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Jimmie Johnson will officially pick up his fourth straight NASCAR Cup title when the Sprint Cup series comes to a close at Homestead Sunday.
Winning consecutive championships is hard enough, but winning four in a row is an amazing feat.
So why isn’t anyone making a fuss over Johnson’s reign?
NASCAR, despite breaking into the mainstream in the past 15 years, is still considered a secondary sport when compared to football, baseball and basketball – especially with sports bettors. But we haven’t seen anything close to Johnson’s consistent excellence in any of those sports.
The only other active athletes that compare to the No. 48 in terms of winning in their respective sports are names like Tigers Woods, Roger Federer and Michael Phelps – household names that will go down in history among the greatest athletes ever.
A lot of people discount Johnson – and all motor sports - because they think the car does all the work. Those doubters have never been to a NASCAR race or held onto the steering wheel of a vehicle going upwards of 200 miles per hour.
As the New Year gets closer and we wave goodbye to the aughts, there will be plenty of Top 10 lists for the decade being compiled. And if Johnson's name isn’t among the Top 5 Best Athletes of the Last 10 Years, it’s a crime.
Winning consecutive championships is hard enough, but winning four in a row is an amazing feat.
So why isn’t anyone making a fuss over Johnson’s reign?
NASCAR, despite breaking into the mainstream in the past 15 years, is still considered a secondary sport when compared to football, baseball and basketball – especially with sports bettors. But we haven’t seen anything close to Johnson’s consistent excellence in any of those sports.
The only other active athletes that compare to the No. 48 in terms of winning in their respective sports are names like Tigers Woods, Roger Federer and Michael Phelps – household names that will go down in history among the greatest athletes ever.
A lot of people discount Johnson – and all motor sports - because they think the car does all the work. Those doubters have never been to a NASCAR race or held onto the steering wheel of a vehicle going upwards of 200 miles per hour.
As the New Year gets closer and we wave goodbye to the aughts, there will be plenty of Top 10 lists for the decade being compiled. And if Johnson's name isn’t among the Top 5 Best Athletes of the Last 10 Years, it’s a crime.
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