“I Am Both Fortunate and Unfortunate” – Clint Bowyer Pays Tribute to Jimmie Johnson

In 2021, two notable faces will be absent from the NASCAR Cup Series grid, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson. While Bowyer will still be in the paddock as a Fox Sports commentator, Johnson is heading to IndyCar. Although the two of them are leaving, Johnson has arguably left a bigger impact on the sport.

As a result of that, the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s farewell was met with a bit of fanfare. Bowyer didn’t seem to mind that he got a quieter farewell. In lieu of that, he added to the numerous tributes to Jimmie Johnson.

He said, “Just like all my other peers, I am both fortunate and unfortunate that my career was during the same time Jimmie Johnson was. He not only spanked our asses all them years but he showed us all how to do it with grace and class of a champion.

“As fate would have it, I continued that by retiring on the same day he did.”

What lies in the future for Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson?

As has been stated multiple times in the past couple of months, Bowyer and Johnson‘s immediate futures are secure. To be precise, the #14 driver is swapping his steering wheel for a Fox Sports microphone. Meanwhile, the seven-time Cup Series champion is swapping his stock car ride for an open-wheel cockpit.

Without a doubt, Bowyer will be excited about the 2021 season, and this time he can take a back seat. However, the racing bug has yet to leave Johnson’s side, who will continue racing for as long as he can. Whatever their respective cases, they are happy with their decision to step away from NASCAR when the time was right.

Johnson leaves the sport knowing that his legacy is engraved in stone. He is undoubtedly a legend in NASCAR circles, and very few can challenge that. He can be spoken about in the same breath as Dale Earnhardt Sr and Richard Petty, and nobody would bat an eyelid.