While Jimmie Johnson might be adored by fans and NASCAR professionals alike, it must not have been nice to come up against him during his prime.
As a seven-time Cup champion, Johnson took the Cup Series by storm, winning five consecutive Cup titles. And many of his competitors at this time must have hated to race against him.
One such driver was another Nascar legend, Jeff Burton. Seeing his dad lose to the former Hendrick Motorsports drive didn’t go well for Harrison Burton.
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And now that he gets a chance to race against Johnson, Burton wants to take revenge against him for winning so much against his dad.
“I always hated Jimmie Johnson when I was a little kid because he would win all the races I wanted my dad to win and win the championships that, my dad, I wanted him to win. So, I have to beat him to avenge my dad, right?'” Burton said.
“It’s really cool for a young guy like me to race someone that has won seven championships in our sport. When you first get into Cup, that’s not even like a thought in your brain that you want to win seven championships one day. You just want to win your first race.”
Burton is now in his second full-time Cup season with Wood Brothers Racing after a good rookie season last year driving the No. 21 Ford.
While he might get to race against Johnson, it certainly won’t be like racing against him during his prime.
Johnson returned to the Cup Series after retiring from full-time Cup racing back in 2020. He returns as a co-owner of Legacy Motor club, where he will also take part in select Cup races.