Animosity and rivalry among teammates have always made a spectacular storyline whether be it in racing or elsewhere. 12 years back in 2011, NASCAR nation witnessed one of the most gripping one-on-one battles in the sport’s history between two of its greatest racers.

Atlanta Motorspeedway set the stage for an epic duel when Jeff Gordon and his young and upcoming Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson decided to settle things once and for all, face to face. What happened next was nothing short of spectacular, something the community is still reminiscent of to this day.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson’s brutal Atlanta confrontation – The mano-a-mano between the teammates

Long before the 1.5-mile Atlanta track was reshaped to the present-day quad-oval when the track was at its best. It witnessed one of NASCAR’s most brutal head-to-head battles with 2 of the sport’s greatest. Jeff Gordon and his then HMS protege Jimmie Johnson who was coming off a consecutive 5 championship faced off at the aging slippery track, giving the community one for the ages.

Just to let the young fans know, there are 11 championships between 2 drivers, 11! With Gordon’s 4 and Johnson’s 7 titles. While the former #48 HMS driver has an upper hand in the number game with 7 championships and 41 wins over the veteran Gordon, the young buck got a reality check that day when Gordon lit the track on fire as he edged him out in a decisive closing lap duel.

After losing the top position following a restart in the middle of the race, Gordon looked like a man possessed as he methodically ran down the pack, one after the other. With 50 laps to go, Gordon was breathing down the #48’s neck and made a stellar pass on the inside. What followed next was a neck-and-neck high-speed battle between the teammates.

The commentary booth echoed, “Two of the sport’s best and the Atlanta track at its best,” as the battle ensued. Chad Knaus stood in the corner for JJ as his crew chief whereas Alan Gustafson(Chase Elliott’s controversial crew chief) called the shots for the #24 of Gordon. The driver used every inch of the track, every trick in the book to best each other.

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Gordon forced the #48 tailing behind into the dirty stream of air to slow him down and Johnson tried his best to run down the experienced veteran using every inch of the track to get a grip as he tried to close the distance in the corners. However, the #24 Chevy of Gordon prevailed over the JJ in the end as the veteran racked up his win 85th career win in flying colors.

Fans get nostalgic as they take a trip down memory lane, reminiscent of the iconic duel

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The atmosphere was electric as Gordon crossed the checkered flag, racking up his 85th career win in splendid fashion. The veteran not only fended off a fierce Johnson but his performance served as a reminder for anyone who was in doubt of Gordon’s ability.

With the Redditers taking a trip back 12 years in time, nostalgia hit fans as they became teary-eyed with many commenting and reacting to Gordon’s iconic triumph.

One fan like many of the old-school fans missed the good old Atlanta track without the backed surface. “Really miss old Atlanta.” While others shared their emotions about the race “I remember watching this live. Can’t believe it’s been 12 years. I feel so old.” 

“Skipped the 2nd half of the first day of Grade 12 to watch this titanic battle!”

“I remember going home after school on a Tuesday and watching this with my brother. It was under delay due to a tropical storm.”

Whereas another fan detailed his experience of listening to the whole race with his sister. “My god does time fly. Will never forget walking to pick my brother up from school while listening to part of this race through headphones, sharing one with my sister. The one time Jimmie lost where I couldn’t be mad at all. I was too busy being happy for my sister and mom that their guy won in such epic fashion.

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