’s finished in the top five in more than 40 percent of the races he’s run. In 287 races, he only has 26 did not finish (DNF) results and an average finishing position of 11.5. In this period of time, no driver’s been better. And he’s no one-trick pony. Johnson wins on virtually all types of racetracks.
A champion perseveres. How many times have we seen this team get behind in a race, only to out-strategize and out-race the competition and make the most out of a bad day? Even when Johnson doesn’t win, he rarely has a bad day. The No. 48 team is successful because the team has a knack for developing their car throughout the race, constantly making it better until the checkered flag waves.
A champion is well-coached. Johnson’s success hasn’t come solely on his racing ability. Knaus is by far the best crew chief in the garage right now and certainly one of the all-time best. Sure, he’s gotten in trouble for rules violations, and he’s served his penalties, but this only shows he’s willing to push the leading edge in developing a racecar and giving his driver the best piece of equipment that he can. Knaus coaches his driver and his pit crew like a decorated general, leading his troops into battle each and every week.
Knaus has lead the No. 48 team through a new championship format, new car this year’s testing ban and an ever-more competitive field of racers.
“A lot of rules have changed since the time we started in 2002, [and] the car obviously is a lot different…There’s a whole multitude of things that’s difficult for you to even know because you don’t have a clue how many rules changes we’ve gone through,” Knaus said. “As we evolve, even with this car, the reins get pulled tighter. You can’t do that anymore. You have to go back and restrategize. I think for our team to be in this position, it says a lot about what Jimmie can do, it says a lot about what our 48 team can do as a unit.”
Many NASCAR fans may be tired of seeing the No. 48 team win. No doubt when Johnson has one of his classic dominating performances and runs away from the field, some fans may question how this team could be so good. But being witness to this team’s dominance is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and whenever the Johnson-Knaus era comes to an end, we’ll all look back and say we got to experience it.
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?