CONCORD, N.C. -- The torch has been passed, and Ryan Blaney is just fine with that.
After a couple of early season incidents with fellow driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew the wrath of Junior Nation, Blaney says it now Jimmie Johnson’s turn to face the music.
MORE: Junior on Blaney: 'We'll sort it out'
"They’ve got someone else to worry about now, to hate on," Blaney said Tuesday following a day of on-track testing for NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "Get the focus off me."
Johnson, a seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, slammed into the side of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate during Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Social media posts from fans after the incident weren’t kind.
MORE: Jimmie, Dale clear the air | Jimmie takes on Twitter haters
Even Earnhardt Jr. got in on the act, playfully posting "Ya bro, you made my CD skip" on Twitter.
Sporting a Bill Elliott T-shirt and Darrell "Bubba" Wallace ball cap Tuesday, Blaney said he and Earnhardt have moved past Blaney's verbal outburst at Phoenix and an on-track incident at Martinsville.
"Honestly we were good," Blaney said. "Dale, Amy (Earnhardt) and I were good; we had the deal happen at Phoenix and I left her flowers at their bus. The Martinsville deal happened, Dale and I talked a few days after that and we were good. We actually talked at Texas; we were neighbors at Texas in the bus lot. We talked for a bit there and were good there."
Good enough that Blaney, driver of the iconic No. 21 Ford fielded by Wood Brothers Racing, hitched a ride home with the Earnhardts following Sunday's Richmond race.
"That was actually the first time I've been back to his house," Blaney said. "He gave me a ride home; I flew home with him from Richmond, which was really nice of them. Then I went to his house and … probably didn't see my bed until about 4:30 that morning. So that was an early Monday debrief.
"But it was good, we had a good time and it was cool to get back over there with them. They're great people."