It’s one thing to witness history, it’s another thing entirely to fully understand that you’re witnessing history when it happens...

I watched both Johnson and Yarbough run for 3 in a row. They are both deserving champions. If Yarbough had run under the current rules there wouldn't have been 3 in a row. He won at least one by changing engines and going back out. Not to take anything away from Yarbough and the Junior Johnson crew but the rules were changed to keep them from doing it again.

I hardly doubt that there are any poseurs in the Sprint Cup garage that are drivers. There may be owners and others that are poseurs, but no one who drives in the Sprint Cup series is anything but a top shelf driver or they wouldn't be there for more than five minutes.

As far as JJ and Yarborough are concerned, they are both deserving triple champions in their own era of racing. I would agree that it's more difficult to achieve this goal under the current rules, but that doesn't detract from Cale's achievements in any way.

I think that Junior would have a very very difficult time today under the new rules and format. I am certain that he wouldn't get away with the fuel in the roll-bars ploy and there are just too many templates and too much scrutiny of carburetors, etc.

beentherebaby - 17 November 2008 03:08 PM

I hardly doubt that there are any poseurs in the Sprint Cup garage that are drivers. There may be owners and others that are poseurs, but no one who drives in the Sprint Cup series is anything but a top shelf driver or they wouldn't be there for more than five minutes.

As far as JJ and Yarborough are concerned, they are both deserving triple champions in their own era of racing. I would agree that it's more difficult to achieve this goal under the current rules, but that doesn't detract from Cale's achievements in any way.

I'd say that both are close to equal achievements...I don't see Jimmie winning under the old rules with the old car, and I don't see Cale winning under today's rules with today's car. Two different beasts, two different drivers.

Both are great, and both are deserving of EVERY accolade they get, though.

I'm an Earnhardt (Sr.) fan first, an open wheel fan second, and a racing fan at heart. Jimmie Johnson earned this championship up one side and down the other. Tell the rest of the field to catch up to Hendrick next year, not try to take away Johnson's "advantage."

TOM JENSEN?< paragraph 3, 3 time champions?, dude you forgot Dale earnhardt (7) and jeff gorden (4)

ardec2, you forgot Richard Petty - in any case, Jensen was simply listing those with three championships (that JJ equaled), not all with three or more

Jimmie Johnson and the other three drivers mentioned are the only three-time champions in series history.