Jimmie Johnson's Fans ~ I Found Them

By Brian Watkins

Brian Watkins

Last week I asked the somewhat rhetorical question- “Where are all the Jimmie Johnson fans?”. Well, I found ‘em; or more accurately, they found me.

I received the most e-mails of any article I’ve written, from a group of people whose very existence I questioned. They assured me that they are alive and well and have access to the internet.

One of the first things I learned about JJ fans is that they are a proud and uncharacteristically kind bunch. I’m not saying they were all friendly, but the batch of messages I received in response to my column was overwhelmingly positive in its tone, which is very unlike many of the responses I get. While none of them convinced me to jump behind the #48, they did convince me that they are indeed out there, and they did I with a minimal use of name calling and swearing, which is always appreciated.

To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are some snippets from my mailbag this week…

“…unlike the fans of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who vehemently boo just about everyone that is not Junior.  We don't jump up and make fools of ourselves like the obnoxious drunks who salute Jr. with a beer can every time he leads a lap.  But then again they have so little to celebrate so merely leading a lap seems monumental. “ - Lanette W

“You NASCAR fans are just jealous of Jimmie's success.” - Debbie

“You're darn right Jimmie Johnson has fans!  After asking where they are, I think you'd better increase the size of your mailbox.  You are about to be inundated with letters from fans who have had more than enough of the Jimmie bashing.” –Rosemary, Hephzibah, Georgia

“Perhaps all the Jimmy (Jimmie) Johnson fans are actually real race fans. Fans that don't have to belong to a "nation", buy all the shirts, hats and diecast and look for the TV camera to focus on them so they can call somebody on their cell phone .” – Jim R

“Yes, JJ may be bland for some people's tastes, but he is dominating Nascar.  I'll take JJ's style over Stewart, Montoya, Edwards,etc... any day of the week.” – Scott (whose email address is nascar48@xxx)

“O we are here! Jimmie Johnson has lots of loyal fans and I talk to alot of them on a daily basis over on the Lowes message boards.. We love our Jimmie..” - Debra C. Piru, CA 

“Well here I am!  I know for a fact that there are so many more of us out there.  I proudly wear my #48 Jacket where ever I go and if it's cold enough my JJ beanie on my head!” - Jennifer J. Arkansas

“Yes, there are more Jr. and Jeff fans but give Jimmie a break. He has more fans out there than you think.” -Jackie1142

“I read your article regarding Jimmie Johnson not having true Johnson fans. Well I am a 210% true Jimmie Johnson fan from New England. I am very proud that he made history this year for a 3peat Championship.” – Paul V. Clarksburg, Ma

“Oh believe me, we're out there. I have recently converted my 4 member family into JJ fans and we all proudly wear our Jimmie clothing. Jimmie's fansites have hundreds of faithful fans....trust me, we're out there.” (?)

“We don't have to line the streets and throw confetti and praise him like a god; we just have to know who we are, what he is, and trust that another season of driving fast, turning left, and outdoing the rest will soon come to past.” – Daryl M.

“I support my driver where it really counts and that's cheering for him on race day and buying his merchandise just like any fan of any driver.  Jimmie knows we're there whether anyone else does or not.” – Carrie

“You may want to look a little harder next time you’re at a race Mr Watkins. I am proud to say that I am a Jimmie Johnson fan and have been one since his first race as a rookie. We may not be covered head to toe in race apparel like the Jr fan next to us or booing drivers like the Kyle Busch fan two rows down…” – Erin K.

As you can see from this sample of the letters I received -- Jimmie Johnson fans are quite polite. I’m still not a fan, but I’ll definitly keep a better eye out for the #48 fans.

Oh -- and just so you don’t go away thinking that ALL Johnson fans are polite, here’s an e-mail I got from someone called kj48:

“YOU ARE A AxxHxxx. Your driver is probably Montoya. You suck”

Thanks for all your letters folks -- I don’t always agree with you, and I don’t always have time to respond, but I read them all and appreciate the time you each have taken to share your thoughts… even kj48.

Here’s wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!!

You can contact Brian Watkins at .. Insider Racing News
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