Jimmie Johnson Ready to Close His “March to the Sea” with Third Straight NASCAR Title

William Tecumseh Sherman might have met his match in Jimmie Johnson.

While Sherman, the former Civil War general, buckled the South with the “March to the Sea” in 1864 by leaving the Confederates in his wake, Johnson is laying waste to the competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as he draws a bead on a record-tying third straight series title this week in South Florida.

Sherman’s March to the Sea stopped in Savannah after tearing through Atlanta. And even though Johnson was a runner-up two weeks ago at Atlanta, he and his Hendrick Motorsports team aren’t stopping until the checkered flag falls at Homestead, Fla., located outside of Miami and South Beach.

Johnson holds a sizable 141-point advantage over Carl Edwards heading into Sunday’s season finale thanks to his seventh win of the campaign – third in the Chase for the Championship – at Phoenix last week. The 33-year-old Johnson needs only a 36th place finish to secure the championship.

Doing so would place Johnson in the record books alongside Cale Yarborough, who won three straight titles from 1976-78. Ironically, Johnson lists Yarborough as his idol while growing up. When Yarborough was driving a Hardees-sponsored car, Johnson couldn’t wait to visit the fast-food restaurant as a youth because he thought Yarborough and the car would be there.

Johnson was disappointed when he learned that the series great and his machine didn’t actually reside at the burger joint. Undaunted, Jimmie Johnson has gone on to fashion a career that might rival some of the best NASCAR has seen before all is said and done.

Johnson notched career win No. 40 in career start No. 254 at Phoenix, giving him a winning percentage of 15.8% that is best among active drivers. He is already ranked 13th in all-time victories and a third series title would make him the eighth driver ever to cop at least three, joining the likes of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty and Yarborough.

The El Cajon, Calif. native is approaching legend status as we speak.

But only Johnson and Yarborough could lay claim to the honor of taking three straight. Johnson’s titles have come in a different format, one in which the points are virtually “reset” for the season’s final 10 races. You could say that Johnson’s feat is more remarkable in that regard, while some can see it as easy for a team to “sandbag” during the first 26 races.

One thing is for sure. Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the No. 48 have shown that they can rise to the challenge down the stretch. No one has put up better numbers during the Chase for the Cup, which came into play in 2004.

Jimmie Johnson has amassed 14 wins in 49 Chase starts, good for a ridiculous winning percentage of 28.6%. In addition to his two titles, Johnson also has finished second twice (2004 and ‘05).

Barring a total collapse, the curtain will close on yet another season with Jimmie Johnson holding the hardware and collecting the big check and the rest of the drivers raising the white flag.

And thankfully for the competition, NASCAR doesn’t race in Key West.

Tags: cale yarborough, Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR, Sprint Cup

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