Jimmie Johnson has tied Dale Earnhardt’s premier series mark of 76 wins with his win Sunday at Atlanta.
It’s an impressive accomplishment and moves “Six-Time” into a tie with the “Intimidator” for seventh place on the all-time wins list.
Johnson’s historic effort makes us wonder: Will anyone reach 76 wins again? Ever?
Join NASCAR.com’s Brad Norman and George Winkler in this debate, and vote in the poll below with your opinion.
Norman: George, I think we can probably agree that almost all active full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers are out of the running, right? Tony Stewart has 48 wins, and then guys like Matt Kenseth (36), Kyle Busch (34) and Kevin Harvick (31) trail him. That’s too far back. Someone like Joey Logano is the most likely to get there, but I’m going to say no, no one will ever win 76 races again. It’s just too difficult, and there are too many elite drivers at all levels of NASCAR for someone to win that many races over a long period of time.
Winkler: It is a huge mountain to climb, that’s for sure. But when Michael Jordan was piling up points with the Chicago Bulls it was difficult to envision someone like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James coming along and being just as dominant. James isn’t equal to Jordan in championships, but the point is you never know when a sport’s next phenom will enter the picture. Could it be Logano or Chase Elliott? Or could it be someone we haven’t even considered yet? Heck, maybe it’s someone who hasn’t even been born yet. That’s the beauty of sports, the unpredictability, and never knowing when the next great one will emerge and capture our attention.
Norman: Wait, did you compare LeBron to Jordan? That’s a whole different debate. Back in 2002, no one knew Johnson would be this good — and now he’s at 76. That is true. But I think the sport has changed since then, and will continue to change and evolve. It’s a different time and a different era. Drivers talk now about the toll racing takes on their bodies, and the celebrity of being a NASCAR driver brings with it so many opportunities outside of racing — movies, entertainment, broadcasting. It wouldn’t surprise me to see top drivers begin retiring earlier and earlier and joining Jeff Gordon in the booth.
Winkler: Racing can take a toll on the body, but with all the science and nutritional information drivers have at their disposal in this era, they might be able to have longer careers if they want to do it. When you look at what great shape drivers like Johnson are in, it’s not a stretch to think other drivers could adopt similar fitness regimens and could perform at the top of their game deep into their 40s. You know what they say, 50 is the new 40 and 40 is the new 30.
Norman: Sure, but I think the final nail in the 76-win coffin is something I’ve already brought up — the next wave of talent coming through the ranks. Logano. Elliott. Kyle Larson. Austin Dillon. Ty Dillon. Erik Jones. Darrell Wallace Jr.. Ryan Blaney. Chris Buescher. Daniel Suarez. Ben Rhodes. That’s just the beginning. Every new generation will bring loads of talented drivers for NASCAR, a once-regional sport turned national turning global. I see lots of five-or six-win seasons for all of those guys; enough for a handful of 50-win careers. No more.
Winkler: True, there is not a more competitive form of racing than NASCAR, and that makes it tough to dominate and rack up wins like Johnson did in his run of consecutive championships. But to quote the great Jedi master Yoda, there is another, and the force is strong within him. Returning to your original argument, perhaps we should not rule out the active drivers so quickly. If Kyle Busch, who is 30, averages three wins per season over the next 10 years, then that will put him on the doorstep with 64 wins. So let’s make it a date, Brad: 2025, you, me, a couple of beers and a head-to-head debate on whether ‘Rowdy’ can get it done.