Complete NCAA Bracket

Play Bracket Challenge

Why Jimmie Johnson Is so Hateable

Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories
Why Jimmie Johnson Is so Hateable
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson is one of the best drivers in NASCAR.  He's won five consecutive titles and is one driver who always seems to be in the running for the win at any type of track.

Yet even with his plethora of achievements, some NASCAR fans hate Jimmie Johnson.

But why is the five-time champ so hateable?

Is it because he seemingly makes winning look so easy?

Or maybe because he doesn't show a wide range of emotions?

Whatever the reason, some fans hate Jimmie Johnson.  It's easy to hate a guy who makes winning look easy and seems more worried about finishing in a solid position in a Chase race than going for the win.

Johnson seems like a great person outside of NASCAR.

But when it comes to the sport of stock car racing, Jimmie Johnson has become hateable.


All He Does Is Win

Johnson is one of, if not the top, drivers in NASCAR.  He has won on every type of track there is and has been a huge competitor almost every season since The Chase was implemented.  He failed to bring home the championship in 2012, and more than likely, some fans rejoiced.

Blame the Hendrick power that Johnson drives, or the ability of the 48 team and Chad Knaus, but when Johnson needs to deliver, he usually does.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

For this same reason, though, Johnson has become hateable. America loves an underdog story, and Johnson is far from an underdog.  He himself is a fantastic driver, and with top equipment, Jimmie dominated the early years of The Chase.

Eventually other teams were able to catch up to Hendrick's technology, but by then it was too late.

Jimmie Johnson had already become a driver fans started to hate.

He seemed to win everything in the early years of The Chase, and he did so with ease.  That's enough to make fans start booing you, but add in his boring driving style, and no wonder fans started to hate seeing Johnson win.


His Driving Style

Only a handful of drivers can do what Jimmie does, specifically preserve their cars for a majority of the race and eventually push to the front to qualify for the win.

It’s a boring style to some, especially in a sport where fans love to see drivers go for the win instead of playing possum in the back field.

And while conservation is a great strategy, it makes some of the longer races pointless.  Why bother having drivers go for 200 or so Laps if they aren't going to start racing until the last 50?

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Yes, Jimmie Johnson is more content finishing in fifth than trying to push the issue and make a run for first place as he waits until the end of a race to make a push forward.

Then there are the races where Johnson dominates from the beginning, and it seems like no one can catch him.

Either way, his driving style is effective yet boring, and in a sport like NASCAR where fans like to see excitement, it’s easier to hate a guy who drives strategically and conservative than to hate one who puts everything on the line and goes for the win.


Lack Of Personality

Has Jimmie Johnson ever gotten mad?

In the last two season of NASCAR, Johnson has been involved in a feud with Kurt Busch and watched the title slip through his hands.

Yet Johnson is one driver who rarely shows a wide range of emotions.

In 2011, Kurt Busch claimed to be inside Johnson's head, but Jimmie didn't seem rattled.  The two did feud for a bit in 2011 and had crossed paths previously, but Busch always seemed to be the emotional one of the two.

Even after watching the championship slip out of his hands during The Chase last season, Johnson didn't show any real emotions and maintained his stone face personality.

Yes, Johnson has an almost robotic personality.  He never seems to let anything rile him, and when he wins, he acts like it's no big deal.

Nothing bothers Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson seems like a great person outside of NASCAR.  He has a nice family, he's extremely smart and has his own charity foundation.  So to hate Jimmie Johnson as a person seems unrealistic.

Johnson as a driver, though, is a different story.

He has dominated NASCAR for years, constantly wins, has a conservative driving style and lacks personality. 

Which is why Jimmie Johnson is so hateable.



Load More Stories

Follow B/R on Facebook


Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address

Thanks for signing up.