This year, nothing eclipses what Johnson achieved (NASCAR.com)
December 23, 2009
For all he has accomplished, it seems like Jimmie Johnson's achievements regularly get overshadowed by other things going on in NASCAR's premier series. Two years ago, his second title was buried under a mountain of empathy for Jeff Gordon's unsuccessful drive for five and a deluge of interest in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s split from Dale Earnhardt Inc. Last season, his third crown came amid a glut of layoffs, mergers, team closures and other recession-forced moves that altered the landscape of the sport.
So despite his dominance, it's been rather difficult for Johnson to stand apart. There have always been too many questions about whether he "deserved" to win the title—what, with his rise coinciding with the change in the Cup championship format—too many soap operas involving more popular drivers, too many brewing subplots. It's hard to believe, given that last season Johnson did something only one other driver had ever done, but maybe because of his cool public persona or his drama-free nature, Johnson sometimes seemed to get lost.
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No more. Yes, the economy is still having a devastating effect on NASCAR; yes, Earnhardt's career still provides us with more twists and turns than a roller-coaster ride; yes, Tony Stewart and Mark Martin and Kyle Busch all made headlines. But this year, finally, Johnson rose above it all. His unprecedented fourth consecutive series championship stands as such a benchmark that the rest of the garage area is almost in awe of what he's done.
Chase-haters who challenge the veracity of Johnson's championships have become fewer and fewer, and those few remaining stragglers are left shouting into the wind. Four consecutive titles under any system is a gargantuan accomplishment, and it's taken that kind of history-making feat for Johnson to finally receive the respect and recognition that he's been due for some time. It's been a year of upheaval in NASCAR, with television ratings and attendance numbers falling, the sport's drug policy on trial, and familiar names like Childress and Petty facing trying times. Through it all, the man in the No. 48 car has been the one comforting constant.
The days of Johnson being overshadowed are over. His fourth consecutive championship, the greatest individual achievement the sport has seen since Dale Earnhardt tied Richard Petty with his seventh title in 1994, is unquestionably the top story of the year in NASCAR. It's on a very short list for top stories of the decade, but we'll wait to explore that until next week. The scary thing? Johnson and the No. 48 team seem better now than they've ever been, and show no signs of stopping. Who knows—one day, Earnhardt and Petty may have some company.
The rest of the top 10 stories of 2009
2. The struggles of Junior. So many expectations, so much hype, such a letdown. We thought winning one race and finishing last in the Chase would be the low point of Earnhardt's tenure at Hendrick Motorsports. But 25th? No wins? No shot at the Chase? A crew chief change? Unconscionable, for a driver with 18 victories and a team with nine Cup titles. No wonder fixing the No. 88 is Rick Hendrick's No. 1 priority for 2010.
3. Stewart-Haas backs it up. Tony Stewart talked big in the preseason, confident that his new team could contend for race wins and a championship in its first year under its new name. Not everyone believed him. There are no doubters now, not after Stewart used Hendrick power and his own delegation and organizational skills to win four races, lead the points for 13 consecutive weeks, and place two cars in the Chase.
4. NASCAR on trial. NASCAR's new random drug-testing policy faced its first major challenge in May when Jeremy Mayfield allegedly tested positive for methamphetamines and was suspended indefinitely from the sport. The result has been an ugly legal fight, full of recriminations and mistakes made by both sides. Things have been quiet on this front for a while, but it's far from over—the trial is set to begin on Sept. 13, 2010.
5. Montoya's emergence. A year ago, it felt like the Juan Montoya-to-NASCAR experiment was coming to an inglorious end. Twenty-fifth in points and going through one crew chief after another, Montoya appeared just another ex-open-wheeler who wasn't going to make it. Then he was paired with crew chief Brian Pattie, and then the chemistry began to brew, and the result was a driver who came out of nowhere to contend for the title.
6. Martin fabulous at 50. Win a few races? Sure. Maybe make the Chase? Why not. Enjoy arguably his best, and without question his most enjoyable, season of his 27-year NASCAR career? OK, that one was something of a shock. But despite a horrendous start and an age when most drivers are considering retirement, that's exactly what Martin did. He won five races, was the points leader entering the Chase, and finished as series runner up. Along the way, he proved that age is just a number.
7. Hard times. The economic troubles facing NASCAR were evident every week in the empty seats at many race tracks. Even facilities with years-long sellout streaks struggled to fill up. The garage area contained markedly fewer people, and unquestionably fewer teams, than in years past. Sponsorship was more difficult than ever to find and hold onto. Mergers led to more shop workers being laid off. The recession may have not been the dominant headline this year in NASCAR, but it's still there, and people are still suffering from it.
8. The saga of RPM. Kasey Kahne returned Richard Petty to Victory Lane and got the King into the Chase. But beyond that, it was a tumultuous season for Richard Petty Motorsports, which absorbed the Yates Racing team and will field a four-car Ford operation next season. There were plenty of questions about who's running the show, and Kahne—the one driver RPM cannot afford to lose—talked openly about leaving after his contract expires in 2010.
9. Kyle's wild ride. He won races. He broke guitars. He ticked off race fans. He missed out on a chance to contend for the Cup championship, but won a title on the Nationwide tour. It was a crazy, unpredictable season for Kyle Busch, who won 20 races combined in NASCAR's top three circuits but failed to make the Chase. Will new crew chief Dave Rogers revive the No. 18? Hopefully, because the Cup Series is more fun when Kyle is in the mix.
10. Trouble at Talladega. NASCAR's biggest track produced the two most horrifying crashes of the season and left drivers wondering what else NASCAR can do to make the venue any safer. First there was Carl Edwards, going airborne into the fence at the end of the spring race, in a crash that injured eight spectators but thankfully wasn't much worse. Then there was Ryan Newman, flipping over and coming down hard on his roof in the fall. Stopping cars from going airborne at the 2.66-mile facility needs to be near the top of NASCAR's to-do list for 2010.
Surprises (non-Montoya division)
1. Brian Vickers. The driver and his Red Bull team finally showed some substance to go with all that style, winning his first race in the organization's colors and snagging the final berth in the Chase. For too long, you wondered if Red Bull cared as much about winning races as it did about promoting its energy-drink-driven culture and lifestyle. With Jay Frye running the show and Vickers with a new contract, we now know for certain that the answer is yes.
2. David Reutimann. Now the standard-bearer for Michael Waltrip Racing, the driver playfully nicknamed "the Franchise" produced a fine first half of the year that included a breakthrough first victory in the rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600. He wasn't able to remain in Chase contention for the entire regular season, but Reutimann showed time and time again that he can run up front, that he can be a factor in the end, and that the Waltrip organization isn't one to be laughed at anymore.
3. Brad Keselowski's win. Everyone knew that James Finch's cars could be strong on restrictor-plate tracks. Nobody expected the No. 07 to be quite as strong as it was in the spring race at Talladega, which Keselowski won and eventually parlayed into a full-time Cup ride with Penske Racing. Yes, it was a harrowing finish, with Keselowski holding his line at the bottom and Edwards flying into the fence. But it also produced the most stunning race result of the season.
Disappointments (non-Junior division)
1. Richard Childress Racing. It seemed an unexpected collapse for one of NASCAR's top franchises, an organization that had placed three drivers in the Chase for two years in a row. But look a little harder, and you could see this coming—even with those playoff berths, RCR cars struggled to lead laps and get in position to win. Expansion to four teams pushed everything over the edge. A management shuffle produced promising results toward the end of 2009 that hopefully will result in a better 2010.
2. Roush Fenway's big guns. Edwards was to many the favorite entering the 2009 season. Matt Kenseth won the first two races and looked like the driver to beat. And yet, the former went winless and the latter missed the Chase for the first time. It was that kind of year at Roush, which has a driver lineup to rival Hendrick's, but just couldn't put the pieces together. Greg Biffle went winless. David Ragan fell off the map. Jamie McMurray lost his ride. Not exactly the kind of performance the man in the hat is accustomed to.
3. Fox's NASCAR coverage. No television network does NASCAR better than Fox, which presents the kind of volume and bluster that's the closest thing to witnessing the sport live. With Darrell Waltrip in the booth, we've also become accustomed to a refreshing degree of outspokenness. So what did we get in 2009? Announcers that too often sounded like apologists, and an embarrassing emphasis on an animated rodent. Let's focus on the race, fellas. If you're in this to sell plush gophers, you're in the wrong business.
Awards
Driver of the Year: Jimmie Johnson. Who can argue with four consecutive championships? Oh, and he won the most races, won the title by a huge margin, and—for those grumbling purists out there—would have triumphed even under the old points system. Runner-up: Juan Montoya and Mark Martin (tie). Tremendous rebounds for both drivers, for entirely different reasons. Honorable mention: Tony Stewart. The burdens of team ownership didn't seem so burdensome after all. Other than a few grumpy moments, Smoke seemed happier than he's been in a long time. Four wins and leading the points for 13 consecutive weeks surely helped.
Crew chief of the Year: Brian Pattie. Montoya's amazing climb from also-ran to title contender was engineered by Pattie, who rather than force his driver to adapt to setups, tailored the setups to his driver. The results were evident. Runner-up: Pat Tryson. He oversaw a legitimate championship run despite lame-duck status and catching plenty of unnecessary grief from Kurt Busch on the radio. Tryson handled it all better than most in his position would have. Lifetime achievement: Chad Knaus. He's simply the best in the business, no question. He runs the most prepared, most efficient, and most successful team on the circuit.
Owner of the Year: Rick Hendrick. He hires the best people, turns out the best cars, and runs the tightest ship. His team's quality control—so important in a sport where managing potential failure is paramount—is unsurpassed, and nine Cup titles speak for themselves. Runner-up: Tony Stewart. Yes, he used Hendrick cars, engines, and technical support. But Stewart still had to bring in people like crew chiefs Darian Grubb and Tony Gibson, driver Newman, and competition director Bobby Hutchens. He still had to lure sponsors. None of that is easy. Honorable mention: Chip Ganassi. No question, he's caught lightning with Montoya, one of the greatest drivers of his era. But he's also found the pieces and personnel that the No. 42 team has needed to contend. Now, let's see if he can do the same with McMurray.
Race of the Year: Sylvania 300, Sept. 20, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In the first Cup event featuring double-file restarts, Martin holds off Montoya on a restart with three laps left to win. Montoya says Martin "screwed" him at the end. Stewart drops an axle cap, Kahne blows an engine, and everybody's mad at Kyle Busch after an eight-car accident on a restart. Great fun. Runner-up: Ford 400, Nov. 22, Homestead-Miami Speedway. Cars stacking up on pit road, Montoya and Stewart trading blows, and oh yeah, Johnson winning another title. Honorable mention: LifeLock 400, June 14, Michigan International Speedway. Johnson dominates, but he and Biffle both run out of fuel in the waning laps, setting the stage for another Martin victory.
Move of the Year: Jimmie Johnson moving Denny Hamlin out of the way with 15 laps left at Martinsville on March 28. It gave Johnson his first win of the season, and at the same time reminded everyone of who's boss. Runner-up: Greg Zipadelli telling Joey Logano to stay out as rain threatened June 28 at New Hampshire, a strategy which produced the rookie driver's first win. Honorable mention: Denny Hamlin punting Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide race at Homestead, and then blaming it on the sun being in his eyes.
Early 2010 championship pick
Jimmie Johnson. Get used to it. His 141-point victory in front of Martin in the standings was the largest final margin of his championship run. Too many other drivers are bogged down with Nationwide races or team ownership. Too many other organizations are scratching their heads, wondering what it will take to beat these guys. Until somebody does, there's no reason to pick anyone else.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.
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