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Johnson’s Brickyard victory puts him in ‘Awesome’ company

By Jeff Birchfield
Press Sports Writer
jbirchfield@johnsoncitypress.com

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Jimmie Johnson was further established as one of the sport’s all-time greats with a third win in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

It is certain the El Cajon, Calif. driver is a future Hall of Famer with three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles, a feat only matched by Cale Yarborough from 1976-78.

Sunday’s win was the 43rd of Johnson’s career, moving him just one behind “Awesome” Bill Elliott, who ranks second among active drivers and 14th place on the sport’s all-time list.

Statistically speaking, the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet blows Elliott’s doors off in most categories. His wins have come over 275 races for a 15.6 winning percentage. Elliott’s 44 wins are over 803 races, a 5.5 winning percentage.

A better comparison might be taking Elliott’s numbers from his best seasons of 1985-92, once the Harry Melling No. 9 Coors Ford was established as a powerhouse and his first year in the No. 11 Ford for Junior Johnson, and comparing them to Johnson’s current run.

Those years, Elliott won 35 races in 231 starts, with his 15.1 winning percentage nearly matching Johnson’s total from 2002 to the present.

Elliott had 135 top-10 finishes during his glory years, meaning he finished in the top 10 an impressive 58.4 percent of the time. However, Johnson beats Elliott in this comparison as well, racking up 170 top-10 finishes in 275 starts (61.8 percent).

One area where Elliott’s career numbers outshine Johnson’s total is qualifying. Elliott has 54 career poles to 19 for Johnson. If you compare percentages, however, Johnson’s numbers are slightly better than Elliott’s.

Elliott is also a two-time Daytona 500 champion (1985 and ’87), while Johnson has just one win in NASCAR’s biggest race in 2006.

They do share one negative as Johnson has mirrored the struggles of Elliott at Bristol. Elliott has one Bristol win, outdueling Geoff Bodine to win the 1988 Valleydale 500, but has posted an average finish of 16.5 at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Johnson, still looking for a first Bristol win, has a nearly identical average finish of 16.4.

Barring any serious injury, the 33-year-old should rise up the ranks of all-time greats over the next few seasons. He’s not that far off from the top 10 in all-time wins with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson each at 50, Lee Petty at 54 and Rusty Wallace at 55.

Where he ends up among the all-time winners is anyone’s guess, but, it is clear we are witnessing one of the sport’s greatest runs.

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Local fans have chances to meet Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a couple of appearances over the next few weeks.

Stewart will be at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, “working” in the ticket office at the Bruton Smith Building before a press conference for the Sharpie 500. Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to make an appearance at the new AMP Energy Club at BMS prior to the start of the Sharpie 500.

The AMP Energy Club, formerly known as the “Half-Mile Club,” features meals, a souvenir program and gift pack, a Saturday track tour and NASCAR celebrity appearances.

Individual hospitality at the AMP Energy Club at Bristol is available for the Food City 250 on Friday, Aug. 21, the Sharpie 500 or in a weekend package. A weekend package is $270 per person. Saturday only is $180.

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The DER Bracket Racing Series crowned 2009 Bristol Dragway track champions this past weekend at its final race of the season.

Jerry Turner (Motorcycle), Jason Nelson (Street) and Landon Stahl

(Junior Dragster Div. II) all scored sweeps, winning their season-ending races and division titles.

Turner, of Bluff City, scored the Motorcycle win after Jonesborough’s Mike Conley, turned on the red light in the final round. Riding a 1984 Kawasaki, Turner left the line .002 of a second too soon and ran faster than his dial-in (7.430 elapsed time on a 7.50 dial), but still was able to take advantage of Conley’s miscue.

Nelson’s event win included a victory over Jerod Haga in all-Bluff City final. In addition to Boone, N.C. youngster Stahl earning the Division I sweep, championships were decided in Super Pro, Pro and Junior Dragster, Division II.

Barry Brown of Blountville claimed the Super Pro title, although Jonesborough’s Bill Griffith celebrated the race win. Griffin, with a .004 reaction, drove his 2004 Race Tech dragster to the win over Kingsport’s Brian Olinger in the final round.

“I’d had my wife and two dogs at the track for three days, and I didn’t want to go out in the third round and have them upset at me,” Griffin said. “I was motivated to win.”

Steve Foley of Barboursville, Ky., earned the Pro division title, after advancing to the finals where he lost to Neil Church of Boone, N.C.

Mooresburg’s Kellie Shortridge earned the Junior Dragster, Division II championship as Denver Maltba of Newland, N.C. captured the event win.

Van Greer from Kingsport won a special shootout race and entry into George Howard’s Million Dollar Race to be held in October at Memphis Motorsports Park. Greer also was awarded the championship in the 7.50 Index class.

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Tommy Kerr of Maryville was a surprise winner in this past Friday’s O’Reilly Southern Nationals event at Volunteer Speedway.

Taking the lead from South Carolina driver Chris Madden on lap 2 of the 53-lap race, Kerr proceeded to outrun arguably the strongest field of Super Late Model drivers ever assembled for a Southern Nationals event.

Jimmy Owens of Newport and Joe Armes of Petros also passed Madden to finish second and third, respectively. Madden held on to finish fourth, ahead of Mooresburg’s Scott Bloomquist and Morristown’s Vic Hill, whose four-race winning streak at the 4/10-mile dirt track was snapped.

Vic Chandler of Weaverville, N.C. grabbed the top spot over Jonesborough’s Bobby Mays at the start of the Pro Late Model feature, but Mays powered into the lead on lap 5 and never looked back to score his second win of the season. Rounding out the top-five were Johnson City’s Dale Ball, Mosheim’s Ricky Moore and Jonesborough’s Jerry Broyles in a car borrowed from another Jonesborough racer, Dennis Stiles.

Ray Jarnigan of Thorn Hill increased his Hobby Stock points lead by winning his second feature of the season. Dale Reed of Whitesburg finished in the runner-up spot with Jamie Whitt of Wise, Va. in third.

Volunteer Speedway takes this week off before returning to action on Friday, Aug. 7 for the “Summer Sizzler.” A second night of the “Summer Sizzler” will take place at Tazewell Speedway the following night.

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On the asphalt late model scene, Nate Monteith of Bluff City continues to lead the point standings at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va. Monteith, the defending track champion, was the most recent race winner back on July 18. He holds a 13-point lead in the standings over Jeff Woodward.

Dylan Presnell, the 14-year-old from Sevierville, won the late model feature this past Saturday night at Newport Speedway. Presnell, who has former Elizabethton resident and racer Wade Day as crew chief, scored a couple of wins earlier this year at Lonesome Pine.