"Every time he is on the track, it's like he is on the edge" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 'a little bit nervous' about Jimmie Johnson's first Indy 500 appearance

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will compete in his first Indy 500 this week. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is afraid that the 46-year-old driver may push too hard and end up in trouble. He believes that the El Cajon, California native knows his limits and nobody is going to tell him how to approach the race.

Earnhardt Jr. expressed his opinion on his former NASCAR teammate's chances in the race in a media interview on Tuesday. He said:

“I’m a little bit nervous because he seems to be pushing to the max, everything. Every time he is on the track, it’s like he is on the edge.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed concerned while mentioning that Johnson had already come close to a disaster during practice and qualifying ahead of the race. The current NASCAR driver was referring to qualifying when Jimmie Johnson nearly lost control of his car at 235 mph and required a spectacular save to keep his drive alive. He went on to say:

“I am full of anxiety that, you know, he’s going to push, push, push too hard, and something might, somehow that might put him in a bad situation. He’s got so, so close a few times already this month to some bad situations.”

Jimmie Johnson will be making his Indy 500 debut on May 29, 2022. His father Gary Johnson will be his spotter.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. trusts Jimmie Johnson in the 106th Indianapolis 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not the only driver to be scared for Johnson's debut this weekend; former F1 driver Romain Grosjean called the incident in qualifying scary. However, Earnhardt Jr. claims that he trusts that the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion knows what he is doing on the track.

The NBC Sports crew previewed the 106th Indianapolis 500 on a media conference call on Tuesday afternoon where everyone shared their views. Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned that he is rooting for his former teammate to have a "great experience" on Sunday.

He said:

“He’s a pro, and you trust that he knows what he is out there doing and understanding the limit of the car. I’m just pulling for him to have a great experience in the race and have a result that he can be happy with and smile about in the end.”

The 106th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race will be presented by Gainbridge from the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will take place this Sunday, on May 29, 2022. It will be broadcast at 11 a.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Universo.