People's Opinions Changing Concerning Jimmie Johnson

WhiningSmoke

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In 2013, Jimmie Johnson won his 6th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, much to the dismay of a huge amount of fans. They were sick of Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, and the Lowe's Chevrolet dominating the Sprint Cup Series. In early 2014, NASCAR announced that they were revamping the Chase to what we now know as the "Elimination Chase". Many thought that this was an attempt by NASCAR to end the 48 dynasty. Perhaps they were right. Whether this is right or wrong, it was not necessary. Since 2014, Jimmie Johnson has not run well enough to win a championship. The 48 dynasty was over, and we began to witness the humanization of Jimmie Johnson.

In 2014, Johnson won 4 races and finished 11th in points. This was the first time he'd finished any worse than 6th in points, and only the second time he even finished outside the top 5 in points. Many thought this was just an off year for the 48 team.

Initially in the 2015, Johnson seemed to prove that 2014 was just a fluke, winning 4 of the first 13 races. Early in the season, it was a common theme for him to win with Kevin Harvick rim-riding the wall trying to chase him down late in the race. Soon, Johnson was seen as Harvick's biggest threat for the championship. Halfway through the season, Johnson was 2nd in points and on top of the Chase Grid. Then, the wheels fell off.

From Kentucky to the second Charlotte race, Johnson failed to lead a lap (12 races). He did manage to lead 2 laps at Charlotte, but this was only after he was eliminated from the Chase in Round 1 just the race before. Johnson managed to win the Chase race at Texas for the 4th year in a row en route to a 10th place finish in the points in a season that saw him win 5 races. Despite the wins, the season was not up to par for the 48 team. He set a career-low for laps led in a season, and he never showed up as a contender after the 17th race of the season, save for his miracle win at Texas. People started to wonder if the golden horseshoe was really gone.

To start off 2016, Johnson won 2 of the first 5 races. This season looked like it was going to be his comeback season after a disappointing 2014 and 2015. Then the wheels fell off once again. Johnson began what looked to be the worst season of his career. Many people even picked him to be eliminated in Round 1 of the Chase. This is Jimmie Johnson for crying out loud! He may have been eliminated in Round 1 in 2015, but nobody in the world expected it. In 2016, people were writing off the 48 as one of the weakest teams in the Chase. The thing is, they certainly looked to be right. All of Hendrick Motorsports has had sort of an off year this season. They have lacked speed the entire season...

...or have they? Think about it. Kasey Kahne has spent the season just being Kasey Kahne. He's a good driver, but Hendrick just is not the team for him. He's performing just the same as he's been since the 2013 Chase began -- below average. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started off the season inconsistently, but the speed was there. He was on his way to winning a race and making the Chase. In the 14 races of 2016 before Earnhardt suffered his concussion, he had four 2nd-place finishes. He likely would have won a race eventually, perhaps he would've even won Sonoma where he had the best car on raw speed but kept making careless errors to keep himself back in the pack (...maybe due to his concussion?). Hendrick lost their best driver (historically, that is) in Jeff Gordon to retirement. Gordon was THE lead driver and competed for the championship in 2014 and 2015. Despite losing to Jimmie Johnson for 11 years straight, Gordon was HMS's best driver the last 2 years of his career, with the 24 team escaping a slump they'd been in for 6 years in the Fall of 2013 (around the same time Kasey Kahne started underperforming... maybe they started giving more attention to the 24 instead of the 5 in the 24/5 shop?). Gordon was replaced by Chase Elliott, who's done a great job in the 24 car. Gordon probably would have won a couple of races this season if he'd still been in that car with his team (the 88 has a different team structure which Gordon is not used to working with at all so his results in that car aren't valid), but Chase has been pretty close to a few wins on his own. If he had a bit more experience, he'd likely have 3 wins by now (Pocono I and both the Michigan races). Johnson himself has done his yearly routine where he comes out of the box swinging, then he proceeds to shut it down until the Chase. He does this every year to a certain extent. The difference is, this year Johnson actually made people think he was vulnerable.

Anyway, back to the point. Since the Chase has started, Jimmie Johnson has looked like himself once again. Him and his team are still making some mistakes, but the iconic 48 speed is back. There's a difference in the reception of Jimmie Johnson now, though. People used to yawn when they saw Johnson take the lead, and they'd actively root against him because they were so tired of him winning. Now that Johnson has had a few years where he hasn't been the dominant car, people now cheer for Jimmie Johnson.

For the first time since perhaps 2007, Jimmie Johnson is a fan favorite. He has reached the point in his career where people want to see him succeed. Not as a dominant force as he once was, but as a veteran that perhaps isn't as good as he once was. People now realize the pure brilliance they witnessed from 2006-2013 and they realize they might not ever see anything like that again. They want to see a little more dominance from the 48 team before Johnson retires. Let's be honest, is there anyone who wouldn't like to see him win #7 this year? People want to be a part of history. Let's just hope history is yet to finish writing itself.
 
Okay, I admit I didn't wade through that master's thesis. With that acknowledged up front,

If Kenseth doesn't win it, I don't care one way or the other who does. First time, seventh time; if it ain't the #20, it's all the same to me.

I've never booed him or pulled for Johnson. He's a first-time HOF entry either way.
 
For the sake of another driver getting 7, sure, it'll be cool to see Jimmie get 7. But as a fan of his? No. I don't care for the 48.
 
I have to say I have always been one of the biggest Jimmie Johnson bashers. I guess it comes from the early rivalry between Lowe's and Home Depot when they sponsored Stewart. While I still don't want him to win title #7, I do have respect for all that he's accomplished. I started following him on Twitter a few years ago and he seems like a cool dude.
 
I've never really been a Johnson fan and when he won 5 in a row I it turned me away from NASCAR for a little while. Hate is such a strong word. I think I was more annoyed by him back then but now I don't get as annoyed by him as I used to. I would rather see Jimmie win than some of the other guys that are in the chase but I'm certainly not going to root for him.
 
I have the utmost respect for Jimmie Johnson and his many accomplishments, but my fan allegiance goes elsewhere. I'd be OK with Jimmie winning his 7th cup championship *if* my guy can't win it. I'd prefer Jimmie over quite a few others taking the big trophy.

I don't think it's valid to rank the greats of one era versus the greats of other eras, so I avoid discussions of "the GOAT," but Jimmie Johnson is certainly the greatest of his generation. And since he arrived in Nascar cup racing, Johnson beat Gordon like a snare drum in a parade, so I disagree with some of the Hommage-To-Gordon parts of the OP.
 
admittedly a huge senior fan. so no, I don't want jimmie with 7. and I've been anti-jeff, anti-hendrick, and anti-jimmie since they became a serious threat.

throw in the chase and I guess I care a lot less because the system doesn't crown the "best of the year" like a championship should.

the soft side... I never despised jeff or jimmie. hard to dislike the incredible talent they brought to a sport I enjoy so much. but a few of their fans could bring out the worst in me!!!

jimmie-not a hater. just as long as he doesn't get 7! and if he does, it's tainted!!!
 
I was a huge Sr fan, but guess what?

Records are meant to be broken and I'm certain Jimmie will win another championship because when you witness something like what Johnson did, its pretty incredible to win them consecutively. Its history and we have all witnessed it. Its something we will probably not see again and honestly, I would be excited to see something like that. Jimmie has grown a lot on me as a driver and person, dude is incredible and his twitter trolling game is top notch. You gain a lot of hate when you have success like he did, its not the end of it either.

I'm no JJ fan, but I like witnessing history and records being broken.
 
JJ won when the series was designed just right for him. ( chase ) With this new format I don't give a rats a$$ who wins as long as Kenseth never gets a sniff of another championship.
Kenseth and Gordon should never be allowed in a race car. Money talks though and it just proves that the preacher is another snakeoil sales man.
Rant over.
 
I've always liked Jimmie. Instead of resenting him for winning 5 straight championships, I had an appreciation for the history I was witnessing. It'll probably never happen again. I hope he gets #7 before he hangs it up.
 
I have always admired people like JJ, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and youngsters from today like Auston Matthews and Carson Wentz who don't throw their team or teammates under the bus, behave like dicks when things don't go their way or lack maturity. I understand there are people who feel acting with class and being gracious equates to being vanilla but feel acting like a dick somehow is synonymous with passion and a will to win.
 
Many NASCAR fans hate anyone they think is too successful and miss out on the opportunity to appreciate greatness when it's happening.

I agree and while I am no fan of Shrub it would be complete foolishness for me to deny the talent he has for driving a race car. I am not real crazy about divas like OBJ, Julio Jones and Dez Bryant but I would have to be blind not to appreciate their athletic prowess.

Even when teams are playing against my faves I give props for great plays and play-makers as to ignore it would be to deny reality.
 
I agree and while I am no fan of Shrub it would be complete foolishness for me to deny the talent he has for driving a race car. I am not real crazy about divas like OBJ, Julio Jones and Dez Bryant but I would have to be blind not to appreciate their athletic prowess.

Even when teams are playing against my faves I give props for great plays and play-makers as to ignore it would be to deny reality.
Whatever! Go eat your happy meals!
 
JJ is good for the sport. He doesnt bash his crew for mistakes and when he makes a mistake, he blames no one but himself, unlike others who are never to blame whatever the circumstances are. I didnt like Gordon until his final 4 or 5 years of racing. Some guys that I liked switches teams and although i still like them, I dont want them to win any more. Jimmy is my favorite driver now. Chase is my 2nd choice. Danica, well i really doubt she will ever win but I root for her anyway. Tony makes the sport much more interesting, good or bad. Whats bad for the sport is lack of competitiveness..i.e. 6 cars on the lead lap, actually is was almost 5 cars. Close racing is exciting, someone "checking out" is channel flipping time. Most of my friends lost total interest in racing. Im teetering with the same thought.
 
For any of you who are wrestling fans Jimmie Johnson is the John Cena of racing. Never gets involved in any controversy. Nobody has anything really bad to say about him when it comes to how he is out of the races, lots of women and kids like him. A lot of the men get sick of him cause he's was always winning.

I'm indifferent. I won't root for or against him unless I'm rooting for him against someone else I really dislike or if I'm rooting for someone I like against him.
 
Most of my friends lost total interest in racing. Im teetering with the same thought.

Interesting. My 18 year old at college called the other day because he thought his schedule would allow him to go with his parents (his freaking parents) to Phoenix. "Gotta see this Dad." Ticket purchased. Flight arranged. Taking care of my demographic. Maybe it has something to do with his old man waiting like a nine year old for Christmas morning for the green every weekend. Maybe it has something to do with passion for the sport. Maybe it has something to do with a disregard for empty stands and TV ratings. Maybe it has something to do with a connection between the Toyotas in the garage and the Toyotas on the track. Maybe it has something to do with cheering rather than bitching. Novel concepts here. SMDH.
 
Great post. I was annoyed with Jimmie until 2010. Hated him in 2008, was indifferent in 2009, but with him being the underdog in 2010, I found myself pulling for him.

I've been a fan of him since 2012 and where he isn't dominant, it's exciting to see him have bouts of speed. At Dover, that was like the Jimmie of old, he had the entire field covered. Which was impressive considering how strong the 78 has been.

Look at texas last fall when he won texas. Kyle Busch was cheering for him, Kurt thought it was awesome. As did the 78. Fans seemed to love it too. Now that he's in the twilight of his career, and he's essentially the Tom Brady of Nascar (perfect) as a likeable guy, people want to see him succeed.
 
Interesting. My 18 year old at college called the other day because he thought his schedule would allow him to go with his parents (his freaking parents) to Phoenix. "Gotta see this Dad." Ticket purchased. Flight arranged. Taking care of my demographic. Maybe it has something to do with his old man waiting like a nine year old for Christmas morning for the green every weekend. Maybe it has something to do with passion for the sport. Maybe it has something to do with a disregard for empty stands and TV ratings. Maybe it has something to do with a connection between the Toyotas in the garage and the Toyotas on the track. Maybe it has something to do with cheering rather than bitching. Novel concepts here. SMDH.

That's actully pretty touching.

I hope to have a relationship like that with my children, when I have them one day
 
Interesting. My 18 year old at college called the other day because he thought his schedule would allow him to go with his parents (his freaking parents) to Phoenix. "Gotta see this Dad." Ticket purchased. Flight arranged. Taking care of my demographic. Maybe it has something to do with his old man waiting like a nine year old for Christmas morning for the green every weekend. Maybe it has something to do with passion for the sport. Maybe it has something to do with a disregard for empty stands and TV ratings. Maybe it has something to do with a connection between the Toyotas in the garage and the Toyotas on the track. Maybe it has something to do with cheering rather than bitching. Novel concepts here. SMDH.

I think that being exposed to something as a youngster can either really turn a person on or off that subject as the years go by. I know of several multi generational families that support football teams as the love of the game and team has been passed down several times. It is common to see young kids wearing team gear supporting all sorts of teams and I saw a lot of it when I was in Ohio a week ago in support of the Buckeyes.

I don't know how many fathers and sons participate in Nascar together but I do know I don't see anyone wearing Nascar hats, t-shirts or jackets but it is common to see people wearing sports league gear. By no means is that scientific but it could indicate a much lower level of interest and that makes perfect sense given the sharp decline in people watching Nascar and attending races.

Noticing empty seats and reading about falling TV ratings take about 15 seconds of time so it isn't something that needs to be fleshed nor is it something that impacts a person's enjoyment or lack thereof concerning any individual race. People become passionate about something because it excites and entertains them and do not just make a choice to be passionate as it doesn't work that way. Regarding the manufacturer most people could not tell one from another without the aid of decals and prefer to support individual drivers or teams regardless of what decals the vehicle carries. If people are Kevin Harvick fans there will not be a mass exodus or influx of fans next year just because a blue oval decal festoons his ride.
 
I think that being exposed to something as a youngster can either really turn a person on or off that subject as the years go by. I know of several multi generational families that support football teams as the love of the game and team has been passed down several times. It is common to see young kids wearing team gear supporting all sorts of teams and I saw a lot of it when I was in Ohio a week ago in support of the Buckeyes.

I don't know how many fathers and sons participate in Nascar together but I do know I don't see anyone wearing Nascar hats, t-shirts or jackets but it is common to see people wearing sports league gear. By no means is that scientific but it could indicate a much lower level of interest and that makes perfect sense given the sharp decline in people watching Nascar and attending races.

Noticing empty seats and reading about falling TV ratings take about 15 seconds of time so it isn't something that needs to be fleshed nor is it something that impacts a person's enjoyment or lack thereof concerning any individual race. People become passionate about something because it excites and entertains them and do not just make a choice to be passionate as it doesn't work that way. Regarding the manufacturer most people could not tell one from another without the aid of decals and prefer to support individual drivers or teams regardless of what decals the vehicle carries. If people are Kevin Harvick fans there will not be a mass exodus or influx of fans next year just because a blue oval decal festoons his ride.

These are the words of a man of wisdom. I assume you've been around long enough to get a good grasp on people
 
These are the words of a man of wisdom. I assume you've been around long enough to get a good grasp on people

I didn't have the benefit of what I described as a youngster but knew of people that did and it was really great. When I would go to someone's house and see the different generations plus aunts and uncles and traditions I knew that was the best way to go and the best thing for a kid. Nothing like seeing a little boy following his dad around and emulating him and being interested in the things he is.
 
It's nice. I
I didn't have the benefit of what I described as a youngster but knew of people that did and it was really great. When I would go to someone's house and see the different generations plus aunts and uncles and traditions I knew that was the best way to go and the best thing for a kid. Nothing like seeing a little boy following his dad around and emulating him and being interested in the things he is.

It's nice. I was the first Nascar fan in my.family, so my exposure to Nascar started in 1995 when I was a young young boy. I've adapted many of my father's personality traits, but I was the first fan. So I have no background on anything before Jeff Gordon and Dale Sr.

I really like what you said about how ratings, and attendance dont need to be fleshed out, nor is a scape goat needed (like the chase, despite the evident causality). Such factors shouldn't have much of an effect on an individual's enjoyment of an individual race.

I grew up when Gordon was in his prime. The Nascar I knew always has a car or two that appears to "check out". The chase, in my head was nothing more than a change. I liked watching Nascar races. Despite the chase, ratings, and attendance, there are still races which I still enjoy because as I think you've expressed, the past time of watching a race exists independently of all those other factors.

At the end of the day, it's racing
 
Next It'll be
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I agree and while I am no fan of Shrub it would be complete foolishness for me to deny the talent he has for driving a race car. I am not real crazy about divas like OBJ, Julio Jones and Dez Bryant but I would have to be blind not to appreciate their athletic prowess.

Even when teams are playing against my faves I give props for great plays and play-makers as to ignore it would be to deny reality.



He is the best driver in cup not named Stewart or Johnson but make no mistake, he's won almost 40 cup races in 12 years. Jimmie won like 70, in 12 years. Kyle doesn't win like Jeff and Jimmie did.

People dislike Kyle because of how immature he was, which, making millions at 18, a clear sprint cup future champ at 17.. personality still develops at that age.. it's understandable why he never got to mature in his early 20s.

If Kyle had likeable qualities, I don't see him getting the hate

Tldr, Kyle's hate is attributed to his personality, not his success; he's talented but he's not Jimmie-talented.
Further response to this thread, I wonder if Jimmie himself is gonna get the credit as a driver? Everyone likes to attribute his success to Hendrick, Chad, and the 48 team.

Are people willing to say, that Jimmie has been the most talented driver in cup? More talented in his prime than Kyle, Harvick, etc?
 
He is the best driver in cup not named Stewart or Johnson but make no mistake, he's won almost 40 cup races in 12 years. Jimmie won like 70, in 12 years. Kyle doesn't win like Jeff and Jimmie did.

People dislike Kyle because of how immature he was, which, making millions at 18, a clear sprint cup future champ at 17.. personality still develops at that age.. it's understandable why he never got to mature in his early 20s.

If Kyle had likeable qualities, I don't see him getting the hate

Tldr, Kyle's hate is attributed to his personality, not his success; he's talented but he's not Jimmie-talented.
Further response to this thread, I wonder if Jimmie himself is gonna get the credit as a driver? Everyone likes to attribute his success to Hendrick, Chad, and the 48 team.

Are people willing to say, that Jimmie has been the most talented driver in cup? More talented in his prime than Kyle, Harvick, etc?

I think JJ is one of the best ever and I could not say that about Shrub or Harvick even though they are both premier wheelmen. IMO there is no one currently racing that is in the same league as JJ due to his many wins and multiple champs.
 
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