Dale Earnhardt Jr Calls Out “Sly Dog” Jimmie Johnson After Leaving His Pride Out to Dry

A lot more than just racing happens behind the scenes in NASCAR. Almost every sport out there is a story of teamwork and perseverance. And with that teamwork comes a sense of togetherness and friendship. When you see a teammate in distress, you show up to help them, even late at night.

Throwback to the time when Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr were teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. On a party night, both Junior and Jimmie had had their fill. And someone thought that pouring slippery soap into the swimming pool would be cool. Froth in the pool and froth in the beer—it seemed like a great idea. However, an enthusiastic Junior jumped right in and slipped, hitting his forehead and ripping it open. Jimmie drove Junior to the doctor at 2 in the night. Such was their friendship.

Dale Earnhardt Jr hinted at Jimmie Johnson not living up to the former’s expectations

When such a close friend keeps a secret, it is hard; however, Junior laughs it away. With Noah Gragson being suspended for liking an allegedly insensitive meme on social media, the seat of Legacy Motor Club’s #42 Chevrolet became vacant. Now, it has been confirmed that Jimmie Johnson has invited John Hunter Nemechek to ride the #42 full-time for the upcoming season. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr felt that Johnson could have told him about it when they had a conversation earlier.

In a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Junior said, “I called Jimmy yesterday morning. Just checking, he and me. And we talked about this a little bit. He didn’t have anything breaking to tell me, he wasn’t going to tell me about the announcement. He didn’t leak it to me or nothing like that.”

The two-time Xfinity Series champion had thought that perhaps the announcement was a few weeks away. However, when the update of John Hunter Nemechek driving the #42 Toyota (from 2024) came out, Junior was more than surprised. He exclaimed, “I thought this announcement was like a week or two still away. Talked to him on the phone and later that day, this comes out. I was like, ‘sly dog!'”

Mike Davis laughed and agreed that Jimmie is perhaps one of the most unpredictable figures in NASCAR. The co-host added, “When he was here and didn’t know what he was going to do with his future…a day or two he is announcing that he is going Indy car racing!” Indeed, Jimmie came back from retirement in 2021 and competed in IndyCar for Chip Ganassi Racing, shocking many.

Dale Jr admitted that he was interested in knowing how the #42 car does in 2024. As the team is set to field Toyotas in 2024, many fans are eager to see how this will work out for the legendary driver. However, there are also rumors that Jimmie Johnson might also resume as a part-timer in the #84 car.

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But, Junior confirmed the rumor, saying, “Jimmy says, ‘No more races for me this year but next year might be a little bigger program for the third car.’ So there’s a lot of moving parts still trying to fall into place over there.”

Despite Nemechek’s ascent, fans bash Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club’s latest decision

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There was a time when John’s father Joe Nemechek and Jimmie Johnson were teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. It is since then that Johnson had seen John pick up on the intricacies of racing in a stock car. After Noah Gragson resigned from Legacy Motorclub, Jimmie found the best driver for his car.

For 2 years, Nemechek drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports and secured 7 wins, a slot in Toyota’s development program, and a full-time Xfinity Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023. However, after an uneventful ascension to the Cup Series, John chose to step back into the Xfinity Series and prove his prowess there. And that seems to have paid off as he moved to the Xfinity Series race at Kansas with 5 wins in his pocket and an offer to drive Jimmie Johnson’s car next year.

However, fans did not quite take this that simply. While some feel switching alliances from Chevrolet to Toyota was foolish, others believe Noah Gragson, a JR Motorsports protege, is a much better prospect than John Hunter Nemechek.

Someone commented, “Can’t believe you gave up on Noah.”

Another motorsport enthusiast wrote, “You & Toyota got what you wanted at the cost of a promising talent. Happy, proud of yourselves??? I say pathetic!”

An old Jimmie Johnson fan exclaimed with regret, “Have followed Jimmie since his inception into the Nascar world. Chevrolet was always there for him for his career and now jumps ship to Toyota. You’ve officially turned your back on the manufacturer that supported you your whole career. Such a letdown. #ANTILEGACYMOTORCLUB”

While another claimed that LMC was a sold-out team; “Give it half a season, until they see something they don’t like on social media. Oh wait, that was only because Toyota didn’t want Gregson….sell out…”

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Amidst all the spiteful comments, someone wrote, “Wishing JHN the best of luck and hopefully with that opportunity will come with maturity and a little more respect for the the other drivers on the track. I believe he has the talent to be very successful.”

Do you think Jimmie Johnson made the right decision? Do let us know in the comments below.