EXCLUSIVE: Talladega’s Fan Favorite Xfinity Underdog Reveals Jimmie Johnson’s Defining Trait That Propelled Him to Superhero Stardom

A good underdog story is something that every sports fan loves to see and NASCAR is no different. At the Xfinity Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway, Mason Massey was that underdog who delivered a fantastic result as he finished P11 for SS-Green Light Racing. Ahead of the race, the 27-year-old spoke about his idols in an Exclusive Interview with EssentiallySports. He mentioned Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch as drivers he looks up to, especially expressing his admiration for the way the 7-time Cup Series champion carried himself.

Johnson has made an impression on several drivers today. Obviously, winning those many titles will make people see you as a legend. But for Massey, the Legacy Motor Club owner is the greatest of all time.

“Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson were my two favorites growing up. Always liked the way Jimmie Johnson carried himself, obviously the best to ever do it, I think. It’s always the guys at the level that you want to be at, that’s the guys you look up to, and like, as a kid they seem like superheroes to you. Obviously, Kyle Busch is one of the best to ever do it too so those are two guys I looked up to as a kid,” he said in the Exclusive Interview with EssentiallySports.

Massey, a full-time driver in the NASCAR Truck Series with Young’s Motorsports, had his best finish this year with P11 at the Martinsville Speedway. It was incredible that he was able to match that in his very first Xfinity Series race of the season and that too at a track like the Talladega Superspeedway.

Mason Massey reveals his pre-race mental preparation that paid off

When asked about his pre-race preparation, the 27-year-old said that it was just about racing smart. Talladega is infamous for huge wrecks and you’d need to do well to avoid them and finish the race. That’s exactly what Massey had running through his head. And it worked!

“You really just get your head right. Places like Talladega, Daytona, places like that, you know anything can happen. You know it’s dangerous, you know you have a really good chance of wrecking obviously so you gotta have your head right, go out and do what you got to do and just kind of be smart in the race, make it to the end cause if you wanna finish first you gotta finish, so it’s the biggest thing,” he said before the race.

Mason Massey was a happy man when he walked out of his car on Saturday and it seemed like he was confident ahead of the race in the Exclusive Interview with EssentiallySports. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the driver as he keeps taking strides towards becoming a bigger motorsports star.