Johnson might lap legends of NASCAR
He has a chance to become the first eight-time season champion, with an outside shot at 100 victories.
Jimmie Johnson is brandbuilding.
Mr. Six-Time pulled off a stunning surprise in Homestead, Fla., last season when he became Mr. Seven-Time.
And now he’s making the historic run to becoming Mr. EightTime season champion look easypeasy.
His win at Bristol on Monday afternoon after a rain postponement Sunday is his second in as many races, and a firm and dominant affirmation that despite the success of some young guns like Kyle Larson, the defending NASCAR Cup season champion is the man to beat in 2017.
“I know we won here one other time, but I think from a consistency standpoint and competitive standpoint, this is the best we’ve ever been,” he told reporters after the race.
Johnson got so excited after the race that he went a little pottymouth on his headset while communicating with crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the gang.
It was great raw emotion and another pushback to the diminishing number of fans who have a hard time getting behind Johnson because he just isn’t cool enough for NASCAR’s old-school ways.
“My wife won’t let my children listen to me either on the radio,” Johnson said before elaborating.
“There’s that element, and then the second piece, which led to probably some of the profanity, was this place, you know, personally, to win here and to run that competitive all day means a lot to me. I’ve loved this racetrack from afar, made my first laps here in 2000 in a Busch car, and was like: Where am I? What’s going on? How do I get around this racetrack? And it’s been a journey since 2000 until now.”
Johnson had not won at Bristol since 2007, and he now has 82 career victories. That’s just one away from tying Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time wins list.
The 82 victories is worth noting as he inches closer to 100. Richard Petty sent the record into high altitude years ago with 200 victories. No one will ever catch him. David Pearson had 105.
Nobody else has 100. Can Johnson join that elite crew?
“From watching [Jeff] Gordon, what’s he got? 93? 95? A whole bunch,” Johnson said. “He had a 13-win season one year. It just seems too far out there that I don’t think that the 100 is achievable. I hope I’m wrong. I really do. I would love to clearly do that. But again, I’ve always felt that that’s just such a big number and — with as competitive as our sport is, the new twist with stage racing and what it’s done to our series — that’s going to be a hard number to get to.” Perhaps not, suggested Knaus. ”Honestly, from what I’ve seen out of this team and what I’ve seen out of the ability of Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie, I don’t think there’s really too much that can’t be reached,” he said.
Of course, the most significant number is eight.
That would bump Johnson past Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for most Cup season titles in a career.
I have a feeling Mr. Johnson isn’t done yet.