CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson pulled out his phone on Tuesday to show that his alarm always is set on 6:48 a.m. He usually sets the microwave for a minute and 48 seconds, and he has been known to share what his fortune cookie says.
I once saw the five-time defending Sprint Cup champion go back to a candy basket at a restaurant in Daytona Beach half a dozen times until he got one close to the blue color of his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.
But Johnson insists he's not superstitious, particularly about being on the upcoming cover of Sports Illustrated.
"There's a curse?" Johnson asked a group of reporters Tuesday during an appearance at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Well, yeah. It's kind of famous as far as curses go.
It began in 1954 with Atlanta Braves third baseman Eddie Matthews. Shortly after he appeared on the cover in the magazine's inaugural year, Mathews broke his hand and missed seven games.
The list goes on and on. In 1958, race driver Pat O'Conner was killed on the first lap of the Indianapolis 500 four days after appearing on the cover. In 1956, Indy 500 winner Bob Sweikert was killed in a Sprint Car crash three weeks after his cover shot.
More recently, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler appeared on the Jan. 19, 2011 cover and promptly injured his knee in a loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
Not everyone falls victim to this curse, mind you. Michael Jordan appeared on the cover 49 times and did pretty well for himself with six NBA titles and countless MVP awards.
"It didn't seem to bother me in '06 or '07, or whenever we were on it," Johnson said.
Actually, it was November 2008. By then Johnson had won his third straight title.
This appearance, though, comes in the heat of a playoff run, which Johnson is handling just fine with consecutive second- and first-place finishes to move within four points of leader Carl Edwards.
"There is nothing to worry about," said Johnson, destined to be one of the Hall's most prestigious members. "If I lose the championship it has nothing to do with being on the cover of a magazine. It means we didn't do our jobs or had some bad luck.
"I think talk about a curse thing is a bunch of B.S."
David Newton | email
ESPN Staff WriterABOUT THIS BLOG
David Newton
David Newton, an award-winning NASCAR writer, began as a national motorsports columnist at ESPN.com in December 2006. Prior to joining ESPN.com, Newton served as the lead writer for NASCAR.com.
Newton previously covered NASCAR, the Carolina Panthers, Clemson University and University of South Carolina athletics for The State in Columbia, S.C., from 1984 to 2006. He also served as a correspondent for Sports Illustrated, and covered seven Super Bowls, dozens of college bowl games, five Masters, two U.S. Opens, two men's Final Fours, one women's Final Four and every major race on the NASCAR circuit.
The 1981 Wofford College graduate has won numerous state and national press association awards, including the 2009 Aflac Motorsports Journalism Award and second place in the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) columnist category. He also grabbed second-place national honors for his coverage of University of South Carolina football from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) in 1992 and the award for excellence in news reporting from the South Carolina State Press Association in 2002. He has broken major national stories, including the Carolina Panthers' steroid scandal in 2004.
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