Having tied with the record set by Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jimmie Johnson stole the show when he secured his 7th NASCAR Premier Series win this weekend during the Homestead race.
Just a short time after clinching his win by avoiding a fiery crash late in the race, Johnson’s name appeared in headlines catching eyes everywhere. One of those sets of eyes was already tracking his career closely and watch the winning race – those eyes belonged to fellow racer and son of Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Johnson, who races on the same team as Dale Jr. brought great pride to his teammates, the owners, and all of his fans when he secured this record-making title and it was a natural move for Dale Jr. to open up about what his father would have thought of Johnson’s win.
Earnhardt Sr. is known worldwide for his incredible success behind the wheel throughout his nearly three-decade-long career in NASCAR. He has often been regarded as one of the most influential and significant drivers in the history of the sport and the Earnhardt name is synonymous with incredible racing. Tragically, in 2001, Earnhardt died instantly following an impact with another driver during the final lap of the Daytona 500.
Johnson, Earnhardt Sr., and Richard Petty are the only people ever to amass seven title wins in a career and if Johnson has his way – he’s looking to make it eight!
Dale Jr. had been pulled from racing this season due to a bad concussion he suffered during several hard crashes late this summer, but he had been keeping close tabs on Johnson’s career and many times opened up on Twitter about his thoughts on the current racing landscape.
In a new series of tweets from the famous driver, he opens up about what his father would have said regarding Johnson’s win and becoming tied with his record.
“Happy for [Jimmie Johnson]. I wish dad was here to shake his hand,” Dale Jr. writes in one tweet. “Woulda been awesome to see that.”
Happy for @JimmieJohnson. I wish dad was here to shake his hand. Woulda been awesome to see that.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) November 21, 2016
In an statement just shortly after the win, Dale Jr. went on about his father’s thoughts on Johnson, saying that he reiterated his sentiments from his tweet to Johnson himself, adding “Dad would think he’s such a bad-ass.”
“He’s such a great race car driver. How he won this thing tonight, I don’t think a lot of people know, he can will himself to get (his all) out of a car when it matters. There’s a lot of circumstance that played into it, but he put himself in that position,” Dale Jr. told the AP.
Watch the video below of Johnson taking home his 7th win and celebrating!