NASCAR is back with a bang after the Olympics. At the Richmond Raceway, Austin Dillon surprised everyone with a win at the short track, ahead of Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. However, his win did not come without controversy. Nearly everyone in NASCAR had an opinion on the incident, and Jimmie Johnson was one of the latest to react.
The 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion made some very interesting analogies. According to him, Dillon’s antics reminded him strongly of the late great Dale Earnhardt. This is largely down to Dale Sr’s ‘Intimidator’ persona, where he had to win at all costs. Dale Earnhardt was infamous for sometimes roughing up his opponents, which people dubbed as ‘intimidating.’
This kind of tactic is probably what helped him to seven NASCAR Cup titles. However, Austin Dillon is as far away from Dale Earnhardt as the Earth from a single star. Don’t get me wrong, Dillon is a decent driver with five wins under his belt, including his latest one at Richmond. However, he is no Dale Earnhardt, simple as that.
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What was so controversial about Austin Dillon’s move?
What’s your reaction? Did Jimmie Johnson just disrespect Dale Earnhardt’s legacy? React! Reactions
As it happened, he was battling with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin for the race lead and win. The race eventually went into overtime and there was a final restart, with Logano and Dillon at the front. When the green flag waved, it was the #22 Team Penske driver who got a better start. He rocketed ahead, but Dillon was right on his tail, and Hamlin was waiting to pick up the pieces.
Heading into the final corner on the final lap, second-placed Dillon made his move. He lunged for it, but not down the inside of the #22 Ford. Instead, he tapped the rear end of the car, sending it into a spin. This was the opportunity that Denny Hamlin was waiting for, to win a fourth Cook Out 400. However, Austin Dillon had other ideas and turned into the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
The result was him right-hooking Hamlin straight into the wall, and the now-unchallenged Dillon won the race. Naturally, Logano and Hamlin, normally bitter rivals, had finally found common ground and a mutual enemy. Safe to say, not many people were impressed with the stunt, least of all, Jimmie Johnson. One could say that his quip about the move giving him “Dale Sr vibes,” was not a compliment at all, but a jibe of sorts.
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However, NASCAR fans, being known to have extremely varying opinions, were not having any of it from Johnson.
NASCAR fans took offense to Jimmie Johnson’s insinuation
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Although he may have meant it one way, NASCAR fans wanted him to keep Dale Sr and Dillon’s names out of his mouth. Some people pointed out, “dale never right hooked anyone and dumped someone.” Meanwhile, another fan took a dig at Jimmie Johnson himself. They grumbled, “Biggest L Jimmie has taken since he retired from full-time racing.”
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Other responses noted that Dale Earnhardt was known for being ruthless, but wouldn’t stoop to this. According to some fans, “Dale Sr would have never done that,” and another fan doubled down on the same emotion, saying, “Dale wouldn’t have been this obvious.” Even his own fans were a bit incredulous with this take, “Jimmie, i love ya, but no.”
Finally, there was that one section of the fanbase, who was offended at the comparison. As per one outraged fan, “austin dillon will NEVER be dale sr.” and they do have some sort of a point, to be fair. Dillon has lots to prove before he’s ready and well comparable to someone of the stature of Dale Earnhardt.