In an era of the 24-7 news media beast with camera cell phones the main tool of the trade and the sensational rumors the attention grabber of the day it’s hard to truly impress in the world of sports anymore but Jimmie Johnson, inching closer to his 5th straight final Sprint Cup betting title has managed to do just that.
It’s unfortunate that more of the world hasn’t taken notice of what Johnson is on the verge of accomplishing but it is unprecedented and truly astounding. The closest thing that sports fans have seen in recent years to the way he’s dominated the final Sprint Cup odds Chase this year and in the sport in general, is Michael Jordan’s reign atop the basketball world, Tiger Woods domination of golf or Roger Federer’s unbeatable run in pro tennis.
But what Johnson is doing is arguably even more impressive as it’s something that no one in the history of NASCAR has ever done before. And if he does go on to clinch his 5th straight final Sprint Car betting title it would be hard not claim that he just might be the greatest driver in NASCAR history.
Sure, you’ll get plenty of argument from long time final Sprint Cup odds fans and experts, as there should be, but Johnson has put together the most remarkable streak of success in the sports history and deserves to be included in the discussion with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the sports all time greats.
The fact that no person before Johnson had ever won more than 3 straight final Sprint Cup betting titles says quite a lot. But that Johnson went out and grabbed his fourth straight last year and now is in prime position to grab his fifth straight speaks to how truly great his achievements are.
Right now, Johnson sits atop the Sprint Cup point standings with 5,673. He’s just 36 points ahead of Denny Hamlin and just 54 points ahead of Kevin Harvick and 85 points ahead of teammate and 3-time NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon. All three are in prime position to overtake Johnson.
With just 6 races left in the Chase anything can happen, but the smart money is on Johnson grabbing his 5th straight NASCAR driving title.