I saw ESPN was trying to decide who the greatest athlete of all time is, and was curious what you guys would say?  Of importance here, we may disagree on what an “athlete” is.  We also may disagree on how exactly to measure up greatness, but I will be doing it by how dominant somebody was at their sport. Anyhow here’s my top 10, tell me yours and why you disagree with mine.

10. Tom Brady

9. Pele

8. Tony Hawk

7. Tiger Woods

6. Willie Mays

5.Jimmie Johnson

4. Muhammad Ali

3.Michael Phelps

2. Wayne Gretzky

1. Michael Jordan

I am a believer in Keselowski, I believe he will be a champion and believe he is a good champ for the sport.  But this championship is about another man, a man by the name of Roger Penske.  Remember Roush, Gibbs, Childress and Hendrick have all won a championship already at NASCAR’s highest level.  I admire Penske, he is a self made billionaire who knows more about cars than just about anyone.  But through all that, Penske has done things the right way and he expects his teams to.  His teams do not push the limits like the 48 team and while that may not be smart it is certainly admirable.  Penske deserves a championship for taking a risk on Keselowski and for the strides his team’s have made.  He sticks with guys who struggle to begin with like Keselowski and Hornish, and now it is time for him to be rewarded.  

Take a look at my reasons and then tell me why I’m right or why I’m wrong

Owners:
1. Rick Hendrick- This is a guarantee, his cup championships with Labonte, Gordon, and Johnson pretty much make him a lock.

2. Richard Childress- His success with Dale Sr. puts him among the best

3. Jack Roush/ Joe Gibbs- To me they are almost equal, both have cup championships and have produced boat loads of talent.

Crew Chiefs:
1. Chad Knaus- Nobody pushes the limits more and ultimately nobody has more current championships.  

2. Greg Zippadeli- He hasn’t had success recently but his success with Smoke makes him a pretty safe bet.

Drivers:
1. Jimmie Johnson- He accomplished something nobody has ever done before, that is enough plus he has over 50 victories.

2. Jeff Gordon- He’s still a 4-time champ and one of the sports great ambassadors.

3. Tony Stewart- He has 3 championships and one as an owner, few people drive a car like Smoke.

4. Matt Kenseth- He’s a rookie of the year, Coke 600, 2 time Daytona 500, and Sprint Cup champ, that should be all that is needed.

5. Dale Jr.- Not off of driving alone but his impact on the sport is huge.  He kept the sport going after the death of his father and deserves some credit.

Something left to prove:

Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch,Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Steve Addington, Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske, Danica Patrick