Archive for the ‘Jimmie Johnson’ Category

What did I tell you? The excitement I had for this season was left in Daytona.

Jimmie Johnson won his second straight race by passing teammate Jeff Gordon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to claim NASCAR’s Shelby American.

Gordon led 218 of the 267 laps, but he took just two tires on the final pit stop and it cost him the victory.

Johnson took four tires and restarted in fourth, but rocketed onto Gordon’s bumper as soon as the race resumed. He chased Gordon for 17 laps, finally scooting past him with 17 to go.

So… How many races should I plan on missing? I’m serious. They need to do something, because I know I’m not the only one.

There is no debate here.

Jimmie Johnson used the unbeatable combination of talent and luck Sunday at Fontana to post yet another victory in the Sprint Cup Series. Since the start of 2006 when his four-year reign of dominance began, Johnson has 30 victories, more than twice that of second place Kyle Busch (14).

But is it enough already? Is NASCAR hurting from too much Johnson in Victory Lane?

The more Jimmie Johnson appears in Victory Lane, the less viewers will tune in the following week. They’ll see.

I spoke too soon. Two races in and NASCAR Sprint Cup racing is just as boring as it was last year and the year before.

For being in a town full of script writers, Auto Club Speedway sure does produce a lot of reruns.

It really is the same show every time the Sprint Cup circuit hits this suburban Los Angeles track. It starts with half-empty stands, followed by a strung-out race that tests the patience of even the die-hard fan, both of which prompt the requisite visit to the media center by track president Gillian Zucker, who puts her best spin on why NASCAR needs to be in the Los Angeles market for two races a year, which, in the end, usually are won by Jimmie Johnson.

Maybe NASCAR could incorporate some curling and hit Jimmie Johnson with a rock right before he crosses the finish line. I would pay to see that live.

If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been posting too much about NASCAR lately, it’s because you’ve already heard all of this. It’s like watching re-runs of CSI over and over again.

Jimmie Johnson now stands alone as the only driver in NASCAR’s 61-year history to win four straight Cup championships. After once again dismissing the competition with relative ease, the question now becomes how long can he keep his reign going?

Yay, Woot! Woohoo! Whatever. Announcers talk about how he has accomplished the “impossible” by winning FOUR championships in a row, especially because competition is so tough. TOUGH? Are they serious?

I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I think his success in the Chase has nothing to do with “beating the competition” and a hell of a lot to do with “beating the current crappy car”. It’s obvious that Chad and Jimmie have figured out something that no one else has figured out.

Sure, they don’t win every week, but they are consistent. Other teams have engines blowing up, people smashing into them (sometimes on purpose), and all sorts of problems. But not that #48 team. They come off of a mediocre, yet consistent, season and win four of the ten Chase races. Good on them. Right?

NASCAR has changed the car to make it “more competitive for everyone”, but Johnson wins. NASCAR makes rules (and selectively enforces them) to make the sport “more competitive for everyone”, but Johnson wins.

I congratulate Jimmie Johnson and his team. They’ve figured something out that no one else has, and more power to them for doing so. That doesn’t mean I will enjoy watching the sport much longer.

Three years ago, Johnson won the Cup, and all was good in the world. Two years ago, Johnson won the Cup, and all was good in the world. Last year, Johnson won again and I started to lose interest in watching the “competition”. This year, it was as boring as anything I have ever watched in my life. I don’t watch the Williams sisters play Tennis for the same reason.

Will I still be watching next year? It’s too soon to tell.

It’s just not how you may think…

NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was the leadoff defense witness Monday in the Helio Castroneves tax evasion trial, testifying that a lawyer who is also charged in the case has a sterling reputation in the motorsports world.

Johnson, a three-time Sprint Cup winner, said Michigan lawyer Alan Miller has many clients in NASCAR and the Indy Racing League, a circuit where the Brazilian-born Castroneves is a top driver. Both Castroneves and Johnson have received financial guidance from Miller.

Yesterday’s race was a good one. I am really getting back into the NASCAR spirit this year. I just wish they would allow the cars themselves to be more competitive (aka get rid of the Car of Tomorrow).

Jimmie Johnson found his way back to Victory Lane.

The three-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion nudged Denny Hamlin up the track with 16 laps remaining, and cruised from there to win the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Oh yeah, and I would have preferred it if someone else won, but I can live with this one.

Congrats Jimmie.

I don’t care who you are. You cannot be “perfect” in every race, even if your name is Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson can be a bit of a klutz outside his race car, but the three-time defending NASCAR champion is typically flawless when he’s in it.

So it was a bit bizarre to see a series of errors derail his run in Las Vegas on Sunday. Although he led a race-high 92 laps, he nearly crashed into Bobby Labonte on pit road and also overshot his stall, forcing his team to push him back into the box for his service call. Coupled with an ill-timed caution, Johnson fell down a lap and had to drive his wheels off to get back into contention.

Once there, he drifted too high onto the track into an area of dirty asphalt and crashed hard into the wall to bring out the final caution of Sunday’s race. He finished 24th.

Could this get any more exciting?

Carl Edwards tried his best to derail history, but it was not enough to deny Jimmie Johnson.

Needing only to place 36th or better in Sunday’s Ford 400, Johnson played it safe and finished 15th to become the first driver to win three straight series championships since Cale Yarborough accomplished the feat from 1976-78.

Yes I was being sarcastic. This was the most disappointing NASCAR season ever. Congratulations for Jimmie Johnson for staying awake and alert long enough each week to win the championship.

If NASCAR makes things any more “equal” with the Car of Tomorrow, I think I’ll just die.

Jimmie Johnson has had some trouble lately. Not as much as his teammate Jeff Gordon, but trouble nonetheless. Maybe this is just the thing he needs to kick it into high gear.

Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson is in a perfect spot to continue his success at Auto Club Speedway.

With one victory and three top-three finishes here in his last three starts, Johnson on Friday captured the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500.

Despite his recent success, Johnson has just two wins at this two-mile oval. But he put himself in good position to make it three, turning in a lap of 180.397 miles per hour in 39.912 seconds in a Chevrolet to claim the pole for the next-to-last race before the “Chase for the Championship” begins.

With all the talk about how much more horsepower the Toyota engines have this year, I am constantly surprised that Toyotas don’t take the pole more often. This makes two in a row for Johnson.

There has been no slowing Jimmie Johnson of late.

The two-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion claimed his second pole in as many weeks Friday, taking the top spot for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.

I like the races at Pocono. I got to drive by the Pocono track a few years ago. Yeah, other than Talladega, that’s the closest I have come to seeing a race in person.