Jimmie Johnson Makes Case as One of NASCAR's All-Time Best

"No worries."

Spend much time around Jimmie Johnson and you'll hear that expression often. You won't meet a more down-to-earth, easy-going person making a 200-mph living than this 33-year-old San Diego native whose actually had to defend himself for being too nice of a guy.

But don't let the laid back demeanor deceive you.

In only his eighth season in NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup ranks, the three-time champion is quietly and methodically establishing himself not just among the best of his generation, but among the best in all of NASCAR history.

Just don't ask him about it.

"If I can keep that stuff out of my head, not think about what could be or what I could do for myself and my career and status, the better I'm gonna be,'' Johnson said this week, days after becoming the first stock car driver to win back-to-back races at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Nobody will be offended if I dodge those questions and try not to let that stuff in my head. It's what I'm trying to do to stay focused on what I do best,'' Johnson added.

What he does best these days, is be the best.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, is deservedly getting extra attention this week after earning his third win at Indy -- a feat only his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and good friend Jeff Gordon (four wins) has bettered in the stock car ranks. Only three other Indy car drivers whose names are racing royalty -- Mears, Foyt and Unser -- along with a Formula One driver by the name of Michael Schumacher, have won more than Johnson there.

It is significant because winning the big races distinguishes Johnson among a list of stock car greats -- the ability to win the big races and the championships.

In addition to Johnson's three Indy victories, he won the 2006 Daytona 500 and three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s from 2003-05 -- the Cup Series' marquee trifecta. The NASCAR traditionalists' favorite, Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C.? Johnson's won that, too -- part of a 2004 sweep at the track Too Tough to Tame.

Of the Cup champions in the past 20 years only Johnson, the late Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon have won the Brickyard 400, Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500.

Johnson has proven himself to be among the most diverse in NASCAR. With the exception of road courses -- where Johnson is winless but accumulated seven top-10 finishes in 15 starts -- he has spread his 43 victories out over short tracks, super speedways and his specialty, intermediate tracks.

Through his first seven and a half seasons, Johnson has a career average finish of 11.2. It's on par with the first eight seasons of seven-time champ Earnhardt (12.2), two-time champ Tony Stewart (12.3) and three-time champ Darrell Waltrip (10.9).

Of champions from the past two decades, only Gordon had more wins (54) in his first eight seasons than Johnson. In this category, the comparisons for Johnson aren't with his contemporaries, but with sure Hall of Famers.

Three-time champion Cale Yarborough had 55 wins in his first eight seasons. Waltrip had 51 wins, Earnhardt 20.

Of course, part of the difference from 20 years ago is that Johnson started his career with a superpower. And he'll be the first to say so. But there have been -- and still are -- others with successful teams that didn't produce the results. It's one thing to have opportunity. It's another to seize it.

"It's not one thing that makes Johnson so good, it's three things: Hendrick Motorsports, [crew chief] Chad Knaus and it's Jimmie Johnson,'' 1989 Cup champ-turned ESPN analyst Rusty Wallace offered this week.

"Pull any one of those three things out and they would not be as successful. Chad with another driver isn't successful. Jimmie with another crew chief wouldn't be this successful.

"He's got to be an odds-on favorite to win the championship four times in a row, I know I picked him to, and here's the thing, he's a second-half driver. He's only just about to really turn it on.''

Many don't realize that Johnson, who began his career racing motorcross and off-road trucks, didn't even start driving stock cars until 1997. His first full season was 1998. He spent a couple years in the ASA series then two more in the Nationwide Series before Gordon convinced Hendrick to give Johnson his big break.

Often Johnson gets criticized for being "too nice" for being that happy-go-lucky, kid-next-door. But anyone who still questions his grit should watch replays of Johnson's hard-nosed win at Texas in 2007 or the way he races his own teammates in the waning laps. He is as competitive as anyone ever was behind the wheel.

Only he's proven you don't have to be a jerk to be a winner. Or a champion.

The win at Indy has positioned Johnson to make a real run at history -- a fourth straight Cup trophy. He goes to Pocono, Pa., this weekend -- where he's won twice -- second place in the championship behind Tony Stewart with six races remaining before the 10-race Chase for the Championship.

If the rankings were reset for the Chase today, he'd still be in second place behind his teammate Mark Martin by virtue of Martin's four wins to his three.

As Wallace mentioned, Johnson's team has proven itself the class of the late season field. His performance in the intermediate-track heavy Chase races is a major reason why he will be the man to beat.

A fourth consecutive title would be unprecedented in this sport and one of the greatest accomplishments in sports.

And try as you might, it's still not something Johnson wants to consider. He's having too much fun.

"I don't think it's in my nature to think long about it or focus on that,'' Johnson said with a laugh. "The less I let in my head the better. I joke around with it a lot that I'm not good at thinking. I'm better when I strap myself in that car and go out there and do what I know how to do.''

No worries, Jimmie.