"I'll never be the King or the Intimidator" - When Jimmie Johnson adapted a Dale Earnhardt quote to honor NASCAR's greatest

Jimmie Johnson celebrated joining NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt seven years ago by winning his seventh Sprint Cup Series championship.

Driving for Hendrick Motorsports' Johnson won his seventh title at Homestead-Miami in 2016. He started from the back of the pack due to a car inspection issue and climbed up to fifth place. A big crash helped Johnson move up during the end and he passed Kyle Larson on the last restart to win.

During his NASCAR Awards speech in Las Vegas, Johnson took a quote from Earnhardt's speech after he won his seventh title in 1994 and added to it.

"I might have won as many championships as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but I will never be the King or the Intimidator. I’m just a guy from California who always wanted a race," Jimmie Johnson said.

Johnson won five straight championships from 2006 to 2010 and two titles later in 2013 and 2016. Some critics felt NASCAR’s playoff format helped his success, while others believe Johnson's seventh title proved he was one of the greatest.

The 49-year-old has 83 wins over 22 years in the Cup Series.

---

Jimmie Johnson's 2016 season review

Jimmie Johnson won five races in 2016 but started with a 16th-place finish at the Daytona 500. He won his first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which also tied him with Dale Earnhardt for seventh in all-time wins.

Johnson later finished third in Las Vegas and eleventh in Phoenix but won again in Fontana. With two more top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas, he finished 23rd at Bristol and 22nd at Talladega.

Johnson qualified for the Chase (playoffs) and later won the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte and earned a spot in the final Championship race. Johnson won his seventh title at Homestead, tying for the most championships in NASCAR history.

"I'm just beyond words...I didn't think the race was unfolding for us like we needed it to give us a chance. [Crew chief] Chad Knaus called a great strategy and made some great adjustments for this short run. Some luck came our way, and we were able to win the race and the championship," Jimmie Johnson said after winning the race at Homestead.

Johnson left NASCAR to race in the IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 but returned to the Cup Series after he purchased an ownership stake in Legacy Motor Club (formerly Petty GMS Motorsports) in 2022.

For now, he races part-time in the No. 84 Toyota Camry for his team, which he co-owns with Maury Gallagher.