William Byron gives two-word response to 'GOAT' Jimmie Johnson wishing him on his birthday

William Byron's reply to Jimmie Johnson on his birthday wish arguably gave an insight into his his take on the NASCAR "GOAT" debate. The debate between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon has been a hot topic among fans.

As Johnson wished Byron a happy birthday, Byron replied, labeling him the "GOAT" (greatest of all time) with the emoji of a goat.

"Thanks 🐐"

The 2000s era in NASCAR saw Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in fierce rivalry. Both drivers were seemingly in a league of their own, and as Johnson managed to win seven Cup Series championships (equalling the all-time maximum with Richard Petty), Gordon also put in four titles in his cabinet.

The drivers were simply one of the best that the sport ever witnessed, and even though it isn't very hard to decide who the best was based on statistics, fans have always been divided. Some consider Gordon's driving more consistent than Johnson's, while some debate that the latter has more titles.

William Byron was previously a teammate of Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports. He has also talked about his obsession with the driver as a child, mentioning how he went to races wearing his merchandise. Hence, he also regarded him as one of the greatest of all time when replying to his birthday wish.

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William Byron reminisces when he first met Jimmie Johnson

As a kid, Byron was a huge Jimmie Johnson fan. His racing career wouldn't start until 2012. Before this, he won around 100 races in iRacing. JR Motorsports signed him in 2014 for the late model racing program and moved to the K&N Pro Series a year later.

William Byron was promising in the junior series, and JR Motorsports moved him up to the Xfinity Series in 2017 where he won the championship in his debut season. Hendrick Motorsports then signed him up for the Cup Series, alongside his childhood hero Jimmie Johnson.

The 27-year-old once revealed that his first interaction with Johnson was when he was racing in the Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

"I think that the first interaction I had with Jimmie was when I was running in the Truck Series," William Byron said. "I was next to him at a media day and he was answering questions and I was answering questions and I was kind of shell-shocked by that."

Further talking about his childhood obsession with Johnson, Byron said:

"I went to every race. I had a #48 hat and honestly, every race I went to, he was my guy. So I remember almost all the paint schemes that he ran."

Jimmie Johnson retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2020 season with seven championships and 83 race wins. He currently takes part on a part-time schedule with Legacy Motor Club, where he is also a co-owner.