Jimmie Johnson's dominance could be a historical achievement
So you’re bummed about the blowout championship races in all three of NASCAR’s national series?
Take heart and pay attention.
It could be worse. Much worse.
Oh sure, it’s not exactly optimal for business that the closest margin between first and second in any of the top three series is the 184-point gap between Sprint Cup leader Jimmie Johnson and his closest challenger, Mark Martin.
That the Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series titles could all be decided before the season finale for each of the respective divisions certainly hurts the hype surrounding the annual Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
But as lackluster as all of the championship battles are shaping up to be, we should find consolation in the fact that we are on the cusp of witnessing history.
It starts with Johnson, who is on the brink of becoming the first driver to win four straight Cup titles in the 60-year history of NASCAR. No one ever thought that Cale Yarborough’s mark of three straight championships could be matched, but Johnson blew that theory out of the water in 2008.
Now the Hendrick Motorsports driver is about to move into a category all his own. Love him, hate him or fall somewhere in between, it’s hard to argue at this point that Johnson isn’t one of the 10 greatest drivers of all time.
And we are getting to watch the 34-year-old in the prime of his career.
On the opposite end of the career spectrum is Ron Hornaday, who is poised to capture a fourth Truck crown three races from now.
Hornaday, 51, has a few more miles under his belt than Johnson, but his years haven’t hampered his progress one bit. Hornaday, who is currently tied with his old rival Jack Sprague for the most Truck titles, is set to not only break the record for championships but also become the oldest Truck champion in the series’ 15-year-history.
On the Nationwide side, the story line isn’t as compelling. Kyle Busch, a Cup driver, is running away from fellow Cup competitor Carl Edwards in the standings. Not since 2005 has a Nationwide-only driver won the championship in NASCAR’s No. 2 series.
But let’s face it: Watching history be made in two of NASCAR’s three national series isn’t all that bad.
