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CUP: Johnson Named Top Athlete By AP
Jimmie Johnson was the overwhelming choice as Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted December 21, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Jimmie Johnson holds his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship trophy during awards week in Las Vegas. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Jimmie Johnson, who this year became the first driver in history to win four consecutive Sprint Cup championships, was named Male Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press. He is the first race-car driver to ever be so honored.

AP-member newspaper editors gave Johnson 42 votes, with tennis star Roger Federer and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt the only other two to receive vote totals in the double-digits. Finishing with nine votes each were Albert Pujols, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods.

Johnson won seven races this season, including four in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, to win the championship by the largest margin since the Chase format was introduced in 2004.

For his Sprint Cup career, which began in 2002, Johnson has amassed 47 race victories, 117 top-five and 180 top-10 finishes in 291 starts, all behind the wheel of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. In eight full-time Cup seasons, Johnson has never finished lower than fifth in points. His earnings are more than $82 million.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of "Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED," and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to





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