Jimmie Johnson's Greatest Rival?

Jimmie Johnson's Greatest Rival

  • Jeff Gordon

    Votes: 8 42.1%

  • Kurt Busch

    Votes: 2 10.5%

  • Kyle Busch

    Votes: 4 21.1%

  • Other (Please Specify)

    Votes: 5 26.3%
  • Total voters
    19
WhiningSmoke

WhiningSmoke

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ck-of-rival-hurts-his-place-in-nascar-history

This article talks about how Jimmie Johnson having no rival hurts his legacy. He's had a different challenger every year for the championship. He's also had run-ins with a few drivers, but very few lasting rivalries.


Jeff Gordon

The article states that Jeff Gordon was the closest thing to a rival that Jimmie Johnson has ever had. In 2004 and 2007, Johnson and Gordon fought for the championship. Despite Gordon outscoring Johnson by 353 points over the duration of the season, Johnson took home the championship due to the Chase. This more than likely started tension between the two teammates. They had a short feud in 2010 as well.



Also, they had a great battle at the end of the Atlanta 2011 race.



Gordon brought Johnson into the Cup series in 2001, with JJ going full-time in 2002. This was at a time when Jeff Gordon was dominant. It wasn't long before Jimmie Johnson took Gordon's spot as the top guy in the sport.


Kurt Busch

Nobody in Nascar has ever gotten in Jimmie Johnson's head quite like Kurt Busch. Busch defeated Johnson to win his first, and to this day, his only Sprint Cup Championship in the Inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2004. The two began a rivalry in 2009, and it was escalated to the feud of the year in 2011.




They supposedly ended the feud after the Richmond race, but you have to know that the feelings are still there.


Kyle Busch

Let's face it, Kyle Busch plain doesn't like Jimmie Johnson.



The two used to be teammates from 2004-07. The two really haven't had a feud or a run-in or anything, but they're probably the two best drivers in Nascar, and it's only a matter of time before they face off.




So, I ask, who's Jimmie Johnson's greatest rival?
 
I'd say Gordon and only Gordon.

In fact, he is still his top rival to this day.

You used to hear Jimmie saying how he always wanted to beat Gordon here and there. I think that feeling its still there. Until he overtakes Gordon in wins he'll look at Gordon as the measuring stick.

Fact is, Jimmie has no one else to aim other then Gordon at the moment.
 
Hard to answer that one.. There are so many drivers that have more talent than Jimmi but Chad unloads a hot rod every week for him. All he has to do is keep it up front and not choke on the restarts. With today's technology, teams are a lot more dependent on there set ups, pit stops, strategies more so than driving ability. I think that's why NASCAR ratings keep sinking, not many real rivalries anymore
 
Tough call, Gorden was his rival but I don't see Gordon as competitive as he used to be, Gordon is still competitive but a notch below Johnson. Kyle might become a rival if he starts to win more races than Johnson. I don't think Johnson has a current rival; on any given weekend its the drivers ahead of him.
 
Zerkfitting said:
Tough call, Gorden was his rival but I don't see Gordon as competitive as he used to be, Gordon is still competitive but a notch below Johnson. Kyle might become a rival if he starts to win more races than Johnson. I don't think Johnson has a current rival; on any given weekend its the drivers ahead of him.
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zerk----not a kyle fan....but he's got momentum...goin into chase.....an once they reset...4 vs 3 ain't gonna be that much. course that can change next 4 races. we'll see.
i wanna see somebody challenge jj.......maybe i'll count on jj bad luck ! ha!
 
Jeff Gordon is the only one I'd consider to be a "rival," if you even want to call it that. It's hard to have a rivalry with your car owner, though. Jimmie just doesn't seem like a guy who gets too concerned with other drivers. He knows what he has to do, and makes an effort to avoid conflict. He's well respected by the majority of the field, and that is always a good thing.

The championship faceoff between Brad and Jimmie was rather epic last year - straight out of the WWE playbooks. Brad playing the arrogant, hot-tempered, young gun going up against the seasoned veteran. Brad and Jimmie would make a good rivalry, but I still believe that Brad's run at the championship last year was a product of a lot of luck and good gas mileage. We'll have to see how it shakes out this year.
 
I'm surprised Kurt hasn't gotten any votes. He's been Johnson's only major feud since he got into Nascar.
 
DSquad48 said:
Jeff Gordon is the only one I'd consider to be a "rival," if you even want to call it that. It's hard to have a rivalry with your car owner, though. Jimmie just doesn't seem like a guy who gets too concerned with other drivers. He knows what he has to do, and makes an effort to avoid conflict. He's well respected by the majority of the field, and that is always a good thing.

The championship faceoff between Brad and Jimmie was rather epic last year - straight out of the WWE playbooks. Brad playing the arrogant, hot-tempered, young gun going up against the seasoned veteran. Brad and Jimmie would make a good rivalry, but I still believe that Brad's run at the championship last year was a product of a lot of luck and good gas mileage. We'll have to see how it shakes out this year.
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dsquad-----looks like hitchens in ya avater ? he-n-jj don't seem like a likely pair ?
 
WhiningSmoke said:
I'm surprised Kurt hasn't gotten any votes. He's been Johnson's only major feud since he got into Nascar.
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me an tv folks are hopin/ wishin. anybody but jj in uncontested title run.
kurt-n-jj down ta homestead would be great.
 
WhiningSmoke said:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ck-of-rival-hurts-his-place-in-nascar-history

This article talks about how Jimmie Johnson having no rival hurts his legacy. He's had a different challenger every year for the championship. He's also had run-ins with a few drivers, but very few lasting rivalries.


Jeff Gordon No.... Himself!

The article states that Jeff Gordon was the closest thing to a rival that Jimmie Johnson has ever had. In 2004 and 2007, Johnson and Gordon fought for the championship. Despite Gordon outscoring Johnson by 353 points over the duration of the season, Johnson took home the championship due to the Chase. This more than likely started tension between the two teammates. They had a short feud in 2010 as well.



Also, they had a great battle at the end of the Atlanta 2011 race.



Gordon brought Johnson into the Cup series in 2001, with JJ going full-time in 2002. This was at a time when Jeff Gordon was dominant. It wasn't long before Jimmie Johnson took Gordon's spot as the top guy in the sport.


Kurt Busch

Nobody in Nascar has ever gotten in Jimmie Johnson's head quite like Kurt Busch. Busch defeated Johnson to win his first, and to this day, his only Sprint Cup Championship in the Inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2004. The two began a rivalry in 2009, and it was escalated to the feud of the year in 2011.




They supposedly ended the feud after the Richmond race, but you have to know that the feelings are still there.


Kyle Busch

Let's face it, Kyle Busch plain doesn't like Jimmie Johnson.



The two used to be teammates from 2004-07. The two really haven't had a feud or a run-in or anything, but they're probably the two best drivers in Nascar, and it's only a matter of time before they face off.




So, I ask, who's Jimmie Johnson's greatest rival?
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Right now, his biggest rival is himself & his team. When he's out on that track, he's in a league of his own pretty much every Sunday. Seems the only reason he doesn't win every week is because of a mistake either by him or his team like at Indy but hey, nobody's perfect. Not even 5-Time...
 
hawg dawg said:
dsquad-----looks like hitchens in ya avater ? he-n-jj don't seem like a likely pair ?
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Indeed, on both counts! But I've been a fan of Hitch's writings since I discovered him back in high school, plus I think the picture looks cool hahah
 
DSquad48 said:
Indeed, on both counts! But I've been a fan of Hitch's writings since I discovered him back in high school, plus I think the picture looks cool hahah
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glad ta see he still has admirers .....post mortem........ya should post sum a' hitch's stuff on tha podium .
i'm sure ya'd have plenty a' retort ! ha!
 
I dont get why people keep bringing up the Busch bros.

Kurt never got into Jimmie's head and Kyle Busch really missed the oportunity to establish himself back in 2008 when he went on that crazy run.

Kyle has considerably slowed down on his winning ways. At least at Cup level. He's only getting 2-3 wins per season now and I think you need alot more wins to compete with the man.

He also has a history of coming apart during the chase.
 
WhiningSmoke said:
I'm surprised Kurt hasn't gotten any votes. He's been Johnson's only major feud since he got into Nascar.
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Given Chad and the same equipment, Kurt would drive circles around Jimmi but he's doing wonders with the low budget 78.. If You put JJ in the 78 I'm not even sure he would match Regan Smiths performance
 
Sidewayz said:
Given Chad and the same equipment, Kurt would drive circles around Jimmi but he's doing wonders with the low budget 78.. If You put JJ in the 78 I'm not even sure he would match Regan Smiths performance
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You don't get it. Chad and Jimmie are successful because Jimmie DOESN'T drive like Kurt. It's the calm calculated approach that's working for them AND what the non-48 fans hate about the team.
 
I don't think it ever sat well with Gordon that he had a big part in bringing JJ in to the sport, then had to watch himself be supplanted by JJ as the dominant driver in Cup. The rivalry seemed to intensify after Johnson won his 4th title, matching Gordon's Cup count. #5 really had to sting.
 
I think it will once again be Brad K. once they get these fords figured out. If Khane could ever get his luck to change I think those teammates could become rivals. But as Petty once said, I'd rather be lucky than good.
 
I think people don't make JJ out to be the driver he is. Everyone compliments Chad for the success but not the driver's skills. Johnson runs a super loose car every race, that's how he likes it. Loose is fast. I bet half the guys couldn't even drive the #48 car with Jimmie's setup. I'd bet Edwards, the Busch bros, and Stewart are the only ones who could wheel his car around for 350 laps. Lord knows Gordon can't. He likes his car more on the tight side.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
I think people don't make JJ out to be the driver he is. Everyone compliments Chad for the success but not the driver's skills. Johnson runs a super loose car every race, that's how he likes it. Loose is fast. I bet half the guys couldn't even drive the #48 car with Jimmie's setup. I'd bet Edwards, the Busch bros, and Stewart are the only ones who could wheel his car around for 350 laps. Lord knows Gordon can't. He likes his car more on the tight side.
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Didn't work out so well today :( hahaha
 
Sidewayz said:
Given Chad and the same equipment, Kurt would drive circles around Jimmi but he's doing wonders with the low budget 78.. If You put JJ in the 78 I'm not even sure he would match Regan Smiths performance
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Kurt would definitely not work well with Chad. Chad likes to lead the team - whatever he says, Jimmie does. Jimmie gives helpful feedback throughout the race, and Chad understands what Jimmie means by what he says and can help to make his car better. Kurt, on the other hand, likes to constantly scream and yell, which would obviously clash with Chad's style. Jimmie and Chad have 10+ years of chemistry - obviously if you pick up Chad and give him to another team, it wont work out as well.

Of course the chemistry between Chad and Jimmie have a lot to do with both of their success, but I honestly don't think Jimmie will be driving around 20th every race once Chad leaves. It's hard to back up these hypothetical claims about how everybody would be "running circles" around everybody else given the right equipment. Kurt's good, but he was in top-notch Penske equipment a few years ago and he wasn't running circles around much of anything.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
I think people don't make JJ out to be the driver he is. Everyone compliments Chad for the success but not the driver's skills. Johnson runs a super loose car every race, that's how he likes it. Loose is fast. I bet half the guys couldn't even drive the #48 car with Jimmie's setup. I'd bet Edwards, the Busch bros, and Stewart are the only ones who could wheel his car around for 350 laps. Lord knows Gordon can't. He likes his car more on the tight side.
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Haven't you been watching?

Gordon is one of the few drivers who can drive a loose car and you would barely notice is loose.
 
JJ dominance and knack for avoiding long term rivalries is part of the evolution.
More corporate, more reserved, more vanilla.
The slang of claiming someone got into somebody's head is often a misnomer in JJs case.
He isnt caught up in personal battles, it is all buisness all about winning, he doesnt care about who is chasing him.

Oh, I am sure there are times when he is angry with others, but he doesnt let that define him. The biggest hiccup I can think of his recent blown re-starts, but he will have that worked out prior to the chase.
 
reck said:
Gordon is one of the few drivers who can drive a loose car and you would barely notice is loose.
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Yeah, but he is driving the loose care between 15th and 20th. Jimmie will take a car that is on the verge of spinning out every corner and take it to victory lane. Anytime you hear of Gordon complaining of a "too loose" of a race car he is no where in contention for a win.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Yeah, but he is driving the loose care between 15th and 20th. Jimmie will take a car that is on the verge of spinning out every corner and take it to victory lane. Anytime you hear of Gordon complaining of a "too loose" of a race car he is no where in contention for a win.
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Hardly. Gordon has driven plenty of cars to victory lane and often nursed to top tens and whatnot. Have you got raceday scanner?

Take 2011 for instance. His wins at Phoenix and Atlanta were epic and he was very loose in both.

When you have a fast car, often fastest car out in the track, of course you're going to drive it to the front whether its loose or not.

Unlike many haters here I actually think Johnson can wheel a car regardless or fast car and best crew cheif or not.

You're not giving Gordon his due.
 
Jeff Gordon is near the end of his raceing. jimmy johnson will have cup#6at end of season:)
 
Not too many tracks to build a rivalry. Can't hardly carry over anything from a short track because they don't have any..
 
I don't think anyone has gotten JJ's goat like Kurt did a couple years ago, however he hasn't really been a threat to win the title so I can't say it's a true rivalry. I think JJ legitimately hates Kurt and he probably laughed at seeing how his career went into a tailspin. If Kurt can keep climbing back into relevancy and start winning races again I could see that rivalry heat back up.
 
3wideinturn1 said:
I don't think anyone has gotten JJ's goat like Kurt did a couple years ago, however he hasn't really been a threat to win the title so I can't say it's a true rivalry. I think JJ legitimately hates Kurt and he probably laughed at seeing how his career went into a tailspin. If Kurt can keep climbing back into relevancy and start winning races again I could see that rivalry heat back up.
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I think Kurt just hates the Hendrick Organization and they hate him back is all. :D
 
Greg said:
JJ dominance and knack for avoiding long term rivalries is part of the evolution.
More corporate, more reserved, more vanilla.
The slang of claiming someone got into somebody's head is often a misnomer in JJs case.
He isnt caught up in personal battles, it is all business all about winning, he doesn't care about who is chasing him.
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What he said.
 
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