JJ ties Dale Sr. on ALL TIME wins list

Excerpts From Jimmie's Post Race Interview: 

Q: Talk about your trip to victory lane today.

JJ: Yeah, special for sure.  Gosh, it's hard to -- I entered the sport just hoping I could win a race and keep a job for a few years, and to have 76 and tie Dale Earnhardt Sr is something I'm very, very proud of.  I didn't have a chance to race against him, unfortunately, but today -- there's been a big void in my mind about not having that chance to race against him, and it was literally a handful of months away from having that opportunity.  So to tie him today, for myself personally, it gives me a little something -- it's a little bit of attachment to the great Dale Earnhardt and something I'm very proud of.

Q:Did you ever watch Earnhardt and say, I wish -- I want to be able to do that?  And then also, the fact that Dale Jr. is very complimentary of you, Kelley Earnhardt Miller tweeted congratulations and everything, does that mean something?  Is it comforting to know that the Earnhardt family is kind of supportive and congratulatory of you at this moment?

JJ: Yeah, without a doubt.  It made me smile more to hear that Kelley sent out that tweet.

You know, I talked to Dale six months ago or a while ago, last year at some point about it, and I also talked to Jeff.  I was shocked that he had a little bit of backlash when he flew the 3 flag in Phoenix, and I was like, really, why?  So I just made sure that I spoke to Junior a little bit, and he shared with me that he really feels like his dad would have had a ton of respect for me and would have enjoyed racing against me, and we would have had a great friendship.  Kind of covering that base with Dale a while ago helped me, and with the confusion of how overtime works, I kind of forgot that that win was 76 and then it hit me after I had taken the checkered flag and was doing my victory lap, so I had to come back around and certainly wanted to pay respect to Dale.

What was the first part of your question?

Q:Did you ever watch anything that Dale did and thought, I want to do that?

JJ: Yeah, as a spectator watching him, I was in shock at Bristol when he got Terry and Terry still won, I thought, wow, that was cool to win that way, and the next time he got Terry, and he won, and I was like, ooh, and I couldn't believe that the entire place booed him.  My younger brother Jarit was a big Earnhardt fan, and I ended up being a Gordon fan, and the banter we had back and forth through all of it was just fun.  It reminds me -- I guess it's just what all of our fans do day in and day out and they pick their driver and have their rivalries internally in their own house.

A lot of fun memories of picking on my brother, but he won a lot, so it was tough to always have the upper hand.

Q: I've got two for you.  First, 76 wins, I know you've said a couple of times already, it's a big deal. You've won the Daytona 500 twice, won the Southern 500, won the 600 three or four times, but this win today at this track, where do you put this one on the list of accomplishments over the course of your career?

JJ: Well, I think the gamble that Chad made puts it in a special category in the fact that we were able to hold on and get there.  And then obviously the fact that it's my 76th and tying Dale, I don't know if it's bigger than my first win, but it's right there with it.  This is a very, very special and meaningful day.

Note: with this win in Atlanta, Jimmie Johnson ties Dale Earnhardt Sr. on the all time wins list, with 76 wins. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second.