"He cared when he didn't have to": When Brad Keselowski reflected on Jimmie Johnson's unexpected kindness

In 2012, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski shared a friendly exchange on Twitter (currently X), where Keselowski hailed the seven-time Cup Series champion for his unexpected kindness. Recalling an incident from 2011, Keselowski stated that Johnson helped him when he didn't want to.

A year earlier (in 2011), Keselowski crashed in a test at Road Atlanta. Interestingly, Johnson was also there and saw the current RFK Racing driver slam against the wall head-on in turn 1. Johnson, who was with Hendrick Motorsports back then, took his Crew Chief Chad Knaus with him to visit Keselowski.

As Johnson and Knaus reached the accident spot, they were one of the first people to reach Keselowski and helped him get out of the car. The #6 driver averted a major disaster, but he fractured his left ankle. After this, Brad Keselowski was taken to the hospital for immediate treatment, where he received texts from Jimmie Johnson.

The former HMS driver texted that he was happy to hear that Keselowski was doing alright. Keselowski remembered this and showed his gratitude after Johnson beat him to win the 2012 AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

"Thanks for helping me out in Road Atlanta," Keselowski wrote in response to Jimmie Johnson's race winning post, recalling the 2011 incident.

"It's somewhat of a complicated and a personal story, but, essentially, he cared when he didn't have to and I thought that was very nice of him," he further added. [via USA Today]

Jimmie Johnson took a while to recall what happened in 2011. Once he recalled, he stated that he was worried about Keselowski after the latter crashed during the test.

Brad Keselowski claimed his one and only Cup Series championship so far in 2012. With this, he became the first driver since Richard Petty to win the title in a Dodge. He grabbed the title ahead of Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson.

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When Jimmie Johnson made his feelings known about Brad Keselowski

Jimmie Johnson (48) and driver Brad Keselowski (2) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Jimmie Johnson shared his thoughts about fellow NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski in the same interview with USA Today. According to Johnson, Keselowski wouldn't wreck him on purpose, and ruin his race. Johnson added that he's a hard-working racer, and if they made contact, that's only because of racing.

"It never crossed my mind that he would make an intentional move to dump me,'' Johnson said of Keselowski. "There are only a few people out there wired like that. I think in today's world there is probably less like it or not it is just the way it is. People race really, really hard and I think Brad did, but to just go in the corner and dump someone that is tough to do."

"Then you play into the karma thing and then there is always next week. There is a variety of things that come with that. I just don't think there are many guys out there that would haul off into the turn and just dump their competition for the championship."

Jimmie Johnson retired from NASCAR's full-time obligation at the end of the 2020 Cup Series season. He retired with 698 races to his name, where he claimed seven titles, 83 race wins, 36 pole positions, and 374 Top 10s.

Brad Keselowski, on the other hand, is still racing full-time. He completed his 17th season in the top tier of stock car racing and racked up 557 races, a championship, 36 wins, 18 poles, and 263 Top 10s.