Quit crying about Jimmie Johnson and appreciate history

As Jimmie Johnson piles up victory after victory en route to a possible fourth straight Cup championship, the only thing rising faster than the 48 team's standing is the tide of whining, complaining, moaning and bitching about how horrible it is that Jimmie Johnson is winning. It's reached near-deafening levels, so let's see if we can run down some of the gripes, shall we?

• "The 48 team is a bunch of cheatin' cheaters!"
• "The Chase/cookie-cutter tracks/Car of Tomorrow is sooooo boring!"
• "NASCAR was so much better back in the Good Old Days."
• "Jimmie Johnson is as interesting as three gallons of melted vanilla ice cream."

And on and on and on. I've got my own thoughts about all these whines, but I'll let Don Corleone take this one:

Slap 'em silly, Vito! That's exactly what all the complainers need, a bracing little dose of reality. Here's the deal, friends: you're watching history at work here. You may not like it right now, but thirty years from now, your grandchildren will be asking what you were doing when you had the chance to see one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. And you'll say ... "I was promising to leave NASCAR!" And they'll say, "Was that the 50th time you made that promise, or the 60th?"

Why's it so hard for people to accept that maybe, just maybe, Johnson might be one of those once-in-a-generation talents like Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan? He and Chad Knaus have connected in a way that no other team has done, he's got a crew that can prepare a car precisely for any given track. They've recognized that it's not just about mashin' the gas and turnin' left; there's strategy involved that any team could pursue, but doesn't. Is that Johnson's fault, then, that other teams can't keep up?

Also, quit the whining about cheating; nobody's under more scrutiny than Johnson. Let's break down this "NASCAR is helping Johnson" nonsense, JFK conspiracy-style. If Jimmie Johnson wins, who benefits? Johnson, of course, but who else? Everybody who's not a 48 fan is raging at NASCAR right now; where's the benefit in that? If there was going to be conspiracy, why wouldn't it pump up Junior to championship contention? (Hey, as long as we're through the looking glass, why not get totally freaky?)

For the record, I'm not a Johnson fan; I'm a Tony Stewart guy, and would like nothing better than for Smoke to take JJ to the house. But I'll also be upfront about it -- I'm jealous as hell of Johnson's success and the glory his fans bathe in. And so are you. Look inside yourself. Admit the truth. You'll feel better.

In the end, if you don't like Johnson winning everything, it's pretty simple: your guy's got to step it up. Until that happens, quit your crying. That's not NASCAR.