Fans at Martinsville clearly had no interest in seeing Jimmie Johnson win again, as they made their feelings toward the four-time defending Cup champion known by showering him with boos in driver introductions.
Martinsville Fans REALLY Didn’t Want To See Jimmie Johnson Win
Johnson’s boos registered the highest decibel number on SB Nation’s noise meter, ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s cheers.
One puzzling note: Denny Hamlin got a surprising number of boos in his home state. Typically not among the top 10 in crowd noise, Hamlin tied for fourth this week – but most of the noise was negative until he took the microphone and told the fans, “Go Hokies!”
We’re not sure why fans haven’t embraced Hamlin – the primary alternative to Johnson this year. The other title contender, Kevin Harvick, didn’t even make the top 10 in most noise at Sunday’s race.
Here are the complete rankings:
| Driver | dB | Type of Noise | Comment/Explanation | |||
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 91.9 | Boos | Fans REALLY didn't want a JJ win | ||
| 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 90.5 | Cheers | Still most popular | ||
| 3 | Kyle Busch | 89.3 | Boos | No love for Rowdy | ||
| T4 | Denny Hamlin | 89.2 | Mostly boos | Puzzling; Why boos in his home state? | ||
| T4 | Mark Martin | 89.2 | Cheers | The sentimental pick | ||
| 6 | Jeff Burton | 88.1 | Cheers | Local favorite | ||
| 7 | Jeff Gordon | 87.9 | Mix | Fans softening on dislike this year | ||
| 8 | Tony Stewart | 86.9 | Cheers | Can do no wrong in his fans' eyes | ||
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | 86.6 | Cheers | Many new Red Bull fans | ||
| 10 | Ryan Newman | 85.6 | Cheers | Outside pole-sitter |
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