NASCAR: Five Things Fans Were 100 Percent Right About

Jimmie Johnson Will Never Equal Dale Earnhardt Sr.

It’s no secret that NASCAR fans are very protective of the legacy of Dale Earnhardt. Not only do they exemplify this by tearing apart every unlucky soul that makes the mistake of comparing the legend to one of today’s young guns, they also show it by voicing their displeasure anytime someone breaks one of Earnhardt’s many records in the sport.

For example, let’s go back to 2007, where Jeff Gordon had just surpassed Dale Earnhardt in career wins in the Sprint Cup Series. While Gordon handled the moment respectfully and did a wave to the fans during his cool down lap, he was greeted with flying rolls of toilet paper and beer cans from a flurry of angry Earnhardt fans in the stands.

Although Jimmie Johnson’s 77^th win at Auto Club Speedway in 2016 was received a lot better by the fans than Gordon’s win in 2007, it still ignited a firestorm on social media about whether Johnson was now the next Earnhardt or not. This of course angered fans of The Intimidator, who argued that although Johnson has matched a lot of Earnhardt’s records, he didn’t have the personality that Earnhardt had.

With that being said, this is one of the things that Earnhardt fans actually have a point about. While Johnson is a very talented driver and will no doubt go down in history as one of the most dominant drivers in modern history, he still lacks the personality and intensity on the track that Earnhardt showed the world throughout his career. Johnson might accomplish a lot of the things that Earnhardt did, but he will never be the same as him.

Next: Playing the villain