USA Today via Reuters
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA FireKeepers Casino 400-Qualifying, Jun 10, 2016 Brooklyn, MI, USA Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. left talks with Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson , right, prior to qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports, 10.06.2016 16:05:00, 9333817, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAaronxDosterx 9333817
USA Today via Reuters
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA FireKeepers Casino 400-Qualifying, Jun 10, 2016 Brooklyn, MI, USA Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. left talks with Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson , right, prior to qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports, 10.06.2016 16:05:00, 9333817, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAaronxDosterx 9333817
Dale Earnhardt Jr was a top-class driver in his heyday. Since his retirement, he has focused more of his efforts on the success of his Xfinity team, JR Motorsports. However, he is hardly the only Cup Series driver-turned-team owner, as Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski, all have joined the party in the past 15 years. Jimmie Johnson was late to the party but last year, he announced that he was joining hands with Richard Petty to form the Legacy Motor Club team.
Legacy Motor Club is pretty much a rebrand of Richard Petty Motorsports, with Johnson having more of a stake in the team. However, in a recent conversation with Chip Ganassi on The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Jr made some surprising revelations about the talks of a partnership between him and Johnson.
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A Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jimmie Johnson partnership would have been insane
Dale Jr’s JR Motorsports has seen much success in the Xfinity Series, CARS Tour, and iRacing Series. Obviously, there must have been talks of an expansion to the Cup Series, but there was a $35 million stumbling block in the way.
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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 30, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Towards the end of the conversation on the podcast, Chip mentioned this and egged Dale Jr on to bring up his team to the Cup Series. Chip mentioned that he had encouraged Jimmie Johnson to do so as well. Coincidentally, Junior had something to add to it. He said that he and Jimmie had considered getting into a partnership earlier.
Junior added, “Me and him were on the Zoom calls, nearly close to teaming up before he chose to go to Legacy. I was like, ‘We should do it together.’ We were going to call it Junior Johnson Racing.”
However, it did not pan out. Considering how hyper-excited NASCAR fans were when Johnson partnered with Petty earlier this year, it is worth imagining how the NASCAR community would have reacted had the most prolific driver of the modern era joined hands with the most popular one!
WATCH THIS STORY: “The Thing He Kept Close to His Chest & Didn’t Share With You” – Jeff Gordon Reveals How Dale Earnhardt Kept Him in the Dark
