“I Was Told I Was Vanilla” – Jimmie Johnson Draws Parallels With Christopher Bell Days After Publicly Defending “Too Polite” Narrative

There have been few drivers as good as Jimmie Johnson in the history of NASCAR. Only two much revered drivers Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty have the same amount of Cup Series championships as him. However, throughout the years, he has continued to remain underappreciated by the fanbase. Due to his polite and kind demeanor, Johnson was NASCAR’s ‘Mr. Vanilla’ at a point in time.

Despite that, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver has been an inspiration to a horde of younger drivers. Among the drivers to follow in his footsteps, one of the most prominent names would be Joe Gibbs Racing‘s 2023 championship finalist, Christopher Bell. Recently, Jimmie Johnson noticed Bell being called out on Twitter for not being opposing enough to his rivals. Relating to the #20 driver to an extent, Johnson used some words to defend politeness.

Jimmie Johnson’s words meant a lot to Christopher Bell

The Legacy MC owner’s rise to the pinnacle of NASCAR was unprecedented. Unlike his rivals Kyle Busch or Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson didn’t assert dominance or tower over his rivals in the garage. Instead, mutual respect and understanding among his peers set him apart from the rest of the grid. Race car drivers don’t prefer to finish something other than first, which can sometimes make them aggressive. However, there was a better approach for the former #48 driver.

Speaking to the NASCAR Live podcast, Jimmie Johnson expressed his feelings about younger drivers idolizing him. Responding to the inquiry, Johnson said, “That’s cool. I’m friendly with most of the guys. I’m certainly there in Cup now, so the younger ones come along, and I have been out of touch for the last few years. I certainly appreciate that.”

It’s not like Jimmie Johnson hasn’t had rivalries in the past. However, unlike some of the winningest drivers in NASCAR history, he didn’t flaunt his prowess demoralizingly on or off the race track. When he chanced upon a Twitter interaction of Christopher Bell with a critic, he felt the need to show some solidarity with the 29-year-old. Like Johnson, Bell has also been a positive figure in the garage with the potential to be a championship threat.

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“I saw Christopher Bell earlier today, and there’s something going on on Twitter where somebody was hazing him about being too polite,” stated Jimmie Johnson. “I felt like I should say something.”

“It was very similar to the journey I was on and I saw Christopher today and he goes, ‘Thank you for saying something, you have no idea what that meant.’ I was like, ‘Just be you.’ I look back on my journey, and I was told I was vanilla and all the other things, but I’m most proud of the fact that I stuck to being me. Be you, do you, and everything else will fall into place.”

JJ’s friendly reaction to challenges from opponents was one of a kind. Despite his attitude, he has never lacked mental fortitude. Throughout his NASCAR career, he has proved doubters wrong year after year. But at one point in his career, it affected him.

Is being a ‘nice guy’ tough in racing?

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Last year, NASCAR announced Jimmie Johnson’s induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Johnson’s crew chief for his seven championship victories, Chad Knaus, also joined him in the elite club of NASCAR. Knaus once accurately described the seven-time champion in a conversation with the Arizona Republic. He said, “It’s pretty cool to walk out to the grid and be booed because you’re kicking everyone’s a**.”

In reality, Jimmie Johnson wasn’t the type of person people hate generally. A well-behaved driver who raced hard and clean was what many aspiring drivers dream to be. Johnson’s only mistake was being the most successful driver of NASCAR’s modern generation. But initially, the taunts of being too polite to win a championship bothered the 48-year-old. “It did weigh on me for a while,” confessed Johnson. “I’m a guy who values friendships and relationships and opinions of others. So, at first, it was tough.” 

Championship rival Joey Logano once described him as the nice guy of NASCAR when he commented, “He’s had so much success you want to hate him. But you can’t. He’s too nice a guy.” At the same time, 2014 Cup champ Kevin Harvick claimed that Johnson was the point of reference for any and every budding race car driver. “(Johnson’s) just that type of role model that every sport needs. When you have a young athlete that you want to point in a direction to say, ‘How should I do this?’ In the racing world you point him in the Jimmie Johnson direction.” stated Harvick.

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The unprecedented success didn’t infiltrate Jimmie Johnson’s mind in the slightest. As the years passed and his legend grew, younger generations have understood his approach to the sport and how he’s one of the rare finds in NASCAR.