One does not win seven NASCAR Cup Series championships without having a rock-solid mentality. Hendrick Motorsports icon Jimmie Johnson achieved the feat most recently, proving his finesse behind the wheel, as well as his mental fortitude as a driver.
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Dale Earnhardt Sr. did it before him. This begs the question, is Johnson’s mental game greater than that of his predecessor? His longtime friend and former competitor Tony Stewart thinks so.
Johnson and Stewart raced each other between 2001 and 2016. They have 132 race wins and 10 championships between the two of them. What they also share is a strong friendship that has transcended competition.
It was Johnson who inducted Stewart into the Hall of Fame in 2020. This deep bond is what has given Stewart a proper perspective of who Johnson is as a driver and a human being.
Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart – Fontana 2011 pic.twitter.com/kzBiJkUyU2
— Nascarpixtures (@Nascarpixtures) February 26, 2023
He told Racer Magazine in 2022, “He was just a machine. You couldn’t rattle the guy. It didn’t matter what you did; he focused on what he was doing and didn’t care what you were doing around or behind him. If Dale (Earnhardt) Sr. was around during his era of championships, he would not have been able to rattle Jimmie Johnson. He just wouldn’t. Jimmie is just that solid.”
Stewart showered his friend with high praise time and time again, but the words that edge him above Dale Earnhardt Sr. do stand apart to date. The Intimidator was particularly known for his mental prowess and ability to instill fear into his opponents. It would have been a lovely sight to watch him witness Johnson doing the same, but unfortunately, the world lost him too early.
When Dale Earnhardt tested Johnson’s mental strength
Earning the respect of Earnhardt Sr. is not an easy task. Many have given a shot at it and failed. But Johnson did it long before he was even a professional race car driver in NASCAR.
The year was 1997 and he was in his early-20s when he got the chance to meet the legend for the first time. Following a short conversation, Earnhardt had thrown him a pocket knife to keep as a gift.
Just when he was beginning to feel at ease, the Intimidator demanded that the knife wasn’t for free and asked him for a penny in return. The now Legacy Motor Club owner did not have one at the time.
Johnson narrates, “He said if I didn’t give him one I would give him 10 years bad luck. And I knew he was superstitious, so I went looking for a penny.” He panicked, not being able to find a coin anywhere.
A long search ultimately yielded him one and he brought it back to Earnhardt dripping in sweat. Needless to say, he’d passed the test. The legend gave him a pat on the back and winked.
The lore is that if Earnhardt messed with someone in this fashion, it meant that he liked them. Perhaps he could guess what that penniless kid in his office was capable of doing behind the wheel.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. also once told Johnson that his father would’ve loved racing against him. The seven-time champion explained, “I spoke to Junior a little bit [six months ago]. And he shared with me that he really feels like his dad would have had a ton of respect for me and would have enjoyed racing against me and we would have had a great friendship.”
It’s a shame that the world never got to see any of it, but such is the world of motorsports, reminding everyone of its wrath just as people start to get comfortable.
