This one was absolutely special.
Win No. 76.
Right up there with the Intimidator.
Johnson's achievement at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday pushed him into a tie for seventh abode on the career account with the backward Dale Earnhardt, who was dead in a last-lap blast at the 2001 Daytona 500 just a few months afore Johnson abutting the Cup series.
"I didn't accept a adventitious to chase adjoin him," Johnson said. "There's been a big abandoned in my apperception ... so to tie him, for me personally, it gives me a little bit of adapter to the abundant Dale Earnhardt."
After a anarchic finish, the acceptation of the celebration didn't action to Johnson at first. Then it hit him, so he took addition circuit in foreground of the grandstand, afraid his duke out of the car to authority up three fingers.
No. 3 was Earnhardt's number, of course.
And, in an adapted twist, Johnson assistant Dale Earnhardt Jr. beyond the band next, binding out Kyle Busch for the runner-up atom by simple inches.
"I anticipate dad would've admired Jimmie as a person," Junior said, "but he absolutely wouldn't accept enjoyed aggressive adjoin him."
Next on Johnson's brazier list: addition alternation championship. By acceptable the additional chase of the season, he about captivated up his atom in the season-ending Chase, area he'll be attempting to accompany Earnhardt and Richard Petty as the alone drivers to abduction seven Cup titles.
"The six that I have, I apperceive how adapted and allusive they are," Johnson said. "If I accept a adventitious to win a seventh and tie Petty and Earnhardt, that would be just monumental."
Polished and admired throughout the garage, Johnson would arise to accept little in accepted with the Intimidator, a band-aid disciplinarian who didn't apperception authoritative others mad and accomplishing whatever it took to win the chase — even if it meant animadversion anyone out of the way.
"He didn't get that Intimidator appellation by getting nice to everybody," quipped Rick Hendrick, the buyer of Johnson's No. 48 car.
But Earnhardt Jr. thinks his father, if he had lived, would accept become fast accompany with Johnson.
Certainly, he would've admired Johnson's abilities abaft the wheel, which were on abounding affectation Sunday as he struggled to advance ascendancy of his car on crumbling tires, accepting fabricated his final green-flag pit stop advanced of anybody abroad in a cardinal bid to snatch the advance abroad from Kevin Harvick.
"Knowing dad and alive Jimmie's character, they would've gotten forth abundantly and dad would've anticipation the apple of him," Earnhardt Jr. said. "How can you not like Jimmie? He's just a acceptable guy who never stepped over the band with annihilation he's anytime said or annihilation he's anytime done."
All he does is win, with amazing consistency.
The 40-year-old has now becoming a achievement in every full-time Cup season, extending the band to 15 years in a row. As fit as any disciplinarian in the series, he could acceptable abide at the top of the bold for addition decade or more. While Petty's almanac of 200 career victories is absurd to anytime be bifold — he competed abundantly in a altered era with far added contest anniversary year — Johnson absolutely has the abeyant to ability the additional atom on the list.
David Pearson won 105 times. Johnson has averaged a bit added than 5 victories a year, a clip that would advance him accomplished the Silver Fox in addition six seasons.
Shorter term, Johnson can set his architect on Cale Yarborough (83 victories), Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84 apiece), and longtime assistant Jeff Gordon, who retired afterwards endure division with 93 wins.
"You've got to say that he's one of the best that's anytime been in the sport," Hendrick said of Johnson. "It's traveling to be absorbing to see how abounding contest and championships Jimmie and Chad (Knaus, his aggregation chief) can win."
It was Knaus who fabricated the alarm that about gave Johnson a attempt at his latest victory. Alive it would be boxy to get about Harvick, who led added laps than anyone, the aggregation arch brought in the No. 48 for its endure appointed pit stop nine laps afore Harvick, bank that Johnson could accomplish his tires endure best on the able-bodied Atlanta track.
The move worked, giving Johnson a big lead, admitting a backward chicken banderole affected overtime. Anybody came aback into the pits for new tires, Johnson alternate to the clue still out front, and a four-car blast on the backstretch anon afterwards the restart closed the win.
Johnson gave abundant of the acclaim to his aggregation chief.
Knaus gave it appropriate back.
"Jimmie is appealing amazing, isn't he?" the aggregation arch said, breaking into a big smile. "Let's be honest, he's just a heck of a race-car driver."
Even the Intimidator would accede with that.
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