Jimmie Johnson Equates Austin Dillon to Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR Faithful React

Austin Dillon has received a lot of criticism after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway but not everyone is cross with the Richard Childress Racing driver. The North Carolina native drives the iconic #3 Chevy that was once driven by the late great Dale Earnhardt Sr. Some people believe that the current driver of the car did something its predecessor would also have done. One such person who believes that and tweeted the same is former NASCAR full-timer Jimmie Johnson.

Like the Intimidator, Johnson is also a seven-time Cup Series champion. Some say he’s even greater than Earnhardt himself. So it’s no surprise that his opinion holds a lot of value in the NASCAR community today. Some fans agreed with the former Hendrick Motorsports driver’s assessment of Dillon’s last-lap antics. Others, however, believe that the RCR star was in the wrong for intentionally wrecking two drivers to take the checkered flag.

Johnson isn’t the only one who has spoken in favor of Austin Dillon. Team boss Richard Childress also said something along similar lines after the event. When told that his grandson had a similar mentality to Earnhardt by a reporter, he said, “Whatever it takes. I’m so proud of him.” Kenny Wallace was also one of the people who believed that ‘The Intimidator’ would have done the same thing had he been in Dillon’s shoes.

The two drivers he wrecked, however, were left fuming. Both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin sounded off on the 34-year-old on their radios and during post-race interviews. The Team Penske star took it a step further as he burned his tires in the #3 pit box while Dillon‘s family and crew members were celebrating his victory.

Fans torn over Jimmie Johnson’s comparison

Several fans did not agree with Johnson’s comparison of Dillon with Earnhardt and they made their feelings known. “Senior wasn’t a trash product of nepotism,” one user commented. “Jimmie, I love ya, but no,” quipped another. Some fans even urged the seven-time Cup Series champion to delete his tweet before it was too late. But the tweet’s still there. “There’s still time to delete this Jimmie,” one fan wrote. “Dale never right hooked anyone and dumped someone,” added another user.

It was not all bad as several fans agreed with the former HMS driver. “Wow seeing the 3 car do that brought back memories of my childhood watching Sr do similar. What an ending,” one fan commented. “Old school back in the day racing. Period. When did everyone get so soft,” quipped another.

It seems like this debate is not going to die down anytime soon. As a result, fans might even witness further chaos at Michigan as well since Hamlin and Logano might look to exact their pound of flesh from the RCR driver.