Wednesday, January 19th 'What If' Question

When year end review videos are put together or yearbooks created, it's very rare that one individual appears over and over and over and over. Very rare that they overshadow some of the biggest stories in their profession. In NASCAR there are normally shared 'big' stories from year to year between a few different drivers and teams.

Jimmie Johnson doesn't like to share.

For the past five seasons it's been all about Johnson. Sure, other big news has occurred but nothing has matched what Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe's team has done. Five straight championships. A Daytona 500, two Brickyard 400s. A Sprint All-Star win. Thirty-five wins, 10 of which came in 2007 in which he won four straight.

He's dominated short tracks, intermediates, superspeedways and finally won on a road course. He's made sure that he goes down in the history books and has yet to give up the spotlight.

Since Johnson has gone on his title streak, we've elected a new president. Brett Favre retired three times. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series and the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Michael Vick went to jail for dog fighting, got released and brought the Eagles back to the playoffs.

Jeff Gordon got married and had two kids. Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Inc., came to Hendrick Motorsports, contended for the title and then fell off the map again.

But none of it got near the amount of attention or will be remembered because of what Johnson has accomplished.



But ...

What If @DoubleJ48 didn't dominate 2006-2010 with five straight titles, what would have been the biggest/memorable story(ies)? #NASCAR

@cruetten: Edwards and Hamlin winning their first championships, and Gordon winning his fifth

@NancyatStudioN: Well, for one, JG would have at least one more title...OOPS, that's if they hadn't had the Chase

@ARosser14: Jeff Gordon's fall from relevance, 2007 aside.

@BigBankHank18: I listen to Sirius NASCAR radio, and over the last 5 years there have been far more Junior and Kyle Busch calls then Jimmie

@Talon64: Mark Martin getting his first championship at the age of 50 would've been the biggest of the last 5 years.

@StrokerAce90: The stories would probably be about Jr & his ongoing troubles, driving past his pit w/out looking, arguing w/crew chief ect.

Jason Remillard (via Facebook) Jamie McMurray winning all the big races

William Duane Cox (via Facebook) Jamie McMurray's "comeback" was a big surprise, for sure!