As Jimmie Johnson closes in on his third consecutive SprintCup championship, it is time for all fans, and that includes haters of the 48,to concede that we are smack dab in the middle of the Jimmie Johnson era. 

 

Some fans will argue that Johnson's success is due tosuperlative equipment supplied by Hendrick Motorsports.  However, he consistently outperforms all ofhis teammates, including the four-time champion and future Hall of Famer JeffGordon.  Others will bemoan hisachievements due to his personality, or lack thereof.  To the majority of fans, especiallytraditional fans, he is considered vanilla, or bland. 

 

However, you cannot argue with success.  Johnson entered highest level of competition in2002 as Jeff Gordon's prot'g?.  Prior tohis rookie campaign, he was an also-ran journeyman in the Nationwide (Busch)Series.  Gordon, Rick Hendrick, and thepowers that be at Lowe's Improvement believed in the 26-year-old aspiringNASCAR star. 

 

His rookie season was a pleasant surprise, as he won threeraces and finished fifth in the final championship standings.  He failed to win the Rookie of the Yearhonors, as that accolade went to Johnson's rookie counterpart, RyanNewman.  In 2003, Newman again outshinedJohnson, as Newman won eight races compared to Johnson's three.  Newman won multiple Driver of the Yearawards.  Johnson finished second in theSprint Cup standings to Matt Kenseth, however. 

 

In 2004, Johnson won eight races, and finished eight pointsbehind the eventual champion Kurt Busch. Johnson was emerging as one of elite drivers.  He failed to capture thechampionship again in 2005, as it was Tony Stewart's year to shine.  In 2006, Johnson and the 48 crew finallyearned the opportunity to sit at the head table, as they were crownedchampions.  Johnson won five races andedged out Matt Kenseth by 56 points for the ultimate prize. 

 

In 2007, Johnson won four of the final ten races, allconsecutively, and handily beat Jeff Gordon for the championship by 77points.  He won ten races total, thefirst time anybody had reached double digits since Gordon in 1998.  He was the unambiguous favorite to win theSprint Cup title as the 2008 season commenced.

 

After the season began, Johnson seemed to struggle at times,especially the intermediate tracks such as Las Vegasand Atlanta.  Meanwhile, young hotshots, Kyle Busch andCarl Edwards dominated the first twenty-six races, as they combined for 14wins.  While Johnson was running well, hewas an afterthought.  That all changedonce the Chase for the Championship began. Johnson pieced together a remarkable run of consistency, with his worstfinish being 15^th at Texas.  He won races at Kansas,Martinsville, and Phoenix,and owns nearly an insurmountable lead of 141 points over Edwards heading intothe season finale at Homestead.  In fact, a 36^th place finish wouldbe the clincher. 

 

For fans of Johnson, as well as fans who appreciategreatness, this is an exciting time in NASCAR. This is comparable to the New York Yankees in the 1950's, Green BayPackers in the 1960's, or even the Chicago Bulls of the 1990's. However,Johnson has far more detractors than supporters, so his run at history does notmagnetize much fanfare. 

 

Fans, we have read about the Lee Petty era.  Some of us were fortunate enough to witnessthe Richard Petty dominance, and even the Cale Yarborough three-peat.  We are all aware of the Darrell Waltrip andJunior Johnson dynasty in the early 1980's,which was a precursor to thedecade-long Dale Earnhardt ascendancy that included six of his sevenchampionships.Along came Jeff Gordon, a young interloper from California whoseized the torch from the great Earnhardt, and proceeded to score fourchampionships in seven years.  TonyStewart enjoyed some bright spots, with titles in 2002 and 2005, but he is notthe driver people will point to when they discuss the driver of thedecade.  That driver is Jimmie Johnson.

 

Whenthe preview publications arereleased in January of 2009, do not be surprised if Jimmie Johnson is projectedto capture a fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship.