You don’t have to be a basketball fan to know that Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships. Even those who never watch football remember Tom Brady and his New England Patriots winning three Super Bowls in four years. It takes a lot to win a championship in professional sports. It takes even more to stay at the top of the game for consecutive years.
So, it is a little bit troubling that Jimmie Johnson has gotten so little recognition outside of NASCAR circles. He has accomplished a feat never before seen in NASCAR and virtually unheard of in any professional sport. He has won the championship not twice in a row, not three times, but four consecutive years.
His achievement is so significant that the Associated Press named Johnson the Male Athlete of the Year. That’s not the ”Car Driver of the Year” or the “Auto-Racing Athlete of the Year”. He was compared to the likes of Tiger Woods (who despite his recent personal troubles, had a banner year on the course), Usain Bolt (the fastest man alive – by a lot), and Roger Federer (he owns the Association of Tennis Professionals record book).
Johnson’s career success rivals any of them. His personality hasn’t won him a lot of rabid fans, but his skills on the track should. Winning four consecutive NASCAR championships is something that has never been done before. No NASCAR driver has ever won the AP Male Athlete of the Year award.
There is some debate over whether drivers belong in the same category as other athletes, such as football, baseball, or basketball players whose athleticism is more openly on display. But those who know recognize the physical and mental stamina required to pilot a vehicle at over 200 mph around a crowded track.
This award is an overdue recognition not just for Johnson but for all NASCAR athletes.
