After five years, a myriad of challengers and numerous critics who suggested his dominance was nothing more than a byproduct of what they perceived as a contrived way to determine a champion, Jimmie Johnson’s reign as Sprint Cup champion will officially come to an end at five.
One of the greatest runs in not just NASCAR history, but sports history, came to a close yesterday when Johnson was officially eliminated from title contention.
That Johnson’s supremacy came to an end isn’t all that surprising. After all, nothing in sports or life for that matter lasts forever.
No, the surprising thing is the manner in which his run of five consecutive titles came to an end.
The backbone of the 48 team has always been their resiliency. There was never a situation where Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus didn’t somehow magically rise from the ashes and not only persevere but, thrive.
Go back just one year to Texas when Knaus decided midrace to bench his underachieving pit crew due to their continued missteps that cost their driver numerous and valuable positions on the track.
This gutsy call was viewed by many as a serious blow to the chemistry on the 48 team. Mike Ford, the crew chief for Denny Hamlin – the man Johnson was looking up at in the standings – saw this as a move which would tear the 48 team apart at the seams.
Johnson and particularly Knaus were unflinching then and now that this was the best decision to make if they were to win their fifth straight title.
To them, continually losing ground on pit road was inexcusable, and worst, it would without question lead to Johnson not winning the driver’s title. To do nothing would be accepting mediocrity. And that was unacceptable for the team which was in the midst of rewriting the NASCAR record book.
The move, controversial at the time, paid dividends as the replacement pit crew was virtually flawless the last two races of the year and propelled Johnson to his fifth Sprint Cup.
That resolve was also evident in 2007.
It was then, when Johnson just one year removed from winning his first title, found himself 68 markers behind teammate Jeff Gordon with five races to go.
With their backs against the wall, the 48 team went on to what can be classified as an epic run. A run that saw them go to Victory Lane four straight times and culminated with Johnson narrowly defeating Gordon to win his second series crown.
However, the ability to turn adversity into success and not flinch under the enormous pressure associated with running for a championship seemingly disappeared during this year’s Chase.
Whether it was running out of fuel on the final lap in the opening round of the Chase at Chicagoland which cost him a surefire top-three finish, or poor strategy and decision-making at Talladega, or over aggressiveness at Charlotte which sent him crashing head-on into the Turn 2 wall, all but ensuring NASCAR would have a new champions for the first time since 2005. The 2011 edition of the Chase has been the antithesis of what has come to define Johnson’s run as a champion.
This in no way is meant to diminish the accomplishments of this year’s title combatants Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart.
Both have risen up to the challenge in their respective ways; Edwards through dogged consistency and Stewart through sheer willpower. As such, each has put themselves in the position they’re in to unseat Johnson.
That said, not having to go toe-to-toe in the last race of the year with a driver who has ice in his veins along with an innate ability to rise above any obstacle thrown in front of him, does make things a smidge easier for the two title contenders.
There’s no denying that since 2004, the omnipresent Johnson has cast a significantly large shadow over the championship proceedings. If you don’t think that plays into the outcome of who wins, just go back to last year, when Denny Hamlin rolled into Homestead with a 15-point lead over Johnson.
But the pressure of the moment got to Hamlin. 22 laps into the 400-mile race he spun himself out and opened the door for Johnson to walk through and claim title number five.
Since then, Hamlin has been a shell of his former self.
The once confident, borderline cocky driver has had a “woe is me” attitude all season that’s dramatically affected him both on and off the track.
The abyss Hamlin has found himself in can be summarized just by looking his win total last year compared to this year. In 2010, he won nine races and was a threat to win several others. This year however, he’s tasted victory just once and is a dismal 10th in the championship standings.
Things have gotten so bad that Hamlin has taken to seeing a sports psychologist to help him cope with losing to Johnson in the manner in which he did.
Facing that frustration and disappointment is something neither Edwards nor Stewart will have to deal with this Sunday in South Florida.
This is not a eulogy and by no means am I saying Johnson will never hoist his sixth Sprint Cup trophy.
At the age of 36, the native of El Cajon, California has many peak years left in the sport. Mentor, car owner, rival and good friend Jeff Gordon is still winning races on the other side of 40, and Dale Earnhardt himself contended for a championship at the age of 49.
As long as Johnson remains with Hendrick Motorsports – his contract doesn’t expire until 2015 – and Knaus continues to guide the 48 team with the same fiery determination he’s used to build the team from the ground up, Johnson will continue to be a force in NASCAR.
Whether that means he eventually exceeds Richard Petty and Earnhardt’s mark of seven championships still remains to be seen.
If he does, it will just further reinforce Johnson’s legacy.
Save for the fact, after five consecutive championships and dominating NASCAR in a way that no on has done before or will likely do anytime in the near future, let’s be honest, it’s a legacy that’s already been cemented.
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