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Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
REPORT: Roger Penske Meets With Brad Kesolowski Today
Carl Long Owes NASCAR $200,000 For 0.17 Cubic Inches
Obama Camp Nixes NASCAR Sponsorship Rumors
Barack Obama To Sponsor NASCAR Sprint Cup Car In Florida, Other Cars To Turn Right In Protest
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Flathead Smith
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
Probably not the greatest driver, just the greatest at getting the most points to win.
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chino52405001
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
So am I to believe that all of the NASCAR neigh sayers here would turn down an opportunity to be a NASCAR driver since going in circles (at insane speeds flirting with grip thresholds) is so boring? I prefer most other forms of racing, but you give me 4 wheels, an engine, a starting line and a checkered flag...I'm in.
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oddseth
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
I am just waiting for the season to be over so that the Speed Channel will show something besides NASCAR. I wish they would just make Speed into a NASCAR Channel and then make a new channel that features real racing and cool auto enthusiast shows. Right now, HD theater has a better automotive enthusiast lineup than Speed.
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lilwillie
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
I don't look at it as the best driver ever. Not with the new points system and "playoff" setup.

Still a great wheelman.
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TR3-A
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
Mark Martin is. He may just come in second in the championship race for the fifth time. NO ONE will ever beat that.
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GreenN_Gold
11/23/09

@TR3-A: Nobody will ever retire as many times as Mark Martin either.
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Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe)
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
If you had a good program with the right kind of financing back in the day, it was easier to finish in the top 5. So your percentage analysis above leaves a little gap in information, there. Those were the days when the winner would often have multiple laps over second and third place in a particular race. So if you could finish within 5 laps of the winner you might have still been in the top 5.

Now, if JJ had a flat tire during green flag racing he could have finished in 35th, two laps down, and lost the championship.

Having said that, I still think the three drivers you mentioned - or at least the ones whose names end in 'ale - are probably better drivers than JJ. They never had near the budget or resources made available to them that the Hendrick organization has. After all, Hendrick ended up scoring the 1, 2, 3 finish for the season championship. Most of these guys raced in stand-alone teams. And some of them with regional sponsors, at best.
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Uncle Bo promoted this comment

Uncle Bo
11/23/09

@Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe):

You made fast laps at the beginning, then stuffed yourself into the turn 2 fence at the end.

In the 1970s and 1980s, a large percentage of Cup teams did not run a full schedule. There was more emphasis on winning races and less on winning championships. If you were reasonably well funded throughout the racing year, and could win enough prize money, you could be a contender for the championship. Today, the focus is opposite of this. It's all about gaining points, making the Chase, and contending for the championship.

Cale ran for Junior Johnson in the 1970s. Junior was the Rick Hendrick of his day in terms of technical innovation, race strategy, and financial prowess. Johnson's only real competition came from Petty Enterprises, so all Cale had to do was beat one equally skilled and funded driver every week. You cannot compare 1977 dollars and technology to 2009 dollars and technology, its not fair to either side and diminishes the accomplishments of everyone involved.
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Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe)
11/23/09

@Uncle Bo: I understand what you're saying, but I respectfully disagree. Between 1971 and 1980, Petty had 5 championships for his own team, Cale had 3 championships for Junior Johnson, Benny Parsons won one for DeWitt and Earnhardt won one with Osterlund.

From 1981 - 1990, DW won 3 championships with Junior Johnson while Earnhardt won 3 championships with Childress, at the same time 4 other drivers won 1 championship each with 4 different teams.

From 1991 - 2000, Earnhardt pulled off 3 with Childress, while Hendrick drivers took home 4 championships (Gordon - 3, Labonte - 1), and then there was 1 apiece for Kulwicki, Yates (Dale Jarrett) and Gibbs (Bobby Labonte).

Finally, from 2001 - 2009, there has been 2 Stewart championships with Gibbs, 2 championships with Roush (Kenseth and Busch) and 5 with Hendrick (1 for Gordon and 4 for JJ.)

Break that down and you'll see 4 championship-winning owners in the 70's, 6 championship-winning owners in the 80's, 5 championship-winning owners in the 90's and 3 championship-winning owners in the most recent 9 years. (There were 7 championship-winning owners in the 60s and 6 of them in the 50's,)

The stop watches tick ever closer, but the true story about 'parity' is that the number of teams with a legitimate chance to win a race - through something other than fuel mileage strategy or attrition (see: Daytona, Talladega) - has grown smaller and smaller.

FYI - it wasn't until 1984 that Junior Johnson ran multiple teams - for Neil Bonnett and Darrell Waltrip. Cale won his championships from '76 - '78, without the kind of size and scale that Junior Johnson's organization reached in the 80's.

#tips
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Alfisted
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
Do accomplish that 4 years in a row. Wow. He must drive circles around the competition.
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bmoreDLJ
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
If he makes out with his trophies, won't his kollection of Kobalt Tools get jealous?
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mr_dude
11/23/09

@bmoreDLJ: Don't worry, they're very tough.
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machaus
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
The old timers never had this much competitive parity. I'd say that Jimmy has the best TEAM that has ever raced in NASCAR, but surely the best driver in NASCAR would have won at Infineon or Watkins Glen by now.
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skaycog
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
I like NASCAR, and I congratulate Jimmie Johnson!

I don't think he's the greatest driver ever, but he's definitely in the top 10. I do think he is the handsomest and has the cutest butt.
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Wunno Sev
11/23/09

@skaycog was here: What about J-Go?
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skaycog
11/23/09

@Wunno Sev:
Great driver? Yes
Handsome? No
Cute butt? No
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PowerTryp is holding a Fiesta party.
11/23/09

@skaycog was here: I thought you would've perferred Carl Edwards taut muscular number.
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Wunno Sev
11/23/09

@skaycog was here: To be perfectly honest with you, I don't even remember what he looks like. I just wanted to say J-Go.

#tips
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skaycog
11/23/09

@PowerTryp, Starless wonder.: Carl Edwards is my absolute, without a doubt, favorite driver, followed by Matt Kenseth and the other Roushketeers. But! As far as handsome goes, JJ is easiest on the eyes.
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mr_dude
11/23/09

@skaycog was here: I wish Paris Hilton drove nascar.
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skaycog
11/23/09

@mr_dude: What a horrifying thought! *shudder*
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PowerTryp is holding a Fiesta party.
11/23/09

@mr_dude: She'd never be able to be strapped in cause you'd get the belts tight and she'd still fall out.

@skaycog: Now I know.
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mr_dude promoted this comment

mr_dude
11/23/09

@PowerTryp, Starless wonder.: And exiting vehicles is one of her many claims to fame.

#tips
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PowerTryp is holding a Fiesta party.
11/23/09

@mr_dude: Do they make crotchless fire suits?
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Ash78, cube farmer
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
A lot of people mention Dick Trickle as having the greatest name in NASCAR history--and it's a fine one--but I still submit that having a penile euphemism for both your first AND your last name is pretty much the ultimate.
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Ash78, cube farmer was starred

oddfish
11/23/09

@Brimful of Ash on the 78: Woody Wood Pecker agrees
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Ash78, cube farmer
11/23/09

@oddfish: He's an instigator!

(not to be confused with Intimidator)
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Ash78, cube farmer
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
Yeah, but how much hooch did he spill in the process?
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Ash78, cube farmer was starred

that ain't the way to have fun, son
11/23/09

In reply to Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Championship
Whatever.

He's doing a crap job coaching the Dallas Cowboys....

/shows how much I care about each activity
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
08/18/09

In reply to REPORT: Roger Penske Meets With Brad Kesolowski Today
I thought you touted this guy as a Jalopnick project. Shouldn't you be the ones with the inside scoop? I hope the kid's talented and can do well for himself. But that's not enough to make me care about NASCAR.
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HoonThatFerrari
08/17/09

In reply to REPORT: Roger Penske Meets With Brad Kesolowski Today
Or he could've simply just been offered a job as the test driver for Penske's new Saturn brand.
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vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in promoted this comment HoonThatFerrari was starred HoonThatFerrari was unstarred

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