As many of you here know, I have been a fan of Jimmie since his very first night in a ASA stock car, and it has seemed like we were somehow tied together ever since. I tuned into the first race of the 1998 ASA season looking for a second driver to support along side my long time favorite Scott Hansen. After scanning the starting lineup and not seeing anyone that caught my interest, they showed this white #44 car with the Chevy logos on it driven by some kid I had never heard of, but his crew chief was the great Howie Lettow, so I said what the heck, and started following his season. He went the distance that night and finished 8th. While he wasn't winning, he did well enough to keep my interest, especially when I found out he had ZERO actual car racing experience. In August of that year, I was lucky enough to be in the infield at IRP for the Truck race and Busch Series practice, and got to see Jimmie practice and qualify Tad Geschickter's Kingsford #59. I didn't get to meet Jimmie that day, but I DID talk to Howie. The next night I saw his Busch Series debut from the grandstands, where he finished 25th two laps down. He was solid back then if not spectacular, but his easy going personality impressed me, and I kept my hopes up. Fast forward two years later, and my dad and I were fortunate enough to be guests of Zippo Lighters and Jimmy Spencer for the Busch Race at Michigan, where we got to hang out in the garage and watch the race from Jimmy's pit. I saw Jimmie Johnson on pit road and we exchanged hellos, and I also got to "eavesdrop" on chitchat between Jeff and Brooke Gordon and some other dignitaries on pit road before the race. Of course I had no idea what transpired that day between Jeff and Jimmie that launched him into a career with HMS until much later. Fast forward to 2002, Jimmie's rookie Cup season. I was doing the ARCA thing and got to hang out outside the #48 garage stall during practice, once again at Michigan. I also got to meet Chad Knaus that weekend, who was sitting on the pit wall watching us push the "original" #48 car down pit road to get to the gas pumps in the Cup garage. fast forward some more, and I was in the stands for all four of his Brickyard 400 victories, saw every one of his 79 other wins and 7 championships on television, and today saw it all come to a happy, a sad and a bittersweet end after 22 years. Jimmie, thanks for the thrills, thanks for the great moments, and thanks for being a class act that I could be proud to be a fan of from the very start to the very end.
Good luck to him going forward. It'll be interesting (to say the least) to see what he can do in an Indy car but I don't think he'll stink up the shows like he did so often in Cup.
But just a few more. I have this sneaking feeling just a hunch an uneducated hunch but a hunch after this Indy Car excursion and Sports Car dalliance we MIGHT see him back running full time in Cup, making a last go of it for that 8th championship or a few more wins. Also the fans would get to see him one more time and he seems like a decent enough dude as to where he’d want his 48 fans to see him one last time in a normal setting. Mark Martin was a health freak much like Jimmie and almost beat Jimmie when Mark was in his 50’s. Plus I think the new car coming out if it drives good...might tempt him. There’s precedence for this. Might be in denial but I see Jimmie back in 2-3 years time, not for long but long enough to maybe tie up some loose ends. In closing, it was fun cheering against and finally for the man. He was a class act to the end.
jalopnik.com
