Dale Earnhardt Jr. is of the opinion that the retiring seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson doesn’t get the appreciation he deserves.
Johnson is set to grace the race track as a full-time Cup driver in the 2020 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. He will begin his IndyCar journey next season and leaves NASCAR with 7 titles and 83 wins.
Speaking about the retiring driver, former NASCAR driver Earnhardt Jr. said:
“I always felt like we never really appreciated Jimmie in the moment.
“He’s a living legend, doing all those things right there. I don’t think, as an industry, we really appreciated how good he was.”
You can tell just how bad Dale Jr. feels for Jimmie Johnson that he wasn't able to have a real farewell tour in his final season. So much respect here. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/syO3jkP15t
— Matt Mayer (@MatthewMayerCBS) November 5, 2020
With the pandemic, Johnson will not be afforded a real farewell tour and there will only be limited fans in the race track to see the Legend’s final race of his full-time racing career.
In light of the record that Johnson has an equal number of wins as NASCAR greats, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty, he is not always considered in the same bracket as these two races.
Johnson himself reiterated that he doesn’t see himself as high as these two drivers.
While he might not be appreciated as much as he should be, Johnson leaves a legacy that may be no other modern driver can match.
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