Jimmie Johnson 3Peat – Is it Sprint Cup History in the Making?

Driver — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:14:17 +0000

By: Keith Bloemendaal

For some reason, I had been thinking this was going to be Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards year to win the Cup. It is easy to wrapped up in what is happening now, and forget about the other 12 drivers in the Chase for the Cup. How can we rule out Jimmie Johnson?

Johnson repeated his championship run last year, putting his name up there with a handful of GREAT drivers including Dale Earnhardt Sr, David Pearson, Richard Petty, and Jeff Gordon just to name a few who repeated championship seasons.

This alone is an accomplishment which makes him a driver to be remembered in NASCAR history. Repeating a Sprint Cup Championship is no easy feat, especially in this era of racing, when the competition has never been more intense. NASCAR drivers are getting younger, faster and more clever. Some people think once a driver reaches 30 he has past his prime.

Sprint Cup drivers like Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne are emerging at very young ages while just next season 18 year old Joey Legano will drive the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing.

So, if Jimmie Johnson were to 3peat his name would only be mentioned with one other driver, Cale Yarborough. Can he do it? We will find out over the next 11 races, but I can guarantee you Johnson thinks he can, I think he can, thousands of other fans think he can, even a handful of so called NASCAR experts think he can. But, that doesn't mean it will happen.

Just in case you forgot, Johnson was 6th in points after the California race last year. It was his unbelievable 4 wins in a row out of the last 5 races in the Chase that earned him his championship last year. He won at Martinsville, then Atlanta, then Texas, then Phoenix and finished 7th at Miami-Homestead to beat Jeff Gordon by 77 points. Yes, 4 races in a row! If Jimmie Johnson can come on that strong for the finish this year, he WILL 3peat!

What do you think, can anyone beat Kyle Busch, or Carl Edwards? Can Jimmie Johnson 3peat? What about one of the other 9 drivers that will be in the chase? Leave a comment to let us know your opinion.