The one man responsible for creating the monster (NASCAR.com)
November 21, 2009
Blame it on Jeff Gordon.
If only he had averted his eyes from the kid in the red and white car running the perfect line around Darlington Raceway at that test session so many years ago. If only he hadn't passed his name on to team owner Rick Hendrick. If only he hadn't sat in a conference room with the chief executive officer of Lowe's, swallowed hard, and said, yeah, sure, of course the guy is capable of winning races and championships.
How different modern NASCAR history would be. How ironic that the man most responsible for unleashing Jimmie Johnson upon the world is the driver who likely would have gained the most had the once-unknown Busch driver never been unearthed.
Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon … NASCAR.com – Nov 21, 3:08 pm EST NASCAR Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
"I'm very proud of what that team has accomplished. I'm proud to have been a part of it from the beginning," Gordon said at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of Sunday's season finale, where Johnson likely will secure his record-breaking fourth consecutive championship on NASCAR's highest level.
"It's a bittersweet thing, because as a driver, you know, we won the championship in '01 when they ran their first race. They watched us win that championship in '01. I think maybe in '02 I finished ahead of him in points. I don't think I've finished ahead of him in points since then. It just reminds me of when the 24 team came together, the people that made that happen, how it came together, how it clicked, all the right things happening. It reminds me a lot about that. You know, I'm happy for those guys, being able to be a part of something like that."
Gordon laughs about it now, this realization that he created a monster. But without Johnson in the way, the driver of the No. 24 car unquestionably wins a fifth championship in 2007, the season when he stockpiled an amazing 30 top-10s yet fell 77 points short of the crown. He'd have a more-than-realistic shot at a sixth title this year, given that he's 61 points behind second place Mark Martin. As it stands now, though, they're all watching Johnson continue a march that may not end until the sport's greatest record is equaled.
Even Gordon, made wary of such prognostications by personal experience—he heard plenty of talk about seven championships himself after he won his fourth and still most recent title in 2001—concedes the possibility given Johnson's success under the current championship format.
"Those guys are on a roll right now, and I don't really see it slowing down," Gordon said. "I think they're very capable of doing it again next year. You know, that's still just five. Seven is a big number. That's tough to get to. I remember a lot of people telling me or asking me, oh man, seven is in reach, seven is in reach. A lot changed.
"To me the only difference is, I don't compare the championships those guys won, or the ones I won, to the new championship. It's totally different. If they continue to keep the 10 races in the Chase that are in there now, I don't know if there's anybody better than the 48 team at those 10 races, those 10 tracks."
Hard to believe it all started at a place like Darlington, at an event like a Busch Series test that Gordon attended to lend advice to Ricky Hendrick, who had never before raced at the old egg-shaped track. Standing on top of the transporter, Gordon noticed a red and white No. 92 car that was running the right line, snug up against the outside wall, and getting around the place fast. Gordon told Hendrick—that guy is running the line you want to run. And by the way, who is he?
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick told him. Later that day, Gordon went over to introduce himself. How many times have you been here before, the four-time NASCAR champion asked the unknown. Never, Johnson told him.
"I mean, right there, that's pretty impressive," Gordon remembered. "A guy that has never been there before that picked it up that quick."
Gordon kept his eye on the kid, who turned out to be a former off-road racer from El Cajon, Calif. He liked how Johnson handled himself on the race track, clearly getting the most out of a Herzog Motorsports car that was competitive, but far from dominant. After a drivers' meeting at Michigan, Johnson approached Gordon to discuss some career options. Then Johnson drove his way past Gordon in the race.
At the same time, Hendrick Motorsports was finalizing plans for a new 85,000-square-foot shop for the No. 24 team, a facility big enough to house another car. Gordon put all the pieces together, went to team owner Rick Hendrick, and pitched the idea of a new team with Johnson behind the wheel.
"Rick had some interest," he said, the understatement heavier than the South Florida humidity. Yet there were no guarantees. As much promise as Gordon had seen in Johnson's ability, this still was a driver without much of a track record. Johnson's average finish on the Busch tour in 2000 had been an underwhelming 19.5. By 2001, the year he made his Cup debut with Hendrick, that number had improved—but only slightly, to 16.2. He had one career victory in the series, but was probably better known for standing on the roof of his car with his arms up in the air after a wicked crash at Watkins Glen.
So understandably, the CEO of Lowe's at the time had some doubts when Gordon and Hendrick arrived to ask the company to spend millions to back a driver no one had ever heard of. Chief executive Bob Tillman looked at Gordon and asked—can this kid really win?
"When a guy like that puts the pressure on you like that, you don't want to just lie to him. You want to be honest. And I feel like I was honest. I told him that I believed with Hendrick equipment and the right people around him that, yes, he was capable of it," Gordon remembered.
"Now, how much of that did I believe was going to come true? I mean, I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure. I mean, I knew that Jimmie had a great talent, but I had no idea. You don't know how much they have until you put them in your equipment. You don't know what kind of crew chief Chad Knaus was going to be. I don't even know if we had a crew chief at that time. Just a lot of factors in there.
"But, you know what, I was confident in Hendrick Motorsports, and I did see something in Jimmie that I thought could be special. I had no idea it was going to take off and do what it's done. But I sure am happy now, because I look pretty good saying, oh, yeah, absolutely, he's going to do all that."
Even Johnson still seems amazed at how it all unfolded. "I don't know what [Hendrick] and Jeff both saw in me back in 2000, as I was a mid-pack Busch driver," he said. "They saw it, offered me a job. Nobody else was calling offering me a job. I don't think I'd be where I am today without Jeff and Rick, what they've put on the line for me."
Gordon, as it turns out, put much more on the line than just his nascent reputation as a talent scout. His decision to pursue Johnson has quite clearly cost him championships, and a place in the NASCAR pantheon even more elevated than the one he currently enjoys. So go ahead, blame the guy. Jeff Gordon could have so easily kept quiet, could have ignored that red and white car running the perfect line around Darlington, and in the process further enhanced his own career.
But he didn't. And ultimately, Gordon's discovery of Jimmie Johnson may go down as his greatest contribution to his sport and his organization, regardless of how many titles he may—or may not—have won.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.
Related • | • | • |
Sprint Cup Series Standings Pos.+/-DriverPointsBehind 1.—Jimmie Johnson6,492—2.—Mark Martin6,384-1083.—Jeff Gordon6,323-1694.—Kurt Busch6,281-2115.—Tony Stewart6,207-2856.—Juan Montoya6,203-2897.—Greg Biffle6,171-3218.—Denny Hamlin6,140-3529.—Ryan Newman6,081-41110.—Kasey Kahne6,016-47611.—Carl Edwards5,972-52012.—Brian Vickers5,826-666
Start your engines! — Sign up for Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing 09 today. And follow the race action with TrackPass on NASCAR.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
