There are plenty of crashes in NASCAR, but it’s particularly rare to see a significant one between two prominent drivers who also happen to be teammates. That’s what happened Sunday at the Toyota Owners 400 in Richmond, Virginia, though, where Jimmie Johnson accidentally sent fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. into a wall on the 345th lap:
Replay: @JimmieJohnson gets into teammate @DaleJr hard at @RIRInsider. #NASCAR @FOXTV https://t.co/K8VI8zg4Dl
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) April 30, 2017
Earnhardt later told Fox Sports’ Tom Jensen the crash felt like an “explosion”:
“He (Johnson) said he didn’t see us,” said Earnhardt. “We were out there running around the top and weren’t ready to pit yet, and he said that he didn’t get any notice that there was a car on the outside. … Jimmie didn’t know I was there. Came off the corner and didn’t know I was there. It was an explosion. But the car held up pretty well.”
In his post-race Periscope, Earnhardt said his tires were destroyed and his car was dented by the impact. He wound up finishing 30th after two pit stops inside the final 50 laps, while Johnson finished 11th. The two were able to patch things up afterwards, and Johnson even jokingly apologized on Twitter:
We over came a lot today for a decent finish. I was even able to crash a teammate. #Goodtimes #Joking
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) April 30, 2017
While Earnhardt relayed a text from his mother:
#WhenMomText pic.twitter.com/gPB3htUFeg
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 30, 2017
But some of Earnhardt’s fans weren’t too happy, with one tweeting (and later deleting) “Breaking News… @JimmieJohnson needs a ride to his EYE appointment Tomorrow morning. SMH.. for REAL dude U didn’t SEE THE 88!! Damn”. Johnson still engaged with her, though:
I assume you're speaking from an educated point of view with first hand experience. https://t.co/bGE9fYIeFr
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) April 30, 2017
And with someone else who went after him:
https://twitter.com/AppleGuru876/status/858808785024032769
Your bio says "positive vibes". 🤔 https://t.co/iv3XfdS4X4
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) April 30, 2017
Hopefully he won’t put anyone into the Twitter wall.