Why Some NASCAR Fans Hate Champion Jimmie Johnson

Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of NASCAR and that Jimmie Johnson is definitely not "my driver". I fully admit that I am one of those fans who change the channel when Jimmie Johnson is being interviewed and cuss at the TV when he wins yet another race. So why do I feel that way? Well let's first talk about why I should NOT feel that way, and then dive into why I and many others still do!

5 reasons to love Jimmie Johnson

#1-Jimmie Johnson is a 4-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion
#2-He is a well spoken man and by all accounts he is a genuinely nice guy.
#3-He has a beautiful wife and his first child is on the way.
#4-He does not speak ill of his competitors and at least tries to maintain a sense of humility, all while kicking every other drivers butt's each race.
#5-He and his wife Chandra started the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and they raise a ton of money for kid related charities and Habitat for Humanity.

Ok, I could go on about all his great attributes, but this article is for all those NASCAR fans who are not members of the Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes team bandwagon.

My mom is vehemently anti-Jimmie Johnson, so I asked her why she feels that way. She said, "Well I'm pro Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards for one. I don't like Johnson's cheating crew chief (Chad Knaus) and I think Jimmie Johnson is too Hollywood!"

Other folks have tweeted and Facebooked their annoyance with Jimmie Johnson and the fact that he wins so often; here are just a few of the messages:

"It's really annoying when Jimmie Johnson wins again."
"I truly hate Jimmie Johnson."
"I am fed up with Jimmie Johnson. I wish he would retire or go race somewhere else!"
"I was wondering if you are as sick as I am of seeing Jimmie Johnson win races and championships?"
"Jimmie Johnson is more boring than vanilla ice cream! Yawn!"
"I don't care who wins the race as long as it isn't Jimmie Johnson..so tired of him."
"Jimmie Johnson needs to quit cheating."
"Johnson is on the bottom of my "like driver's list"...I do hope they check every inch...bolt...screw..spring and everything else on Johnson's car to make sure everything was legal." (This was posted after Johnson's last victory.)

NASCAR superstar Carl Edwards, whose first win came by beating Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag (by mere inches) at Atlanta Motor Speedway 5 years ago, said this when asked what it takes to win in Sprint Cup, "Have the first name Jimmie and the last name Johnson."

It probably does not help Jimmie Johnson that his Crew Chief Chad Knaus has been busted numerous times for, well, cheating. Knaus is probably the best Crew Chief in NASCAR because he is willing to push the strict NASCAR rules to the breaking point, but sometimes he crosses that line. He has been fined and suspended multiple times, which leads the anti-Johnson fans to believe that he only wins because his team cheats. Jimmie Johnson has won 4 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships in a row, which has never been done before. He looks well on his way to his 5th straight Championship. He has won 3 of the first 5 races in the 2010 season. If you are a Johnson fan, you are elated, if you are a fan of one of the other 42 drivers on the track, you are disgusted.

Is it good for one driver and one team to dominate the sport? Some say it is and that a sports dynasty is rare and should be applauded. Other's, like myself, say that watching one person and one team win over and over again is mind numbingly boring and a turn off for the sport. We want to feel that at least half the drivers on the track have an actual chance at winning. No doubt that we want our own drivers to win, but it has got to the point that we will root for anyone to win the race as long as it is not the #48 Lowes team.

In the end, assuming that Jimmie Johnson and his team are not cheating to win, that means it is up to the other car owners, teams and drivers to find a way to beat the #48 team. They need to do better, be better and find a way to knock boring old Jimmie Johnson off of his NASCAR throne. "NASCAR Nation" is waiting eagerly for it to happen.

Source: The authors years as a NASCAR fan, facebook and Twitter