Hard Turn
A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens
Jimmie Johnson is a great driver, but Indy promised more intrigue
If you are a Jimmie Johnson fan, you should probably stop reading now.
No offense to Johnson or his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team, but his win in Sunday’s Allstate 400 at Indy was a huge letdown.
NASCAR was on the verge of seeing two huge stories develop at Indy. Juan Pablo Montoya, who dominated the race, was cruising to his second NASCAR Sprint Cup victory and poised to become the first driver to win both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Cup race at Indy.
It would have been a milestone victory and further launched Montoya’s stock-car career, enhancing his growing relevance as a NASCAR star. Instead, Montoya was nabbed for speeding on pit road, ruining what could have been one of the finest days of his career. Like him or not, it would have been a monumental moment for NASCAR.
With Montoya sadly out of the picture, Mark Martin was in position to win at the Brickyard, becoming the oldest NASCAR driver to win one of the sport’s biggest races.
Though Martin has won four times already this season, a win at Indy would have been the biggest of his career and just added to what has already become a remarkable story for the 50-year-old driver.
Instead, Johnson outruns him to win at Indy for the third time in four years.
That’s the last thing most fans watching the race wanted to see.
Johnson is NASCAR’s greatest driver and he and his team deserve every single accolade they receive. He is a worthy three-time champion and one of the greatest drivers of all-time. There are very few, if any, reasons not to like Johnson.
But fans have simply grown tired of seeing him win so much, which is typically what happens to the great ones. Jeff Gordon knows a thing or two about that.
And now, on a day when fans were poised for a new winner and another fascinating twist to this intriguing season, Johnson wins another one of NASCAR’s biggest races.
For many, it was simply a bummer.
Jeff Owens
Jeff Owens has been covering NASCAR since 1991 and began covering the circuit full time in 1993. He has been with NASCAR Scene since 1998.
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Comments
10 responses to "Jimmie Johnson is a great driver, but Indy promised more intrigue". Post a Comment.
lilrob166 said:
Jul 27, 2009 at 9:32 AMIf everyone is tired of seeing the same winner,
Report as Abuse(Jimmie) then why is okay for Kyle to win all the time?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportct490 said:
Jul 27, 2009 at 2:08 PMJohnson has never gotten the coverage that other drivers get. I guess he can just retire now since nobody wants him to win.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportscott4884 said:
Jul 27, 2009 at 5:04 PMI feel bad for JPM, but things like that happen in Nascar. Jimmie had Michigan till he ran out of gas. Instead of fans being "tired" of Jimmie winning they should respect what he has accomplished. As a fan of the 48 team I don't begrudge Smoke, Busch, and Edwards when they win races.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkiltsfin said:
Jul 28, 2009 at 12:38 PMJohnson is NASCAR's greatest driver? Tell that to Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.
Report as AbuseThe race was just plain dull, period.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkiltsfin said:
Jul 28, 2009 at 12:49 PMJohnson is NASCAR's greatest driver? Tell that to Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.
Report as AbuseThe race was just plain boring, period.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRainier said:
Jul 28, 2009 at 4:50 PM2 in a row at brickyard is just as important as the oldest driver winning there. JPM should not have sped on pit lane. why is no one allowing him to take the blame?
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttwins4tony said:
Jul 28, 2009 at 5:01 PMI agree #4(). The race was boring. No passing hardly at all. If I want that, I'll watch an Indy race.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSTP43FAN said:
Jul 28, 2009 at 5:32 PMSCOTT4884 - there is nothing in Johnson's Hendrick career to respect. They deserve to fail.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbill2 said:
Jul 28, 2009 at 5:42 PMC'mon Jeff, get real. Was it 'boring' when Big E won? Petty? Yarbrough? Just because JJ conducts himself like a gentleman, he is boring and dull? I love exciting, meaningful races myself, but if you didn't like the last 30 or so laps at the Brickyard, then you wouldn't know an exciting race if you saw one. Johnson was one of a handful of drivers who could pass a decent competitor when he caught one. His pass of Mark on the outside was masterful, and watching Mark try to run him down was suspenseful and exciting. Besides, to a TRUE racing fan, enjoying a race includes more than just the checkers - which lane on restarts, pit strategy, pit crew performance, monitoring team radio banter, the commentary, and so much more. So give JJ the FULL respect that he and the 48 team deserve. Boring? Only if your driver didn't win and that's the only thing that mattered to you. So quitcher bellyaching.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHateda88 said:
Jul 29, 2009 at 12:17 AMNascar doesn't want it any other way. They like the boring follow the leader stuff. For them when Johnson wins it's just another great day. I'm sure either him or Martin has the championship wrapped up.
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