Jeff Gordon on racing alongside Jimmie Johnson
Despite having just come through the ranks, Johnson had the discipline and work ethic essential to excel in NASCAR. Gordon was quick to spot it and described what it was like to be with Johnson in his early days.
“Jimmie and Chad, they just outworked people, you know, Jimmie came into it pretty humble,” Gordon said on the Stacking Pennies podcast. “He hadn’t had a ton of success, but he was very consistent and very fast. And when you put him in Hendrick equipment, then all the ingredients were there to have success.”
It did not take him long to get used to the team and contend for championships. In fact, Johnson ended up dominating in the Chase format, which was something that Gordon failed to do. But there were quite a few learning moments that happened for him with Johnson.
“I think earlier in my career, I was like Jimmie. I was just a sponge and just all in, whatever it took, and then you have some success, and you’re like, “Yeah, I got this. I’m good.” Right?,” said Gordon. “I think I had to reevaluate and go, ‘No, no, you know, I’ve got to look at data more. I’ve got to work out more.’ You know, I’ve got to bond with the team more. It made me a better race car driver, which I’m thankful for.”
There was almost a decade’s difference between when Gordon began driving for the team and when Jimmie Johnson debuted in 2001 and joined full-time in 2002. Coming from the newer generation, he had a different outlook on racing and consistently developing. Both of the drivers were at the top of their game, and of course, they shared their learnings as they went ahead.
When Johnson and Gordon found themselves in a feud
The 2010 Cup Series race at Talladega was a testament to both the drivers’ performances. Hendrick Motorsports was expected to dominate, but who was going to be the driver to do that? The #24 took on a campaign to chase down Johnson’s #48, and both of them showcased some excellent racing. They were bumper to bumper, wheel to wheel, just battling out to clinch the victory at the superspeedway.
At one point in the race, however, Jimmie Johnson misjudged just how fast his teammate could come into the corner and exit with an overtake, and this was when he ended up making contact with Jeff Gordon. The latter was upset, to say the least.
“I was coming 10 miles an hour faster than anybody, and the 48 is testing my patience, I can tell you that,” Gordon added. “It takes a lot to make me mad, and I am pissed right now. You know when a car is going that much faster. … I don’t know what it is with me and him right now, but whatever,” he said after the race.
The feud between the two drivers appeared quite heated, but Johnson accepted his mistake.
Both drivers had a legendary run. Gordon bid farewell to full-time racing at the end of the 2015 season, and five years later, Johnson followed suit and retired. While Jeff Gordon is still involved with Hendrick Motorsports as their Vice Chairman, Jimmie Johnson fields a team of his own in the Cup Series.
