The zen of El Cool JJ

History is his. With a secure fifth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson took his place among the sport’s legendary greats as the only driver in NASCAR Cup history to claim four straight championships. Grabbing almost as much attention was the power finish of the formidable Hendrick Motorsports trifecta of Johnson, series runner-up Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon, who swept the top three spots in the season standings. Nearly lost in the wave of applause for Johnson and HMS was Denny Hamlin’s victory in the Ford 400, the 36th and final race of the 2009 season, capping an up and down year for the Joe Gibbs Racing 11 car, which garnered four victories but logged three paralyzing DNFs in the final 10 races to douse the team’s title hopes.

When one speaks of Johnson, one might be referring to a gearhead mystic. Johnson’s real triumph could well be a matter of mind over matter. Virtually unflappable regarding events that turn on a dime out on the racetrack, Johnson appears to have the wisdom of the elders, possessing a knack to be totally in the moment, riveted on the now. If that sounds too New Agey for the likes of a racecar driver, consider that JJ loses no sleep to worry, the bane of all who look over their shoulder. The pilot of the Lowe’s 48 Chevy knows there is a script to be played out but doesn’t pine over its many possibilities. Much has been made of Johnson’s bland personality in the press, but more than likely, he is far ahead of his emotion-spewing racing brethren trying to keep up on the track. Johnson rarely shows irritation or dismay at an outcome that doesn’t wind up in Victory Lane, an infrequent occurrence at that. A key reason Johnson is a champion not once but four times over is his natural ability to focus on what is before him, not on what just transpired behind him or what lies ahead. Just as there is little wasted motion in Johnson’s crack track performances, so too, little is expended on senseless concern over matters that will eventually resolve one way or the other.

Take the downturn at Texas just two races ago. Media and fans alike jabbered about the shocking 100-point loss in that one race to teammate Martin that renewed the possibility of a dogfight for the championship heading into the last two races of the Chase. But when interviewed after his un-Johnson-like 38th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, El Cool JJ deferred to calm and reflection, noting that from his perspective, things couldn’t look better: He was, after all, still 84 points ahead. The big win in Phoenix the following Sunday proved his point.

ROADSIDE RAVES: NASCAR put on a good race for its finale, a showcase that went green the final 46 laps, with only seven cautions…Richard Childress Racing showed strength at the Ford 400, with Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick crossing the finish line in second and third place, all of which bodes well for 2010…Tony Stewart, the regular-season champion, missed out on a Top Five season finish when tempers flared between him and Juan Pablo Montoya. Sprint Cup’s bad-boy brigade took turns inflicting ruin on the other. The contretemps succeeded in knocking both out of race contention with an exchange of body-damaging paybacks. The standings drop was lethal for Stewart, whose shop lost a Top Five season-ending bonus.

Alan Ross is the author of 32 books and a regular contributor to American Profile. E-mail: alanross_sports@yahoo.com© Sportland 2009

(PLEASE NOTE: This concludes my 2009 posting for “The Cool Down Lap.” Coverage of NASCAR's 2010 season will begin the week of Feb. 7. In the interim, check out my NFL blog “Over the Ball,” which runs through the Super Bowl, at wmalanross.blogspot.com.)