AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > November > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USJohnson learning to be NASCAR star
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Homestead, Fla. — It is one thing to rank among a sport’s elite. It’s another to become so dominant that it moves the sport’s perceived emperor to wave a white hanky at you in mock surrender, as Jeff Gordon did last week in victory lane.
Jimmie Johnson has won four consecutive races. Nothing short of 20 lug nuts popping off his Chevy at the start of today’s Ford 400 could prevent him from winning a second straight Nextel Cup title. He has won 10 more races than Gordon in the past four years. Johnson’s next win will give him 34 in only six seasons, passing “Fireball” Roberts on the all-time list.
There are certain absolutes in auto racing. One is: When you pass a guy named Fireball, you’re doing something right.
But has any sport ever had a more low-profile superstar?
Johnson is already teammates with Gordon, racing’s gold standard of crossover stars. Next year they will be joined by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Hendrick team.
Gordon and Earnhardt are Madison Avenue. Johnson is somewhere on Bleecker Street, even if he’s better than either one of them.
“I don’t think he obsesses over that at all,” John Lewensten, Johnson’s manager said. “Those things will come. I don’t think Jimmie really views himself as a superstar. He’s just like the guy next door, a good guy to sit back and have a beer with. I’m not sure he realizes where he is statistically or the magnitude of what he’s doing. He’s just worried about winning races.”
It’s not like Johnson is starved for endorsements. Or money. He’s doing fine, just not what you would expect for somebody so dominant, and it’s questionable whether he’ll ever achieve Gordon or Earnhardt status.
Lewensten believes being teammates with those two will help “open doors” for Johnson. But when somebody has 27 victories in four seasons (compared to Gordon’s 17), one would think he could open his own doors.
The whole idea of celebrity doesn’t seem to be high on Johnson’s agenda. It doesn’t make him nervous; it’s just a coat that hangs a little loose.
For the past several weeks, peers have lauded Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s team. Gordon made his mock surrender after Johnson’s win in Phoenix last week (enabling Johnson to secure the championship over Gordon today with any finish among the top 18, or top 19 if he leads one lap).
After Johnson won the pole Friday, Ryan Newman said: “He’s on a roll. No, actually, he’s the next step beyond a roll.” Johnson grimaced when asked about the attention.
“There is nothing comfortable about that,” he said. “Even Jeff walking in last week with the flag and all that, I’m like, ‘This is really weird.’ It’s just not something I thrive on or that I expect or that, really, I’ve ever had in my career. Maybe that’s part of it. I’ve had a long, hard road to get to this spot in my career. So it’s not comfortable to be in an area of praise. I’m not complaining. I’ll take it. But I just want to strap my helmet on and go, leave it on the track, come back in and have a good time.”
The biggest winner in this is Rick Hendrick, who, in the incestuous world of NASCAR’s multiteam ownerships, has the Chase’s top two places locked up. “It’s like having two children go against each other in the state championship,” he said. “One is going to go home in the car with a trophy, and one will be all torn up.”
Gordon has only himself to blame. He’s the one who convinced Hendrick to sign Johnson, a fledgling driver in the lesser Busch Series. Gordon was a 50 percent investor. The two share information as teammates. Now Johnson has blown past him.
Gordon doesn’t think Johnson’s success would have been possible without the Hendrick team: “Not to take anything away from Jimmie, but Jimmie wasn’t spectacular. When we hired him, everybody was like, ‘Jimmie Johnson? Why would they hire Jimmie Johnson? He hasn’t set the world on fire in the Busch series.’ But I just saw something in him.”
Now he sees Johnson’s rear bumper, maybe more often than we see the man on a marquee.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Jeff Schultz
Comments
By Dawgs2007
November 17, 2007 7:14 PM | Link to this
Jimmie Johnson has killed Nascar. He has taken all the fun out of it. It is painful to watch races these days. I have stopped watching all together.
I watched a Hwak’s game for the first time last night since we were sweept by the Knicks in 1999. It was fun to watch again. After the Hawks went into the tank in 1999, I started watching more Nascar. Now I will start watching the Hawks again.
I am looking forward to being a NBA fan again.
By judy
November 18, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this
It is a real shame that you cannot enjoy watching someone rise to the top of his sport without being related to anyone in the “good ole boys club”. Jimmie came from a hard working family and did not arrive with a silver spoon in his mouth. Jimmie is not responsible for Jr.’s demise. If Jr. can run with the big boys it will show up next season. If he does not do well then maybe he is just an average driver and not the second coming of, well, whomever. Watch your NBA! You are not a true NASCAR fan anyway if you can’t enjoy the success of a driver that came from basically no where. It is the stuff they make movies about.
By Roswell Ed
November 18, 2007 9:17 AM | Link to this
Shultz:
Did I get redirected to the Charlotte Observer this morning.
NECKCAR has all ready had it’s 5 minutes in the spotlight.
People that had never watched this “sport” tuned in for about 15 minutes.
Once they realized that it really is just a bunch of necks riding around in circles the novelty wore off.
I’ll flip around during Braves or Falcons games and come across a 4 hour commercial interupted with a race break every once in a while.
“The number 4 car caught a break in the 1st turn when the number 8 went down on the track and spun out the number 25 Penzoil, Massingale, Shell, Hubba Bubba, Diet Vanilla Cherry RC Cola, Moonpie Chevrolet.”
You know the whole thing is fixed because there is noooo way any one could get a Chevrolet to run more then 400 miles without breaking down!!
By judy
November 18, 2007 10:36 AM | Link to this
Poor Roswell Ed…forced to read about NASCAR. While viewers may have fallen off the fans are still there in great numbers. The viwers could have fallen off due to ESPN coverage.
Something for everyone, that is what America is all about.
NASCAR is not full of drug users, body building muscle heads, ganstas etc. They are, however, do gooders that give huge portions of their earnings to charities and children’s causes. I am proud to be a “Neckcar” fan. By the way my son has a Chevrolet pick up that has 160,000 miles on it and runs great.
Must be so comforting to you to be so elite.
By jay
November 18, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
Geez, I am from northern Ohio & I love Nascar and Braves baseball. I read these blogs enough to see a pattern here, you guys put down certain athletes over & over again then put down a so called “white” sport to prove you’re not southern racists. Man you southern liberals kill me, of course I’m sure your best friends are of color. Why dont you guys just love your teams & lave your personal feeling in your had
By jay
November 18, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
Geez, I am from northern Ohio & I love Nascar and Braves baseball. I read these blogs enough to see a pattern here, you guys put down certain athletes over & over again then put down a so called “white” sport to prove you’re not southern racists. Man you southern liberals kill me, of course I’m sure your best friends are of color. Why don’t you guys just love your teams & leave your personal feeling in your had
By NASCARfan
November 18, 2007 3:27 PM | Link to this
Once again, Roswell Ed opens his mouth and removes all doubt about his ignorance and stupidity.
Hey moron, no one forced you click on the column. In fact, the column heading says Johnson learning to be NASCAR star. And you clicked on it anyway, knowing you aren’t smart enough to appreciate NASCAR. You really are an idiot, aren’t you?
Unfortunately, Shultz, Johnson can lick my nuts. He’s a punk on the track and a punk off the track.
By Roswell Ed
November 18, 2007 6:49 PM | Link to this
The 4 NASCAR fans in Atl have spoken now let’s **all turn down the sound
I thought NECKCAR was a RED sport.
If a NECKCAR blog falls in the woods and no one is there does it make a sound?
By NASCARfan
November 18, 2007 7:22 PM | Link to this
Once again, Roswell Ed continues to prove his complete ignorance and stupidity.
He professes to hate NASCAR, yet he clicked on and read a column that was only about NASCAR.
He then takes the time to write about NASCAR, a sport he professes to hate.
He then takes the time to read other people’s responses and responds to them.
So I ask everyone else, including Jeff Schultz… who really is the idiot in the sitution?
I stand by my assertion that Roswell Ed continues to dig his own grave, like the moron he is. Hey, Roswell Ed, what was the score of the Georgia-Auburn game again? Both this year and last year?
And what was that Roswell Ed, NASCAR is the fasting-growing sport in the Nation amongst minorities (blacks and hispanics)? Did you know that. I mean, add that to the fact that NSACAR is the fastest growth sport there is in the nation right this very minute. As people move away from the NFL and the irrevocably broken MLB, they move towards college football and yes, that’s right, NASCAR.
People are tired of Barroid Bonds and Michael Vick and Pacman Jones and AFraud and Scott Boras and Drew Rosenhaus and T.O.
People want guys who are humble and happy to be playing their sport. That’s why people are moving towards college football and NASCAR. People like Jeef Gordon, and Junior, and Stewart, and Busch, and Juan Pablo Montoya.
People are tired of greed and criminals. If you want to embrace the NFL and MLB, go ahead.
If you’re too stupid to appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into NASCAR, go ahead.
You’re a lesser person for it, and a lesser person for ignorantly putting down people who enjoy NASCAR, which is no longer for rednecks, as you so derisively call them. Yankees, Left Coasters, and minorities of all kinds are flocking towards NASCAR.
I think you’re just jealous that you’re being left behind.
By judy
November 18, 2007 9:15 PM | Link to this
…nice, humble guys that give huge amounts of their winnings to charity do finish FIRST! Congratulations JIMMIE JOHNSON- back to back CHAMPION!
Why is it that NASCAR fans can’t root for their driver and not say horrible things about other drivers. Do you knotheads not realize that there has to be other drivers on the track for your man to race against?
By judy
November 18, 2007 9:54 PM | Link to this
By the way Nascarfan; Jimmie has people of both genders standing in line wanting to “lick his nuts” so don’t wait by the phone hoping he’ll comt by to take care of you.