2011 NASCAR Season: Can Anyone Stop Jimmie Johnson?

NASCAR kicks off the 2011 Season On February 20, Will This Be The Year That Someone Knocks Off Jimmie Johnson?

Jimmie Johnson has been the most dominant driver in NASCAR since 2006. He has won five consecutive points championships, and 35 races in that time.

NASCAR, in an effort to try and make their points championship more competitive, is implementing big changes to their points system this year. These changes are seen as a direct result of Johnson's dominance over the rest of the field.

Under the old point system there was a bit of an emphasis on winning the race, but you could also score a lot of points by leading the most laps or even leading just one lap. That made it easier for drivers to rack up points without actually winning races.

With the new changes, there is a renewed emphasis on winning races. Drivers will now receive 43 points if they win the race, and each subsequent finisher will receive one fewer point than the position before. For example, the winner gets 43 points, second place gets 42, third place gets 41, etc.

Given how good Johnson is as a driver, and how smart he is, these changes will likely not have any bearing on how he races. He understands situations and what he has to do in order to win better than any other driver, and whenever he has to make something happen he is usually able to do so.

We will find out how much these changes make a difference when the NASCAR season gets underway in 12 days with the biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500.

Related Story: Denny Hamlin Could Be The Man To Unseat Jimmie Johnson In 2011