Top 20 countdown: No. 1 Jimmie Johnson
By Jay Hart, Yahoo! Sports Feb 6, 8:05 am EST
| Finish | Poles | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 22 |
No. 20: Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19: Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 18: Kurt Busch
No. 17: Kasey Kahne
No. 16: Brian Vickers
No. 15: Tony Stewart
No. 14: Jamie McMurray
No. 13: Clint Bowyer
No. 12: David Ragan
No. 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 10: Denny Hamlin
No. 9: Matt Kenseth
No. 8: Jeff Burton
No. 7: Greg Biffle
No. 6: Mark Martin
No. 5: Jeff Gordon
No. 4: Kevin Harvick
No. 3: Carl Edwards
No. 2: Kyle Busch
No. 1: Jimmie Johnson
Editor’s note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the Top 20 drivers going into the 2009 season. The order was determined by a survey, which asked six NASCAR journalists – Ricky Craven, Jay Busbee and Jay Hart (Yahoo! Sports); Jenna Fryer (Associated Press); David Poole (Charlotte Observer); and Nate Ryan (USA Today) – to predict the final standings for the 2009 season.
2008 finish: 1st
2009 outlook: The fact that he’s the three-time defending champion isn’t what makes Jimmie Johnson the easy pick to win the 2009 Sprint Cup title. No, it’s how he goes about his business.
Johnson is a pro’s pro. He takes a professional approach to every aspect of his job, be it as a pitchman, in an interview or, most importantly, on the track.
For this he’s been criticized as being “too polished,” but if winning is the goal – and it is – it’s ridiculous to knock Johnson’s approach. Quite simply, it works, and he has three trophies to prove it.
As he makes a run at a fourth straight title, Johnson will not succumb to pressure. Not now, because the pressure of winning No. 4 is no greater than the pressure he faced prior to winning No. 1.
That was a real burden, starting the 2006 season on the heels of three straight close calls only to fall just short each time. The fear of never winning a title could have crept into his head, derailing a career before it ever got going. But Johnson persevered, shook off what might have been and went out and showed people he could win one.
We’re all believers now – at this point, you have to be, don’t you? – and until someone proves he has a better formula in the Chase format than Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus, there’s no picking against the 48.
What you need to know: When Johnson got off to a slow start last year, there was a rush to judgment that he’d lost that winning feeling. Don’t fall into that same trap this season. Johnson and crew don’t worry about the first 26 races of the season; they make sure they’re ready for the last 10, when it matters most. In the last three Chases, Johnson’s average finish is 5.7, 5.0 and 10.8.
