“Tell Him I’m Ok” – Jimmie Johnson on How He Was Scared of Meeting His Father After a Big Crash

Back in 1995, Jimmie Johnson endured one of the scariest moments of his entire life. While competing in the Baja 1000 in Mexico, he suffered a crash after he dozed off and missed a sharp right corner. Naturally, his father was quite terrified for his son’s life, especially since there was little to no communication available. So, when the two of them were finally reunited, there was a lot of relief for every party involved.

Speaking about the incident, Johnson said, “He told me before the race, he had a dream, be careful. I’m like, ‘You’re crazy’. As I was sitting there in the darkness, vehicles would come by and I would stop them. ‘Hey we’ve crashed, we’re fine. My dad’s in the next pit and everyone knew my dad, Please tell him I’m okay’.

“As I arrive, my dad knew this mountain range, knew that I’ve been in a crash. No one is reporting anything, communications are minimal and he had to sit there with all of that a long time. When I saw him, there was a big embrace.”

What else did Jimmie Johnson say?

The former NASCAR driver confessed that he saw his father tear up, and he did as well. In the meantime, he also worried about his co-driver. Luckily, he managed to escape any injury, though he was a bit shaken. Sadly, the same could not be said for ‘Butch’ Johnson’s car. Since then, he has moved on from the incident and driven more carefully.

Now, several years down the line, Johnson is practically a NASCAR living legend, with seven Cup Series titles. In fact, he is right up there with the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, both of whom are seven-time champions as well. Now, the driver is competing in the IndyCar series and will soon be entering his second year in the sport.

READ MORE: Jimmie Johnson Reveals Two Terrifying Incidents When He was ‘Most Scared’ on a Racetrack