In a surprising and candid moment that reverberated throughout the NASCAR community, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made headlines when he named Jimmie Johnson and not his legendary father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., as the most talented driver in NASCAR. This unexpected choice revealed during a 2010 interview with SB Nation offered rare insight into Junior’s objective view of the sport and his willingness to look beyond family legacy when evaluating pure racing talent.
The importance of this decision cannot be emphasized enough. As the son of The Intimidator, a seven time Cup Series champion and one of the most well known names in NASCAR Dale Jr. might have defaulted to mentioning his father when asked to identify the sport’s best talent. Rather, his candid evaluation identified both his admiration for his peers and his close knowledge of racing talent regardless of family relationship.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Eye-Opening Take on NASCAR’s Best
When asked point-blank about NASCAR’s most talented driver, Junior thought for a moment before answering, “The most talented driver in the sport is… it’s either Jimmie (Johnson) or Kyle (Busch), probably. Jimmie, I’ve been around him and in certain situations and seen his car control. Same thing with Kyle.”
He didn’t stop there. He went deeper into what made Johnson special: “Jimmie is really intricate in his thinking process on the track. Jimmie is really clever. You know how he’s kind of witty in what he says? He’s that way in his driving, you know what I mean? He’s smart and quick in his decisions in the race car.”
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The timing of Junior’s comments was perfect. Johnson was in the middle of winning five championships in a row from 2006 to 2010. And Junior had a front-row seat to Johnson’s skills as they were teammates at Hendrick Motorsports after Junior left his father’s team in 2008.
While Junior gave Kyle Busch credit for being able to “He just jumps into things (any vehicle) and can make it work,” he seemed most impressed by Johnson’s smarts on the track. Johnson wasn’t just fast, he was clever and quick-thinking behind the wheel.
Junior’s honest take showed how NASCAR was changing. The legends like his dad, Richard Petty, and Jeff Gordon would always be remembered, but Johnson was dominating a new era with different cars and rules. Johnson’s ability to adapt and win impressed everyone, even the son of “The Intimidator.”
For NASCAR fans, Junior’s willingness to pick Johnson over his dad showed both how good Johnson really was and how honest Junior could be even when family legacy was on the line.