After the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion climbed out of his car Sunday following the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he went to victory lane to congratulate Jimmie Johnson, who had just won a record-tying seventh series championship.
MORE: Dale Jr., Richard Petty congratulate Johnson on No. 7
There, Johnson presented Stewart with a surprising gift — the helmet Johnson had just worn in his history-making race.
For a driver who has been collecting other drivers’ race helmets for years, and has a collection numbering more than 200, it was a dream come true.
“This is probably the biggest honor you can have as a driver to get a guy who just won his seventh championship get his helmet like that so it shows how good of a friend he really is,” Stewart said, via The Washington Post.
MORE: Stewart’s own helmet for final race was a beauty
The touching story went unreported for several days. Johnson shared his thoughts about the incident Wednesday on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“I thought about it before the race and I thought it would be really cool if I was able to win this race and give him that helmet,” Johnson said. “I know how much it would mean to him, and it would mean a lot for me for him to have it in his collection.”
