The racing community truly believed no one could match Richard Petty’s record. Until Dale Earnhardt Sr also won his seventh championship in 1994. But surely the Intimidator’s titles could not be equaled? That changed as well when Jimmie Johnson became the third NASCAR driver to win seven Cup Series trophies in 2016.

But just like Earnhardt before him, Johnson did not forget who started it all. In his acceptance speech at the time, the NASCAR Hall of Famer included a touching tribute to two of the greatest pillars in racing history. 

Jimmie Johnson borrowed Dale Earnhardt’s championship speech after tying his record

In 1979, Richard Petty finished ahead of Darrel Waltrip in Ontario to clinch his seventh title. Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson eventually tied that record, but neither of them ever came close to the King’s all-time Cup race wins record of 200. Johnson’s 83 wins and Earnhardt’s 76 are both staggering numbers in their own right. But even combined, they fall 41 victories short of Petty. Moreover, in 1967, the King created another phenomenal record that might never be broken in the present or future.

Three of Petty’s championships came prior to the Winston Cup era, and the second one was truly spectacular. Richard Petty won 27 out of 48 races that year and as the racing community watched agog, 10 of those races were won in a row. No one else could accomplish that feat in the past 56 years, and perhaps no one ever will. This is why in 1994, the Intimidator himself acknowledged the crown Petty had worn while accepting his seventh trophy. Taking a page out of his book, Jimmie Johnson followed suit.

Watch this story: A thanksgiving message from Jimmie Johnson

As Johnson stood on the stage in front of racing luminaries in 2016, he admitted to studying Dale Earnhardt’s speech. He said, “I took a quote from his speech from the person that bringing him to the stage in 1994 after he won his seventh. Quoting Dale, ‘I might have won as many championships as Richard Petty but he will always be the King.’ I completely agree and must say, I might have won as many championships as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt but I will never be the King or the Intimidator. I’m just a guy from California. We have always wanted to race.”

Unlike Petty, however, Johnson had to finish ahead of three competitors to reach that revered stage.

Richard Petty believed NASCAR needed those milestones periodically

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After five back-back championships from 2006 to 2010, Jimmie Johnson had to wait till 2013 for his sixth title. When the elimination format was introduced in 2014 and Johnson finished outside the Top 10, it was presumed his championship days were over. But in 2016, he won four races to qualify for the Championship 4 race in Homestead, along with Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Carl Edwards.

But after a dominating run, Edwards attempted to block Logano and wrecked himself, giving new life to Johnson’s run. In the overtime restart, Johnson proved why he deserved the seventh title as he raced ahead of Logano and Busch, all the way past the finish line. Before the race, the King claimed he would be fine if Johnson shared his record.

As reported in Savannah Morning News, Petty said back in 2016, “NASCAR needs something different, something new every once in a while. It would be big if somebody was going for No. 4 or 5 (championships). No. 7 would be really special.” And Jimmie Johnson could certainly attest later that it was indeed really special.

Jimmie Johnson Reveals His Favorite NASCAR Moment of the Year