When the NASCAR Cup Series finale at Phoenix concludes, it will be the end of an era. Jimmie Johnson will walk away from the sport after two glorious decades of establishing himself as a legend.

Ahead of his final outing in a NASCAR machine, he posted a touching message to the Hendrick Motorsports team as well as his family. He centered it mostly around the theme of family, as he pretty much considered HMS his family.

He said, “Family, it’s a simple word that carries a lot of weight.

“It’s the people who love you when you don’t love yourself. The one’s who push you to be better than you ever thought you could be. One’s who sacrifice everything for you, put you first. Encourage your dreams. That’s family.”

Jimmie Johnson talks about his family

Johnson confessed that his family started off small. However, he never gave up on his dreams, no matter how lofty they were. Every time he took a step towards his dream, there was always someone by his side, encouraging him.

Later on, as his dreams grew, his family grew in tandem. Coming to his family itself, he picked some of them, but most gravitated towards him. In the end, he realized that the people he surrounded himself with helped him achieve his dream or helped it grow.

His family made him faster, tougher, smarter, and they also learned how to celebrate. Jimmie Johnson insisted that the #48 car and team occupied a huge branch on his family tree.

As a parting note, he acknowledged that there were three special people who supported him the most. They loved him, supported him, and believed in him from the bottom of their hearts.

However, they also sacrificed some of their dreams in order for the 45-year-old to realize his own. Now, he insisted that this was their turn to realize and pursue their dreams, and his to be their cheerleader.