Attention worthy of a champ

Jimmie Johnson (right) said he found out during his media rounds after winning the title last Sunday that people from other sports definitely are following NASCAR racing.

He recounted a conversation with Mike Ditka of NFL fame, who he met at ESPN's studios.

"I introduced myself to him and he said, 'I know who you are, champ, and, by the way, you are a dynasty,' " Johnson said. "And it just shocked me that he had been paying attention to NASCAR."

He received similar accolades from Cris Carter, the NFL wide receiver turned TV analyst.

"When people like that notice what we have done and compare us to other teams in sports history, that's special," he said.

— Rick Minter, Cox News Service