Jimmie Johnson reveals the mental shift involved in looking up to Jeff Gordon to eventually becoming a rival

Jimmie Johnson has opened up about the unique rivalry he shared with Jeff Gordon and explained how his mindset changed from being a young fan to competing against him.

Johnson earned his opportunity in the Cup Series after making his way through off-road racing and two years in the Nationwide (O’Reilly) Series. Gordon helped bring him into the Hendrick Motorsports‘ No. 48 team for the 2002 Cup Series season.

During a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Johnson described how his relationship with Gordon changed over time.

“I was the biggest Jeff Gordon fan growing up. That’s the one die-cast car, like collectible thing I bought was his. And the fact that one day he knew who I was, wow, that’s awesome. And then I get handpicked by him to drive, you know, under the roof of a team that he co-owned,” he said.

“I introduced him to my wife. He mentored me along the way. And first indirectly, and then directly, as we, as I got up to speed, I was more concerned about where he was on track, what he was doing and all for good reason.”

Gordon and Johnson finished 1-2 11 times before Gordon retired from the Cup Series in 2015, after 24 full-time Cup Seasons with Hendrick.

Meanwhile, Johnson became one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers. He won seven Cup Series championships, including five straight titles from 2006 through 2010.

“He was so kind to share” – Jimmie Johnson on rivaling Jeff Gordon with his ‘lessons’

Jimmie Johnson also shared the lessons Jeff Gordon taught him during their run at Hendrick between 2002 and 2015.

“Through a large part of my journey, he was the benchmark. And I had the inside look at all of his data and he was so kind to share with me all of his lessons, not only on the track, but off the track,” Johnson said.

“He’s like, ‘You’ve been racing your whole life. That part’s going to make sense. But when you come to the cup level and drive for this company, the spotlight’s going to hit you. And here’s how we need to build your schedule. Here’s where you need to focus.’ So I’d say the longest rivalry was Jeff.”

Johnson finished his full-time Cup career with Hendrick after the 2020 season. He recorded 83 Cup Series wins. He is now the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club.

The team currently fields two cars for John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones. Johnson has also confirmed plans for Legacy Motor Club to expand to three Cup cars next season.