Jimmie Johnson doesn’t think SI cover jinx bit him in Charlotte

Last week, Jimmie Johnson was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. At the time, we asked if Johnson would fall victim to the fabled "SI cover jinx," where players featured on the cover immediately suffer some form of career setback. (Here's a complete list.)

When the cover hit, Johnson was coming off a win at Kansas and appeared poised for a run at title No. 6.

Then came the cover, and shortly afterward came the wall. Johnson wrecked at Charlotte and plummeted in the standings, severely damaging his chances for a Cup run.

Coincidence? I think not!

Anyway, on Friday Johnson scoffed at the idea of a jinx. "Because I was on the cover of that magazine it didn't make me crash," he said. "I was in a situation racing hard for a position and had one car close behind me and one tight on my outside turn the car around. So the magazine didn't create the aerodynamics situation that took place when I crashed ... I was in the car, so I'm responsible for what took place on Saturday night, not a magazine cover."

Jimmie, Jimmie, Jimmie. You know better than to scoff at the SI jinx. Just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean it doesn't believe in you.