Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Former NASCAR Driver Gets Applauds From Jimmie Johnson for Last Ditch Effort on His Fairytale Return

It’s not very often that a NASCAR driver gets a pat on the back from a seven-time Cup Series champion and a certified legend. But that’s exactly what Noah Gragson got, as Jimmie Johnson appreciated his new ‘junior’ driver’s effort.

Johnson, who is back in the game in a new, part-owner-part-driver role with Petty GMS Motorsports, still has some looming uncertainty over which number he’ll drive.

Of course, the general expectation was that of a fairytale, that the former Hendrick Motorsports driver will once again get behind the wheel of the #48.

However, Alex Bowman, the current driver of the #48, ruled that out.

This led to Johnson’s junior driver at Petty GMS, Noah Gragson, who will start his full-time Cup career after switching from JR Motorsports, making a case for the seven-timer.

But once again, Bowman stood his ground – “I’m not redoing production days.”

So while Gragson’s efforts were more or less in vain, they at least resulted in the former JRM driver getting acknowledgment for the same from the former #48 driver.

“I appreciate the effort,” Johnson wrote.

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Jimmie Johnson could feature for Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Team in 2023

Along with Jimmie Johnson‘s sensational return to NASCAR with Richard Petty’s team, the 2023 season could also see him link up with another modern-day legend’s team, Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Last month, Busch neither acknowledged nor denied, but only hinted toward Johnson’s entry into one of his Trucks in 2023.

“Cat’s out of the bag. Watch me say it and it doesn’t happen now.” Busch said on this subject, as per Matt Weaver’s tweet.

It’d be interesting to see how Jimmie Johnson’s return to NASCAR fares for him. But one thing’s for sure, it wouldn’t be easy, right from the get-go. The seven-timer will first attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 at the beginning of the season. Should he fail to qualify, it probably wouldn’t look good.

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In fact, if his coming stint in NASCAR doesn’t play out well, it could hurt his legacy.

But then again, the odds favor him doing well, precisely because of his legacy.