Posted on February 22, 2006

By Jeremy Dunn

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This isn't a 'bash Jimmie Johnson' article by any means.  I think Johnson drove a smart race and once again put himself in position to win the Great American Race.  And I was fine with Johnson's win right up until his post race comments. 

I just have a hard time trying to figure out why Johnson is so concerned about the 'haters' instead of the 'likers'.  Why make yourself even more unlikeable.  It's no secret that Dale Earnhardt was at one time the most hated driver in NASCAR.  As I recall, he never let the criticism get to him.  That's what eventually reduced the number of 'haters'.  The same goes for Johnson's teammate Jeff Gordon.  To this day, Gordon is showered with boos.  And it obviously got to him earlier in his career, but as time has progressed, Gordon no longer seems concerned with the boobirds.  And now, among all of the boos, Gordon hears just as many cheers when his name is introduced.  When Tony Stewart won his first championship in 2002, among all of the negative press he received that year, he didn't dedicate his championship to all of the 'haters'.  When Kurt Busch won the Sharpie 500 in 2003 after his infamous confrontation with Jimmy Spencer a week earlier at Michigan, a record-breaking number of boos were directed towards victory lane.  Did Busch arrogantly dedicate his win to all of the 'haters'? 

The point is that Johnson and his fans should enjoy this victory.  Yes, there will be some who will say that his Daytona 500 win was clouded with controversy, but the bottomline is Johnson is a Daytona 500 champ.  Instead of making yourself susceptible to more criticism, it would have behooved him to thank to his fans and team and focus on them instead of his detractors.  It just made him look like a pompous jerk. 

Ryan Newman's comments

With all due respect to fellow Speedwaymedia writer Brian Batease, I have to disagree with him regarding Ryan Newman's post-race comments.  If you missed it, Newman publicly criticized Johnson and the #48 team and questioned the legality of their win.  Mr. Batease referred to Newman as a sore loser. I would say that Newman was out of line if this was the first or even second time that a team has been busted for bending the rules.  But Newman is stating his observations and concerns.  Give him credit for standing up and saying exactly what was on his mind.  And it is not just Newman who is grumbling about the #48 team's integrity.  Plus, isn't Newman accused of being robotic and emotionless?  Let's not get all bent out of shape when the quiet guy speaks out.

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