Johnson poised to take his seat in racing history

1. It's going to happen. So where will Jimmie Johnson's four consecutive championships rank in terms of the greatest accomplishments in NASCAR history?

David Caraviello: It's up there, no question. I'd have say it's the third-most impressive thing anyone has ever done in this sport, behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt's shared mark of seven championships, and the King's untouchable record of 200 career race wins. Johnson might have a shot at the first one, but not the second.

Duane Cross: It'll be one of the Mount Rushmore stats of the sport -- right there with seven championships and 200 wins. And I won't quantify it with an asterisk; he's excelled under the rules set forth by the sanctioning body. And he's done it with a lot of class. The sport and the fans should shout his name as an example of how a champion should act.

Dave Rodman: It's big. But unfortunately it's one of those things that will be hard to quantify, comparatively, because of the different formats and all the other differences we're faced with when comparing different eras -- but definitely big.

David Caraviello: Oh, the heck with "different eras." Heck, in NASCAR three years ago was a different era. That doesn't keep NFL fans from comparing coaches and quarterbacks. Leaning on the "different eras" excuse is a crutch. Take a stand, Rodman!

Dave Rodman: It'll take him being done -- with this streak, that is -- to truly quantify it. But hear, hear, Duane, Kurt Busch said it best: "It's his time, so appreciate it for what it is." I'm of the mind that it's tough to do what he's doing in this era -- so if he's able to "equal" the marks of seven championships, his accomplishment would earn a little extra respect.

Won four the books

Jimmie Johnson's four championships have come with the old car, a split season and the new car.

• Video: Chase 4 history

David Caraviello: Duane, I would agree. There are a ton of fans out there who think the guy is arrogant and entitled because of one cell phone commercial he did a few years back. Give me a break. Yeah, and Tiger Woods really drives a Buick. Please. Having been around him a bit, Johnson is nothing of the sort. And don't give me this "product of the Chase" stuff, either -- he's earned it.

Duane Cross: The thing about Johnson's four championships -- they have come with the old car, a split season and the new car. I think Chad Knaus & Co. have done a remarkable job keeping everyone focused on the prize. I couldn't care less if Jimmie isn't cut from the cloth of the good ol' boys of the early years of the sport -- or even the 1980s. Fact is, the NFL doesn't have the same flavor, neither does the NBA or big-league baseball. Times change. Jimmie Johnson is the epitome of what young drivers should aspire to be -- whether that comes across in a public persona or not.

David Caraviello: And Dave, we still cannot let you get away that easily. Johnson is already doing what no one in NASCAR has ever done. That merits consideration on its own. We're talking about here and now. So let's have your list. And don't tell me Ricky Rudd's streak of 16 years with a race win is your No. 1!

Dave Rodman: If he wins four consecutive championships in this day and time, it would be the most significant thing done in the sport. If you want to talk about why the others fall short -- cancel the other two topics.

David Caraviello: Whoa. Rodman brings out the big club. Bigger than 200 race wins, something no driver will ever touch? Really?

Dave Rodman: If you were one of three cars that could win -- well -- you could still screw it up. But what J.J. is doing right now, to the caliber of talent he, Chad Knaus and his team are doing it to, is the most significant, no question.

Duane Cross: Yes -- it is bigger than 200 wins, which is an inflated number because of a) the number of races in a week that were held back in the day, and b) the inconsistent competition fields in the good ol' days. Yeah, 200 wins look pretty -- but it's not like Richard Petty was picking off the cream of the crop each time the green flag fell.

David Caraviello: Well, that was a "different era" so to speak, when many guys didn't run full time and sponsorship money was kind of a revolutionary thing. But don't blame Richard because the starting fields were hit-and-miss back then, or because guys like David Pearson didn't run every race. That is a substantial mark. Like Johnson's four straight titles, nothing was given to him. He still won those events, regardless of the circumstances surrounding them.

Dave Rodman: In many, many ways The King is the standard. You can't minimize his accomplishments and I'm certainly not trying to. In a lot of ways the stick-and-ball comparisons do work in racing. But being able to consistently handle a couple of the best drivers in the sport's history, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, certainly counts for a lot.

Duane Cross: I'm not trying to minimize Petty's accomplishments, just putting them into perspective. No one will touch 200 wins; no driver may reach 100 because of the way the sport has evolved -- but four consecutive championships in today's NASCAR is the standard against which every driver will be measured.

David Caraviello: The King's 200 wins ... that's the sport's equivalent to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Did he face some meatball pitchers some days? Of course. Was there the range and variety of pitching talent available today? No way. But it's still the standard.

Dave Rodman: Rick Hendrick's 48 team, right now, looks to be on target to rank with anything the Yankees, Packers, Celtics or Canadiens ever accomplished.

David Caraviello: The Yankees are working on what, 27 championships? Les Habitantes have 24. The Celtics have 17. Rick still has a ways to go.

Duane Cross: This will be Rick's 12th NASCAR championship.

Dave Rodman: Twelve in 25 years sounds like a 50 percent championship percentage. That is mighty stout.

David Caraviello: Come on. Only Cup counts. I don't think the Yankees count titles by their Triple-A franchise in their overall tally.

Duane Cross: No, not just Cup -- he's winning at the highest level in the sport, which is NASCAR. It's Hendrick Motorsports, not "Terry Labonte/Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson Motorsports."

David Caraviello: So what, now you're trying to tell me his three Truck titles should count? Come on.

Duane Cross: I think when we're talking about Hendrick Motorsports, yes -- because it's the organization.

David Caraviello: Has the Celtics' D-League affiliate ever won a title? Make that 18 championships in Beantown then, baby! Um, no.

Dave Rodman: I wish we would have stopped five comments ago.

David Caraviello: For Duane's sake, I believe you're right.

2. In retrospect, did Roush Fenway Racing make the right decision in cutting Talladega winner Jamie McMurray loose for 2010?

Duane Cross: Yes. Let's not get caught up in the wake of a victory. It's not like Jamie has lit up the competition during his tenure with Roush. Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan give Roush the most solid foundation -- from experience to youth; it was a sound business decision.

David Caraviello: What else were they supposed to do? They had to drop someone to fit under NASCAR's four-car cap. The Yates backup plan fell apart. By all accounts, it looked like a McMurray vs. David Ragan cage match, loser leaves town. And I guess Jack feels like he has more invested in the younger Ragan, despite the fact that Jamie has done more on the race track.

Jamie McMurray

'Dega not enough

Perhaps Roush Fenway Racing felt like they had more invested in the younger David Ragan, despite the fact that McMurray has done more on the race track.

• McMurray wins at 'Dega
• A nice way to depart RFR
• Driver page: Ragan
• Driver page: McMurray

Dave Rodman: The numbers don't lie. They did the right thing based on what they had to work with. Jamie himself acknowledged that post-race at Talladega. But, and it's a big but, there's no telling that he might not come back into the fold at any point -- and that's a neat point to make.

David Caraviello: Although you could make the argument, given David's tough 2009 season, that they should have kept the guy with now three career race wins over the guy who has none. But Ragan is young, and his sponsor is solidly behind him, and he nearly missed the Chase last year, and Roush is down as a whole. So we'll see.

Duane Cross: Let's turn around the question: Is Jamie McMurray better off being able to leave Roush for another ride? If he lands with Earnhardt Ganassi, yes -- I think he'll do just fine with EGR. For his sake, I hope Jamie does team up with Juan Montoya; those two would be a lot of fun together.

David Caraviello: He does kind of fit the description of best available driver, and even though he may look a little strange in Bass Pro Shops livery, Jamie would do just fine in the No. 1 car being vacated by Martin Truex. And I know every winning driver thanks fans and sponsors in Victory Lane, but the way Jamie did it Sunday -- knowing he hadn't been there in a while, and that many people had stuck behind him -- was very classy and heartfelt.

Dave Rodman: I really think this season for David Ragan is an extreme anomaly. He will bounce back and be a Chase contender once again if he can come to grips with whatever's escaped him. He broke that long-awaited Nationwide bubble this season and proves he hasn't forgotten anything.

Duane Cross: David, you touched on the problems with Roush. If the new Ford engine is up to snuff, this could be a one-year blip on the radar. Then again, the new engine may need massaging once it gets implemented into competition. Time will tell, but I believe McMurray and Roush will benefit from this decision -- a rare occurrence, certainly.

Dave Rodman: I think the engine is the least of Roush's worries this season. According to Biff, they have as much, if not more power than everyone else. They need to get a handle on the cars, it appears. And if you're not a Hendrick team, that fine line has appeared difficult to draw. I think if Jamie ends up back at EGR, and can take Donnie Wingo with him, and they have proper funding for the entire season, it could work out well for him. Then again, that doesn't take into account what Donnie might have up his sleeve -- or the potential to create a new chemistry altogether.

Duane Cross: I hope EGR makes it a 2-for-1 deal; Jamie needs to get out of the box quickly and having Donnie in his ear would be one less thing to worry about. Stability works; the 48 team, anyone?

David Caraviello: I'm always doubtful of how much real difference a new engine can make. Given the drafting situation at Talladega, can we say Jamie's win was all because of horsepower? I don't know. I just don't think you can plug in a next-generation engine and have it make all the difference. It's a total package, and the cars are much more difficult to get a handle on, and to me that's where more teams fall short. That's not to say Roush won't turn it around next year -- their drivers, at least their top three, are too good not to. But I don't think it's going to be solely because of a new engine.

Dave Rodman: Although this new engine supposedly will offer some car-balance changes, and once they get it in an "open" configuration, it'll be interesting to see if that makes much difference -- or if they can even quantify it.

David Caraviello: Anyway, it was good to see somebody different win for a change, and for a non-Chase guy to break through. Don't get used to it, though. The next two weeks, at Texas and Phoenix, could very well once again turn into The Jimmie Show. And then maybe someone off-the-wall will win at Homestead, because the bigger fish will be focused on the championship picture. But something tells me, at this pace, that might be sewn up before we get there.

Duane Cross: I'm rooting for a 267-lap party in Victory Lane for the No. 48 team. Take the green, bring it to pit road and crack open the bubbly. Reckon anyone would get the message that the Chase has met it match (if there was any doubt after the past several seasons)? It would be cool for the series champion to provide color commentary during the broadcast. ABC's ratings might get a lift.

David Caraviello: Well, he comes out of Phoenix with a 196-point lead -- only 12 points larger than he has right now -- he doesn't even need to start at Homestead. He could spend all night up on the pit box drinking champagne. Wouldn't that be a scene.

Dave Rodman: The possibilities are limitless. And as usual, I like the way we think.

3. By all accounts, the new generation Nationwide car is earning rave reviews for both its appearance and performance. So why didn't the Sprint Cup version come out quite as well?

Duane Cross: Because NASCAR learned from its mistake. Period. Or maybe it's the whole "return to roots" initiative and someone noticed the words "Stock Car" in the "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing".

The new look

New cars are getting rave reviews for both appearance and performance.

• Gallery: new cars
• Favorable marks at testing

Dave Rodman: Good call, Duane. And of course, we all heard that since the competitors were more involved in the design and development of the Nationwide car, that it might become the Cup version, and the current Cup car would migrate over to the Nationwide Series. Now, that might be a break for all those beleaguered Nationwide owners.

David Caraviello: Mistake? Well, maybe I'm in the minority, but I think this new car has turned out just fine, thanks. Yes, it's not exactly pretty to look at, and we hear it's a bear to drive, but Ryan Newman's crash offers another example of why this is the finest vehicle in NASCAR history. NASCAR has always told us that safety is their No. 1 priority ... with the current Sprint Cup car, they're living up to it.

Dave Rodman: No one questions its performance, both in driving difficulty and safety. But aesthetically, it's something else again. And even though the paint scheme on Roush Fenway's car for Colin Braun did the slickness of the Mustang design no justice, that Challenger is stock-looking and attractive.

David Caraviello: Sure, the new Nationwide car may be more fun to look at, and drivers say it's a dream to drive, but ultimately will it keep them safe? Will accidents like Newman's on Sunday, and Carl Edwards' this spring at Talladega, and Michael McDowell's a few years ago at Texas all have the same thankful result? That will be the true test of this vehicle.

Duane Cross: The new Nationwide car will be equally as safe -- and actually looks like a stock car (or does more so than the COT). C'mon, David -- you can build safety into anything; it doesn't have to be a brick. And for the record, Newman's wreck wasn't any more spectacular than Rusty Wallace's -- at the same track -- in 1993. And Wallace walked away, too.

David Caraviello: They sure as heck didn't build safety into the previous model Sprint Cup car. I think that's easier said than done. You have to compromise a few things to make cars as safe as the one used today in Sprint Cup. And I believe Wallace was transported via helicopter to a Birmingham hospital with a concussion after that crash, if memory serves me correct. And was that before or after the accident where Bill Elliott broke his leg? Hmmm, I forget.

Duane Cross: Here's another glass of Kool-Aid, David. Yes, the cars are safer ... but it's not like the previous model was a rolling casket! You can break your leg in a Volvo at 55 mph, dude. Safety is the most over-used catch word in this sport when it comes to justifying a position. I'm not against the safety initiative, I just believe that it was a crutch used to quantify why the COT wasn't built as a stock car.

David Caraviello: I am dumbfounded. After what this sport went through in the earlier part of this decade, safety should have damn well been the No. 1 priority in this car, and thank goodness it was. Hey, who knows, the Nationwide model may be just as safe. Goodness knows it has to be better than the current Nationwide model, which is tough to get out of when the thing is on fire. But if you have to compromise looks and performance so drivers can walk away from accidents ... do it every time. Every time. If fans have a problem with that, they need their heads examined.

Dave Rodman: I'm not saying Newman's wreck didn't get your attention, but spectacular? No. He actually only turned over twice, tops, I bet -- though that last dynamic was extreme -- capital E on that. But anyway, it'll be interesting to see how this new Nationwide car takes off.

David Caraviello: Yes, too bad Ryan didn't finish it off with a double axel and then stick the landing. Sheesh.

Duane Cross: "Takes off" -- nice, considering the lift off that that wonderful wing on the new Sprint Cup car initiated. Thankfully, the Nationwide car has a spoiler.

Dave Rodman: Yep, and I bet that'll mean the roof flaps work a lot closer to the way that they were designed. And speaking of design, I think this Nationwide car might speak more to the fact that the manufacturers were more involved in it, rather than NASCAR doing more of a job of dictating what the COT would be. At least, I think that's close to the truth.

Duane Cross: OK, let's just agree that it seems as if there needs to be a bit more tweaking on this end-all, be-all COT. Again, the cars are "safer," we agree on that. I also contend the Nationwide cars will fit that bill and yet still look more in line with a stock car.

Dave Rodman: The Nationwide car sits on the same chassis, and they look attractive, which proves it could be done. That's progress, boys.

David Caraviello: What's progress to me, Dave, is Ryan Newman crawling out of that wreckage on Sunday. Of course, hell, I'd send them all out there in Sherman tanks, which I hear can produce quite the draft at top speed of 24 mph!

Dave Rodman: And their bumpers match up great, too.