Dale Earnhardt Jr Reacts to Jimmie Johnson’s Surgery With Story of His Own Legendary NASCAR Father

Following a crash, Jimmie Johnson injured his hand and will undergo surgery. Recently, he posted a picture of his X-ray and declared that he will focus on recovery. In light of this, former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr recalled that another 7-time Cup champion also broke his hand. Obviously, he was referring to his own father, Dale Earnhardt Sr, though the circumstances were a lot different.

It was no secret to Dale Jr that his father was very fond of deer, but not hunting them. In fact, he liked watching the animals simply roaming around his property. So, it wasn’t surprising that Dale Earnhardt Sr became protective of the deer. One person found that out, the hard way when they tried to poach one of the deer on his property.

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What did Dale Earnhardt Jr say about his father?

He said, “A guy was working on a big tractor during the day on Dad’s property. He saw some deer and went to a bar later that afternoon. Happy hour drinking with a buddy of his telling his buddy about the deer. The more they drank, the braver they got. They decided they were going to come back to Dad’s property around dark, jump the fence, and shoot one of the deer.”

What they did not count on, was for Dale Sr and his farm manager to choose that time to walk around the property. Naturally, the NASCAR legend and the manager heard a gunshot and promptly investigated. What tipped them off, was the sight of the spooked deer running helter-skelter.

As a result, the two of them opted to hide in the treeline and waited for the poachers. When that happened, Dale Sr truly earned the nickname, ‘The Intimidator’. This is because he chased one of the poachers, who was armed, tackling him. Then, he proceeded to simply lay into the hapless person, even breaking his hand in the process. However, he managed to control himself, when he recognized his victim as his own farmhand.

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