'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jimmie Johnson's victory in the 2016 Folds of Honor at Atlanta marked his 76th Cup series win and equaled him with the great Dale Earnhardt. But long before Johnson equaled Earnhardt's Cup wins he had earned the respect of the 'Intimidator'.
In 1997, Johnson was still finding his feet in NASCAR as a driver under the mentorship of the Truck Series' then-defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr. Hornaday, who drove for Dale Earnhardt Inc., once took Johnson to meet the legendary #3 at his garage. Earnhardt met the 22-year-old and greeted him by gifting him a pocket knife to calm his nerves.
As Johnson began to relax, the moment turned into a test for the rookie. The gift came with a price as Earnhardt demanded a penny that made Johnson giggle which was met with a deadly stare.
Trending
"I didn't have a penny. He said if I didn't give him one, I would give him 10 years (of) bad luck. And I knew he was superstitious, so I went looking for a penny," Jimmie Johnson said via ESPN after his Atlanta win.
The intimidated Jimmie Johnson frantically searched for the penny in Hornaday's truck, the parking lot finally yielding one. He returned to Earnhardt, receiving a pat on the back and trademark wink, meaning he had passed the test. This left a lasting impression on the young driver who now also shared a piece of history with him.
Johnson had long been an admirer of the Intimidator, whose aggressive style laid the foundation for drivers in his generation. He acknowledged the feat of matching him at seventh in the all-time Cup winners list with a three-finger salute on the victory lap at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
After the race, speaking to ESPN, Johnson added:
"I spoke to (Earnhardt) 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.
Driving the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson held off Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the race under caution in overtime.
Jimmie Johnson equaled another Dale Earnhardt record at season-end
Jimmie Johnson's admiration for Dale Earnhardt didn't stop at equaling the icon's 76 Cup wins. Johnson went past that and won four more races that season, winning his seventh championship. This equaled the record for most championships in NASCAR, joining the ranks of elite racers like Richard Petty and Earnhardt.
Johnson won the final at Miami and finished the season three points ahead of Team Penske's Joey Logano. The final race saw a red flag come out after a muti-car wreck caused by Logano, as Johnson held off Kyle Busch to clinch the 2016 NASCAR Cup. The trembling rookie who once searched for a penny for Earnhardt, now stood alongside him as a seven-time champion.
