Jimmie Johnson’s Cup return provides special thrill to younger drivers

Harrison Burton admits there was a time when he was not a fan of Jimmie Johnson.

“I always hated Jimmie Johnson when I was a little kid because he would win all the races I wanted my dad to win and win the championships that, my dad, I wanted him to win,” Harrison Burton, son of Jeff Burton, told NBC Sports. 

“So, I have to beat him to avenge my dad, right?”

Harrison Burton is one of a handful of Cup drivers who have never raced against Johnson in NASCAR’s premier series. That will change this year with the seven-time champion returning to Cup for the first time since 2020 to run select events. Burton says he is looking forward to racing Johnson. 

“It’s really cool for a young guy like me to race someone that has won seven championships in our sport,” Burton said. “When you first get into Cup, that’s not even like a thought in your brain that I want to win seven championships one day. You just want to win your first race.”

Johnson has raced against 270 drivers in his Cup career, which began Oct. 7, 2001, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Once he competes against Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland this season, Johnson will have driven against 12 sets of fathers and sons in Cup, a list that includes Jarretts (Dale and Jason), Elliotts (Bill and Chase) and Earnhardts (Kerry and Jeffrey).

Johnson also has raced 12 sets of brothers in Cup, including Terry and Bobby Labonte, Kurt and Kyle Busch and Brad and Brian Keselowski. 

Johnson’s connection to the history of the sport is even deeper. He’s competed against 12 NASCAR Hall of Famers. Johnson also has raced in Cup against four Indianapolis 500 winners and seven drivers who competed in Formula One.

Gilliland, the son of David Gilliland, can’t wait for the opportunity to race