Published 12/31/2022, 10:15 AM EST
If every single rival of yours in an extremely competitive environment has nice things to say about you consistently, despite the obvious and natural sour moments, chances are, you’re Jimmie Johnson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is regarded by his peers, his fans, and everyone in and out of the sport as a true gentleman.
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This sentiment was also recently echoed by Brad Keselowski.
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 01: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet, walks on stage during driver intros for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 01, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The RFK Racing owner raced alongside and against Johnson for many, many years, having tight intense battles for race wins and championships. But despite that, Keselowski only has high praise for a man he holds in the highest regard.
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“What always impressed me the most—in retrospective—about Jimmie is just how cool and calm he always seemed,” Keselowski said in an interview with RACER. “In a lot of environments, surrounded by some people that could rile you up pretty quickly, and how he was always California cool.
“I have a great amount of respect for that because he found a way to deliver in some tough spots.”
Brad Keselowski recalls his #1 Jimmie Johnson story
Furthering his stance on Johnson, Keselowski described the time when he got into a wreck and the former #48 driver did what no one else did for him. “My No. 1 story for Jimmie is when I had a wreck at Road Atlanta in a test, and everyone else drove by but him; he stopped and helped,” Keselowski said.
The #6 driver recalls Johnson having “a certain class” and a sense of empathy.
“He was never an ego guy. I guess we all have our egos, but his ego, given his performance, was incredibly low, which I respected about him and still respect about him to this day,” Keselowski added.
Mar 12, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) during qualifying for the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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Keselowski & Johnson head to head on track
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During all those years they raced against each other in NASCAR in the past, Jimmie Johnson got the better of Brad Keselowski on most occasions. It was only once in his 35 career wins when Keselowski finished ahead of the seven-timer.
Along with that, whenever Johnson won a race, which happened a lot, it was only four times that Keselowski managed to be the runner-up to him.
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But that’s the story until now. In 2023, Johnson will start his second innings in NASCAR, while Keselowski is already a year into his. Both driver-owners will be looking to reignite their rivalry on track while also maintaining mutual respect. As for who comes out on top this time around, well, time will tell.