Richard Petty welcomes Jimmie Johnson to the seven-timers club

Richard Petty knew this moment could happen. And now that it has, he has welcomed Jimmie Johnson to a very special club. The seven-timers club, that is.

Johnson tied Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. with a record seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship Sunday by winning the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

He overcame adversity, starting from the rear of the field after NASCAR deemed illegal modifications were made to his No. 48 Chevrolet after inspection. He overcame a car that was ill-handling and slower than those of fellow title contenders Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano. And he overcame all the naysayers.

Gluck: With seventh Cup title, Jimmie Johnson proves greatest of all time

Petty said in a statement: "Records are a mark and they set something for everyone to shoot at. Jimmie and his team have done that tonight. They set a goal to get where they are and circumstances and fate made it a reality. They did what they needed to do and now they are at seven championships. Congratulations to him and his team.

"Jimmie is a great champion and this is really good for our sport."

Earlier in the day, Dale Earnhardt Jr. told USA TODAY Sports that while he believed a seventh title by his fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate would make him the greatest "in this era," he still considered his father the greatest ever.