“We Never Really Appreciated Jimmie”- Dale Earnhardt Jr. Feels Jimmie Johnson Deserved a Better Farewell
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BROOKLYN, MI – JUNE 11: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, gestures while on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season marks the final season for Jimmie Johnson. The 45-year-old is set to walk away from the sport after 2 decades, with 7 titles and 83 wins.
Sadly, he is not competing for a record-breaking 8th Cup Series crown. Instead, the contenders are Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott.
Recently, former driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr, spoke about Johnson not getting a chance for a last hurrah. He said, “I always felt like we never really appreciated Jimmie in the moment.
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“He’s a living legend, doing all those things right there. I don’t think, as an industry, we really appreciated how good he was.”
Dale Jr. in
sisted that 5 Cup Series titles in a row are nothing to scoff at. He also admitted that nobody in their wildest dreams would have imagined him winning 7 times. The tally that Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty achieved seemed unattainable.
Why Jimmie Johnson should have gotten a better farewell
Over the years, the stock car series has gotten increasingly competitive, so their achievements are incredible. According to Dale Earnhardt Jr, he felt that he should tell Jimmie Johnson how much he is appreciated in the sport.
He said that the fans should do more to embrace the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
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HAMPTON, GA – MARCH 03: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 3, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
It has been well-established that Jimmie Johnson is not just a great driver, but also a great personality. In the 2020 season, Dale Jr. admitted that he was glad that Johnson was finally going to get the love and appreciation that he deserves.
However, it didn’t really happen that way. Even if he did, it was on a lesser scale, though Jimmie Johnson isn’t too torn up about it.
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At least Dale Jr. is happy that even though he is no longer in NASCAR, Johnson would still be behind the wheel. Even better than that, when he hangs up his boots for good, he could still remain involved in the sport.
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