Oct 20th, 2009 by T.C.
As we near the end of the season, and what some are already predicting could be a fourth straight championship for Jimmie Johnson, it seems the negative feelings toward driver 48 are growing. Some have even hinted that Johnson’s dominance is to blame for the decline in ratings and attendance recently. The argument is that when one team dominates, it makes the races less interesting to watch. But instead of blaming Johnson and his team for being too good, why aren’t you blaming your favorite driver and team for not being good enough?
I agree that it can suck when one team seems to win everything. But when my favorite college football team isn’t doing well while another is, that doesn’t make me watch less football. The same can be said about my other favorite teams. I’m still going to tune in each week, go to games when I can, and support my team. I don’t understand why the same can’t be said about racing.
We’ve been asked before by fans what exactly the 48 team does differently then everyone else. I think we may even have at least one of those for tomorrow’s “Ask The Insiders Wednesday.” The answer is, that I have no idea. If I did, I’d probably be a rich man. Whatever it is though, it’s working, and you can’t blame Chad Knaus and his guys for doing it right. And instead of getting angry and calling Knaus a cheater, why can’t we take a step back and realize how amazing this run has been? What if Johnson really is that good?
And while we are on the subject of Chad Knaus, how come we hear so often that people want NASCAR to give the teams more freedom in being creative with the cars, yet you get angry when somebody like Knaus pushes the envelope? It is the responsiblity of these teams to push the tolerances to the limit, because that is what it’s going to take to be successful in this age of NASCAR. Like they saying goes, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
You are going to call me a NASCAR homer for saying this, but I don’t care, I’m going to say it anyway. NASCAR is not playing favorites with the 48. As many are starting to get turned off by it, it doesn’t suit NASCAR’s interests to give them some sort of advantage over everyone else. They would be better suited to give Mark Martin or Juan Pablo Montoya the edge, because those would be bigger stories. The black helicopters have been winterized and stored away for the season.
I will agree that some of the debris cautions can be very suspicious, but if NASCAR is really throwing them to affect the race, they are trying to close the fields up for better racing; not to benefit one driver or another. Even Johnson has been the victim of these cautions.
With the Cup Series headed to Martinsville this weekend (one of Johnson’s best tracks) it would appear that his hold on the points lead could grow even further. But as quickly as Johnson has moved to the top, he could just as easily fall. I would caution you in writing off guys like Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and maybe even a resurgence from JPM. The season is far from over, and if a points lead after five races meant you’d win the championship, the year would be over. But it’s not. We’ve still got five more races to go. Anything can happen. Don’t forget that races are played out on the track, not in statistics or on paper. And ease up off the venom for Jimmie.
Now it’s your turn. Are you becoming turned off by Johnson’ dominance? How come? Do you think one team dominating hurts the sport? Would you feel the same way if it was your favorite driver who was kicking ass? What if it were somebody like Kyle Busch dominating? The floor belongs to you, don’t forget to play nice!
