Still complaining? Give me a break Jimmy Johnson!

RYAN NEWMAN AT TEXAS
 (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

I couldn't believe Jimmy Johnson's initial response after the Texas race when he complained that Ryan Newman raced him too hard. It is even more amazing that almost a week later, Johnson is still in a snit about it.

Get over yourself Jimmy.

You didn't win because you made mistakes. Not only that, Greg Biffle, who actually won the race, was better than you. Newman raced him hard too, but he isn't crying about it!

You wanna be a champion again, act like one, Jimmy.

NASCAR drivers are said to be among the finest drivers in the world. So why is one of them being criticized for doing his job?

Must Jimmy Johnson and his fans be reminded that Newman won the race at Martinsville after being a lap down. Newman is the Bill Clinton of racing; he is a real comeback kid. It is not inconceivable that given the right circumstances, Newman could have ended up with a top-5 or top-10 finish. With 20 laps to go, anything can happen, and often does. With the surprise endings to races, often times with unlikely winners, numerous late-race cautions, and a performance-sensitive points system, every lap, every position is vital.

While it is true that Newman battled an unwieldy race car, throughout the race, it is his job to race. It is in his DNA to race hard every single lap. He should be praised for his fortitude, not criticized.

On a really sad note, I actually read one news item that said Tony Stewart, Ryan's boss and team mate, was in a tenable position because Jimmy Johnson has such a good relationship with Rick Hendrick. Hendrick supplies engines and parts for Stewart-Haas Racing. I couldn't believe my eyes when the writer suggested that Stewart would throw Newman under the bus to keep Hendrick happy. He questioned whether Ryan's job could be in jeopardy because of this incident. All I can say is, what a stretch! What an irresponsible piece of work!

Ryan Newman not why Johnson failed to win at Texas

FORT WORTH, TX - APRIL 12: Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 US ARMY Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

In the course of doing his job, Ryan Newman is getting some flack for ruining Jimmy Johnson's potential to win at Texas.

Johnson has already been quoted as saying he can't understand why Ryan Newman was racing him so hard when Newman was already a lap down and Johnson and Biffle were the class of the field.

I'll tell you why Jimmy...NEWMAN WAS RACING!

That is his job. That is why he was racing hard. He was trying to prevent going two laps down--a much more difficult thing to overcome if a caution came out. Don't forget, Newman was a lap down at Martinsville and came back to win the race.

Just because Newman was a lap down doesn't mean his race was over?

Give me a break. The reason Johnson didn't win the race is because he hit the wall while racing with Biffle. I do not want to hear any blame placed on Ryan Newman for Jimmy Johnson's coming in second.

It was nice to see Greg Biffle win the race. He has raced hard for so long and deserved the win.

I don't know what happened to Newman, except that he was unhappy with his car from the first lap to the last. The situation went from too loose to too tight to way too tight. It was a bad night for Newman--everybody has them. I'm sure he will rebound next week at Kansas.

Aside for this incident, there is little to say about Saturday night's racing at Texas. This was not one of the most exciting races of the year. With so few cautions, positions really didn't change much.

Generally, after a week off, I am anxious to see some really good, competitive racing. This race was far from satisfying. So, on to Kansas.

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