#48-Jimmie Johnson, the first driver in Sprint Cup Series history to win four consecutive championships, is the Sporting News driver of the year, the magazine announced today. Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief since Johnson became a full-time Cup driver in 2002, was voted the top crew chief. The voting was done by Sprint Cup drivers, crew chiefs and owners. Besides the four championships, Johnson and Knaus have combined for 47 Cup wins in 291 starts, a 16.2 winning percentage that ranks Johnson sixth all time.(Sporting News)(12-5-2009)
