NADIA ZOMORODIAN/NEWS-JOURNAL / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jimmie Johnson talks about his emotions going into NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 1/19/24

Tonight, Jimmie Johnson and his longtime crew chief Chad Knaus will both be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The seven-time champions are going into the Hall of Fame together, as they should after all of their success.

Jimmie Johnson, a driver with only two peers in all of NASCAR history; Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty. Johnson defined a generation in a way only those two had before. While he was in his prime, he was perhaps the most dominant driver we’ve seen.

Now, he will take his rightful place among those other two legends, and more. The NASCAR Hall of Fame. At production day, Johnson talked to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports about his emotions going into the ceremony.

“I would say the emotion would be much more about pride than anything else,” Johnson explained. “And what a neat opportunity for us both [me and Chad Knaus] to go into together, for us personally, and also for the Hendrick family. We did this all together and to be able to celebrate together and have such a large contingent of people is really going to be meaningful.”

Jimmie Johnson explains what will make his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction emotional Friday night as he and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, are among those enshrined. pic.twitter.com/vio5ilO4iw
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 19, 2024

Jimmie Johnson is a true legend of the sport. He is going to be the only active driver to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Johnson is still driving with his own team, Legacy Motor Club. He has a schedule of nine races lined up for this season.

Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson on HOF induction

One thing about Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson is they are friends. While they compete against each other now in the Cup Series, Knaus with Hendrick, Johnson with Legacy, that friendship remains.

Johnson and Knaus have continued to work with one another. Think back to last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans effort with Garage 56. They had to work closely with one another and it ended up being a great success, just like their other efforts.

Knaus got to talk about what it means to go into the Hall of Fame together.

“I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to achieve a lot of those goals, but never thought I would be in a position to win seven championships or to get the amount of victories that we were able to get,” Knaus said, via HendrickMotorsports.com.

As for Johnson, he feels lucky to go into the Hall of Fame with his crew chief.

“I’m very proud of what we accomplished,” Johnson said. “The fact that we get to enjoy this moment and relive all those memories going into the Hall together makes this all the more special.”

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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