Here's hoping that NASCAR fans embrace Jimmie Johnson
Let's hope that the fans, all NASCAR fans, embrace Jimmie Johnson's record-setting run as he celebrates in Las Vegas this week.
Certainly watching your favorite driver fail to run as well as Johnson is disappointing, but whether you are a fan of Johnson and his Chad Knaus-led Hendrick Motorsports or not, this is history in the making.
How many fans of today say they wish they could have seen Richard Petty in his heyday? Well, you're watching Johnson in his. And whether you're a fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon or anyone else, perhaps this is the chance to take a moment to marvel at just what Johnson has accomplished.
In just seven years of full-time competition, Johnson has earned 47 Cup wins. He has 180 top-10 finishes in 290 starts and has amassed 23 pole positions. He has an average starting position of 11.0 and an average finishing position of 11.7.
He has never finished outside of the top 10 in the standings and has finished outside the top-five only once.
So even though fans of all other drivers have watched their favorites finish in his shadow over the last four years, this isn't the time for renewing rivalries. Hopefully, if only for a few days this week, fans of all drivers can take just a moment and appreciate what Johnson has accomplished as he prepares to celebrate that title once more.
