Is Jimmy Spencer right about Jimmie Johnson

Is Jimmy Spencer right about Jimmie Johnson
I read an article by SPEED's Jimmy Spencer entitled "What Happened to Accountability" last week. Spencer was critical of Jimmie Johnson's post race excuse for losing to Kevin Harvick at California. Here is a snippet of what Spencer said about Johnson.


"Jimmie Johnson constantly conjures up excuses when someone beats him on the track. Johnson doesn’t do it in a rude or defensive manner, but he does it, and it really gets under my skin. When Kevin Harvick passed him for the win Sunday at Fontana, Johnson stated in several post-race interviews that he couldn’t hold off the No. 29 because it was coming on two fresh tires, while Johnson didn’t pit under that last caution. Well, neither did Harvick. Johnson got beat by four old tires, not two new ones. Misinformation aside, which actually came from crew chief Chad Knaus, Johnson shouldn’t have made excuses as to why he didn’t win. He should have stated how his day went and congratulated Harvick on a job well done. He lost and should have taken it like a man."


I thought Spencer was a little harsh last week when describing Johnson. Spencer can be over the top sometimes with his opinions, which makes him entertaining, but also difficult to take seriously at times. After all, Johnson probably just assumed that Harvick had fresher tires because he was significantly faster. Perhaps he should have asked crew chief Chad Knaus who had fresh tires behind him before using it as an excuse as to why he lost, but I can understand the assumption.


At Martinsville, Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road, and vehemently lashed out of NASCAR following the race.


"I wasn't speeding. They didn't like how it looked, the way I managed my timing lines. There is just no way. People will say whatever, but with the math and the way we know our timing lines, there is just no way," Johnson said after the race.
http://www.nascarracingscene.com/2011/0 ... immie.html

Now, I see what Jimmy Spencer is talking about. Johnson refused to believe that he could have possibly made a mistake. He threw NASCAR officials under the bus, an offense that cost Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman a pretty penny last year. Johnson issued an apology, so it is unlikely that NASCAR will fine him in a similar fashion.


I can understand in the heat of the moment wanting to blast NASCAR for a penalty that cost you a race, but he came across as a whiny victim of NASCAR's conspiracy to stop Jimmie Johnson from winning. If NASCAR did not want Johnson to win, they would have taken action five years ago. He should have taken that penalty like a champion, or in his case, a five-time champion.

Well I dont think JJ will get fined, not because he appolgized, but because Nascar is able to prove he was wrong. I dont think the things Denny & Ryan were talking about Nascar could prove wrong, so they had to shut them up. (insert 50k fine here)
What was amazing to me was Denny got fined for saying things no where near a nascar sanctioned event. He was fined for tweeting at home.
Ryan was at the track wwhen he made his comments about Nascar was gonna kill someone before making changes to the plate races (right after he had his roof resting on his helmet) nascar isnt gonna change the plate races therefore needed to shut up Ryan. They even tried to keep who was getting fined a secret.
JJ they simply show that he had his head up his A$S & all is forgiven. Nascar wont look bad for it, so they wont fine him. It is when comments from drivers make Nascar look bad & they have no answer to it, you will see a fine. JPM didnt get fined when he said Nascar screwed him out of a win at Indy. Why? Because Nascar had an answer for it.

Basically, you make a good point against Nascar & you should expect a fine. (JJ didnt have a good point)

As bad as it sounds I think Schmoopy has a valid point. Nascar cares about it's self period. It has gotten so all they care about is money and how much goes into their pockets.

Jimmy has a "crying towel" 3 times a week on Race Hub it seems....

everyone gets their turn at it, sooner or later...

I noticed that too... I think it's funny that the drivers who get caught speeding are basicly arguing with a timing computer.

spencer is a tool, everyone knows it, only good thing he did with his career besides retire, is punch kurt, but in saying that, i commented on the JJ fiasco in one of aaron's cartoons, he speeds alot,
JJ said he felt bad when he got home, because he criticized nascar like that, but said if he gets a fine, he wont complain about it, but its like this every time a driver gets out of the car, they dont have a few mins to themselves to compose their thoughts, they have a mike right in their face seconds after they get out the car, at least in other sports they get a few mins to compose themselves, nascar should let all the driver be and let them speak their mind

Agree full heartedly with Schmoopy,i've seen the same thing go on,on the Dirt Series.Last week Spencer gave Tony the crying towel because Tony wouldn't talk to the media [Buryns]i believe,as he was walking to his hauler after last weeks race.Spencer himself was quite the %itch many times as i remember during his Cup career,but i'm sure he forgot that.Learned years ago while racing on Dirt,some drivers you just can't talk to before a race or after a bad race,whether you're a fan or another driver,let alone media. The speeding down pit road has often been questioned by alot of drivers and crew chiefs before,nothing new.The one time i can't say nascar showed JJ any favortism.lol

Is Spencer right? No, he is like the saying "Those that can't ,TEACH". It's easy to put your career out to pasture and then get paid to criticize everyone you've ever raced against. But then there isn't a sport out there that isn't filled with Jimmy Spencers.

Is Spencer right? No, he is like the saying "Those that can't ,TEACH". It's easy to put your career out to pasture and then get paid to criticize everyone you've ever raced against. But then there isn't a sport out there that isn't filled with Jimmy Spencers.

well he shouldnt be teaching either. He is a dumbass!

Is Spencer right? No, he is like the saying "Those that can't ,TEACH". It's easy to put your career out to pasture and then get paid to criticize everyone you've ever raced against. But then there isn't a sport out there that isn't filled with Jimmy Spencers.

well he shouldnt be teaching either. He is a dumbass!

I guess I was giving the Jimster way too much credit....

"Jimmy Spencer never forgets."

Except when it comes to him and his career.

Frankly I never watch Race Hub so I don't see his rantings and stuff, but based off the transcript, no he isn't right about JJ. It didn't look to me like he was making excuses. People want to know why you think you lost, not about how great your car ran because Kobalt Tools are so gosh darn great and you can only get them at Lowes, gee willickers.

Obviously Jimmie didn't have all the info when he did his interview, that's perfectly fine. That's part of the human element of our sport. Just like his anger over the penalty in Martinsville, he was incorrect on which part he was penalized in. That's perfectly fine too.

i personally do think jimmy johnson is a yuppy perfectionist person by nature and seems to always be obsessed with himself. but spencer is being a journalist so he and the news media wants, and thrives on, attention to get ratings and more fans. spencer is deferent than most because he's usually right on about drivers.

i personally do think jimmy johnson is a yuppy perfectionist person by nature and seems to always be obsessed with himself. but spencer is being a journalist so he and the news media wants, and thrives on, attention to get ratings and more fans. spencer is deferent than most because he's usually right on about drivers.

You're joking about Spencer right? LOL Watch Nascar Now with Craven,Shrader or Petree,lot better without cutting drivers down.

i personally do think jimmy johnson is a yuppy perfectionist person by nature and seems to always be obsessed with himself. but spencer is being a journalist so he and the news media wants, and thrives on, attention to get ratings and more fans. spencer is deferent than most because he's usually right on about drivers.

You're joking about Spencer right? LOL Watch Nascar Now with Craven,Shrader or Petree,lot better without cutting drivers down.

ya know i find it hard to believe that speed goes to spencer for the "inside stuff", he had that one good summer where he won 2 plate races, outside that, he was a top 20 driver at best

i personally do think jimmy johnson is a yuppy perfectionist person by nature and seems to always be obsessed with himself. but spencer is being a journalist so he and the news media wants, and thrives on, attention to get ratings and more fans. spencer is deferent than most because he's usually right on about drivers.

You're joking about Spencer right? LOL Watch Nascar Now with Craven,Shrader or Petree,lot better without cutting drivers down.

ya know i find it hard to believe that speed goes to spencer for the "inside stuff", he had that one good summer where he won 2 plate races, outside that, he was a top 20 driver at best

Top tweenty,you're given Spencer more credit than he deserves.lol Spencer started his own show either the begining of this year or last,i can't remember which,but anyhow,it bombed and now he's on The Hub doing near the same thing he did on his own show.Least it's only a couple minutes of nothing rather than a half hour when he did have his own show.Rusty Wallace took over Neil Bonnetts show after he passed on and that didn't last very long,he pretty much ruined what Neil had going on and it was cancelled.Rusty i'd say was a top 5 or 10 driver through out his career,Spencer just took up a seat someone with real talent could have been in.Least Shrader never says anything bad about anyone and never really had the best of rides most his career,but he can speak well and often makes yah laugh.Didn't like Spencers comments about JJ anymore than Tony,in fact 90% of the time,i don't believe he knows what the #### he's talking about and just likes the attention as a child does.