Jimmie Johnson and his immense success, back in the day, put a target on his back. Everyone tried to get the better of him as he raced his way to the victory lane. With all eyes on him, the driver once got into a debate that revolved around a big fine NASCAR imposed on him. However, many still argue whether that fine was even fair.

So what actually happened?

After the Cup Series race at Pocono, back in 2004, NASCAR gave a $10,000 fine to the driver of the #48 car. His crime? Well, Johnson, being a Gatorade athlete, blocked the bottle of Powerade, on top of his car in the victory lane. However, Powerade sponsors NASCAR, and the two energy drink brands are direct competitors.

Of course, this didn’t sit well with NASCAR, as they made Johnson pay the hefty sum. Subsequently, the debate is on whether it’s fair or not, as the people brought forth their points.

“NASCAR blatantly looking at its competitors and saying ‘our contractual obligations and relationships with our sponsors are more important’. And that is crap.”

Another person added, “I don’t think it’s right to put a driver in that position.” To which a fellow reporter replied, “They put everybody in that position. They do it in countless areas, countless times. They sell the same thing to two different companies and expect them to deal with it.”

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This really brings a lot of eyes to NASCAR and their judgment on penalties. Now, we’ll let you decide whether it was fair or not. Let us know in the comments.

Jimmie Johnson Was Not The Only One To Blame

Jimmie might have not been fair to NASCAR’s sponsor. But he’s not the only one to blame. In fact, in that very video, we see a NASCAR official, Dave Finley, be a partner in crime with Johnson.

The reporters pointed it out, too.

“We see the sign fall off that car. Dave Finley picked that sign up and put it back there. He’s just as guilty.”

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In the end, it’s arguably not the fairest fine NASCAR has imposed on a driver. NASCAR could have fined Johnson to set an example for the other driver. However, what do you think?