Love him or hate him, there's no denying Jimmie is the man

[Matito]

3. NASCAR fans don't like the chase.

That is one of my biggest issues with the whole thing. I found a poll a couple weeks ago (too tired to look for it now) that asked fans input about the Chase when it was first proposed at the end of 2003. I think it was something like 50% of fans did not want to see any change from the pre-Chase points system, and of the 50% that said they would be open to a points change, around 80% of those fans said they did not want the Chase. Couple that with some direct quotes from Brian France in this article, and it's no wonder why nobody likes France.

As usual, France's ideas about the sport and his evaluation of its current health is much different than many fans. That's to be expected, given his role and history.

But what stunned me was that France ? who has tried to be more engaged than ever by holding "town hall" meetings with drivers and follows the results of a 12,000-member Fan Council ? seemed to have no clue what many fans think.

For example: France was incredulous and seemed genuinely taken aback when a reporter asked him about the many fans who don't like the Chase.

"You've met somebody that's telling you that?" he asked, as if such people were as rare as a unicorn.

[FiddySicks]

Now I admittedly haven't been a NASCAR fan since Dale Sr. slammed into the wall on the final turn at Daytona, and I'm really not trying to hate or pile on in any way, but I have to admit that it's hard for me to take a supposed sport seriously when the last five championships have all been won by the same team. That just doesn't happen in modern day sports. It's not fun.

And no the Tour De France doesn't count, if it wasn't for Lance, most Americans (myself included) would have little or to no knowledge of what it even is.

[Rockstar Matt]

I'm a Jeff Gordon fan, first and foremost, but since he was out of the running, I wanted Jimmie to win it. I mean, 5 straight?? Holy tamoley that is impressive. Don't care if you love him or hate him, 5 straight in any professional sport is impressive.

[Saintsfan]

Now I admittedly haven't been a NASCAR fan since Dale Sr. slammed into the wall on the final turn at Daytona, and I'm really not trying to hate or pile on in any way, but I have to admit that it's hard for me to take a supposed sport seriously when the last five championships have all been won by the same team. That just doesn't happen in modern day sports. It's not fun.

And no the Tour De France doesn't count, if it wasn't for Lance, most Americans (myself included) would have little or to no knowledge of what it even is.

Well first off Tiger Woods and Roger Federer have been pretty dominant over the last decade. In a sport like Nascar you don't build a team like you do in football. And Nascar doesn't have the same means of ensuring a level field that other American sports use (a draft, some sort of salary control, free agency etc).

[Lights Out]

Jimmie Johnson is a disgrace to all sports, not just NASCAR. Talk about ruining a sport, he's done it.

That is just idiotic.

How is it idiotic? Jimmie's turned the championship of the sport into an exercise in predictability. His run of titles is making people stop liking NASCAR. Why watch if you know who's going to win it all in February?

[infrared41]

Jimmie Johnson is a disgrace to all sports, not just NASCAR. Talk about ruining a sport, he's done it.

That is just idiotic.

How is it idiotic? Jimmie's turned the championship of the sport into an exercise in predictability. His run of titles is making people stop liking NASCAR. Why watch if you know who's going to win it all in February?

He's a disgrace to all sports?

[omnivore]

What he's accomplished is remarkable, no doubt. But I've never been a fan of the Chase in the same way that the FedEx Cup is lame.

[tBBP]

Jimmie Johnson is a disgrace to all sports, not just NASCAR. Talk about ruining a sport, he's done it.

That is just idiotic.

How is it idiotic? Jimmie's turned the championship of the sport into an exercise in predictability. His run of titles is making people stop liking NASCAR. Why watch if you know who's going to win it all in February?

The next time you come up with that type of question, preface it with this thought: "would I be thinking the same thing if the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, or Boise State Broncos ran off five straight championships"?

That pretty much goes for anyone else who says Jimmie's streak is turning people cold to NASCAR, as well.

[DelayedPenalty]

I watched very little NASCAR this season, which is a shame, because I used to love it. Jimmie Johnson has taken all the fun out of it for me. There's no denying he's a great driver, you sort of have to be to win 5 championships let alone in a row. He has the best equipment in the sport, the best crew chief, the best owner, so of course he's going to win! But that's what takes all the fun out of it for me. NASCAR needs parity to be interesting. Seeing the same 3 guys win week after week is boring as all get out.

The Formula 1 championship this year was far more exciting than any championship I can remember in motorsports in the past decade. Having 4 drivers who have a shot at the title going into the last race, without stopping to reset the points so everyone is close again, was fantastic! They didn't even know who had won the title until all the cars had crossed the finish line and the winner (of the race and championship) was halfway through his cooldown lap.

Racing should be racing. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year wins. NASCAR has become all about the "show". Green-white-checker finishes, phantom cautions when the leader is too far out in front, The Chase, etc. Just let them race!

[CDixonDesign]

That pretty much goes for anyone else who says Jimmie's streak is turning people cold to NASCAR, as well.

But you cannot dispute that many fans have said, and I quote with a country accent, "To hell with Nascar, I ain't watching this s#%@ no'more, dad nabbit." I mean Nascar has formulated a "mad dash" of the final ten races for a championship, that is a single driver's strongest tracks. He's now won 5 straight championships. Diversity is the key. Every sports fan wants the Giants to come out of no where and win a World Series when the past decade has been dominated by the likes of the Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees in the late 90's, etc. It's time for people to realize how since Brian France has taken over Nascar has been on the hot route into the ground....

[Cujo]

I'm not sure if the Johnson dynasty is to blame, but up until maybe three years ago, Nascar would compete for top story with the NFL almost every Sunday. It's almost as if stock car racing has run its course with the American mainstream, ala poker a few years ago and hockey in the mid-90s.

[Lights Out]

The next time you come up with that type of question, preface it with this thought: "would I be thinking the same thing if the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, or Boise State Broncos ran off five straight championships"?

You're making my point for me. Unless you're a Jimmie Johnson fan, you're going to be bored and annoyed with Jimmie's streak lasting this long. That goes for all other sports too.

Yankees fans, I'm sure, loved watching every second of the team's late-'90s dynasty. But if it were the Red Sox winning all those World Series, I doubt Yankees fans would ponder how they would feel if it were their team before venting their Red Sox hatred.

I would love watching all three of those teams you listed win title after title. Others? Not so much.

[CDixonDesign]

A few great points have been mentioned throughout this thread, regarding just what has happened to Nascar in the past few years. There was a short discussion on it on Sports Talk Radio here in Charlotte, about the future of the sport, and posing the question that Nascar has driven out it's core demographic of fan. With the closing of small tracks, the "flashy" mentality of the racing, and the commercialization of just about any and everything, I believe it's true...