Dale Earnhardt Jr. sees Jimmie Johnson as a “phenomenal talent.”
On Sunday, he also saw him tie the 76-win mark in the NASCAR Cup series of his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. It’s a mark Jeff Gordon also hit before retiring from the sport.
MORE: Photos from Atlanta race | Jimmie Johnson ties Dale Earnhardt victory mark
And while Earnhardt Jr. expected Johnson to hit the mark, he says it wasn’t until he got out of his car on Sunday that he realized that it had happened. Earnhardt Jr. had an up-close view of the winning run, too, finishing second to Johnson in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
“It was awesome. … I told him on a couple occasions that when he tied daddy, he'd better say something cool, and he'd better tell them that it's awesome for him to tie him, because I know Jeff had the flag and all that, so that was awesome when your competitors and peers recognize your father like that,” he said to reporters after the race.
“I knew this day was coming, but I didn't know it until we got out of the car. I'm glad if he's going to win and tie that record, I'm certainly glad that I got to run second today.”
Earnhardt Sr. won 76 races in a full-time career that spanned from 1979-2001. The NASCAR Hall of Famer also won seven titles in that run. Johnson has won 76 races and six Cup titles since his full-time Cup career began in 2002.
Asked to compare the racing styles of the two, despite their racing in different eras in different cars, Earnhardt Jr. explained just what it is that he makes Johnson such a talented driver.
MORE: Jimmie Johnson wins at Atlanta | Dale Earnhardt Jr. enthusiastic about Atlanta run
“I don't know, Dad was real rough and pushing people around,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Jimmie is - every time I see Jimmie race, I just think about them dirt trucks, and he just hangs it out. I remember ... one of the first times I saw Jimmie, the Jimmie Johnson on the track that we know today, was in the All-Star Race. He went three wide in the middle of [Turns] 3 and 4 and he turned sideways and never lifted and just kind of banged - he drove the quarter panel on the guy on the outside and had the fender laid on the door of the guy on the inside and beat them both off the corner. I thought, man, it's amazing the car control he has.
“He drives very hard and with - he drives that style that you see them guys run them trucks out west, and that reminds me of Jimmie. I think about, ‘Man, no wonder he's got such good car control and ability to drive the cars as loose and fast.’ He just - you don't ever see - you never hear Jimmie complaining about his car not turning. They always have that thing loose, and he just hangs on and makes it work.”
As to his assessment of Johnson as a driver, Earnhardt Jr. didn't hold back - he clearly thinks a great deal of his teammate. After Sunday's race, he expected Johnson to give credit to crew chief Chad Knaus for making a strategic pit call that gave Johnson track position en route to the win. Earnhardt Jr. wasn't letting him get by with that.
"I don't have a problem calling him the best of this generation even as a competitor of his and having to go out there and race against him," he said. "Obviously he will credit his crew chief and his team. That all has been real consistent throughout his career, and they do deserve some credit, but Jimmie is just a phenomenal talent."