DPR Sports & Racing News

Jimmie Johnson finally gets to do a burnout at Indy..winning the 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Photo By Dan Peters

Johnson Continues to Decorate Helmet of Hope

Special Operations Warrior Foundation and The Taylor Brooks Foundation Latest Charities Chosen

CONCORD, N.C. –  Special Operations Warrior Foundation ( Tampa , Fla. ) and The Taylor Brooks Foundation ( Lawrenceville , Ga. ) have been selected as the latest charities to be featured on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Helmet of Hope, the race helmet Johnson will wear during the Sprint Cup Series event at Auto Club Speedway in October.

Greg Engle, who covers NASCAR for the NASCAR Examiner, nominated the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college educations to surviving children of fallen Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel who lose their lives in combat or training.  They also provide immediate financial assistance for special operations personnel severely wounded in action.

“I can cite more then one case when representatives from the SOWF helped a family of wounded solider during a very stressful time,” said Engle, a retired US Army veteran with over 23 years of service.

“They not only helped financially but also acted as a liaison to help families navigate the often confusing maze of the government allowing a family to receive all the help they could when they needed it the most.”

Jacki Wilbourne of Lawrenceville , Ga. nominated The Taylor Brooks Foundation. The mission of the group is to serve patients, families and doctors dealing with rare forms of childhood cancer through increasing the visibility of childhood cancer, humanitarian support of the patients and care-givers, resources to analyze and implement treatment options and resources to research new treatments.

In choosing this organization, Wilbourne said, “Taylor Brooks was an amazing 14 year old young lady. Even in the midst of her brief time after she was diagnosed with a rare cancer, she organized a Christmas party and raised money to benefit the patients (children), their families and the hospital staff to make their time a little easier during their treatments.

“What a legacy this young lady left and with only eight months to accomplish so much from the time she was diagnosed until the time she passed.  This beautiful child touched my heart and has opened my eyes to do more for the community.”

Lowe’s Toolbox for Education also is featured on the helmet. The foundation is partnering with the Lowe’s program to raise funds for education initiatives in Johnson’s hometown of El Cajon , Calif. The funds will be raised through the 3^rd-Annual Jimmie Johnson Foundation Golf Tournament to be held on Oct. 7 in San Diego .

Johnson will draw two charities each race weekend through the New Hampshire event in September, collecting a total of 12 winning organizations.  Current selected charities include Victory Junction ( Randleman , N.C. ), Zepp Children’s Foundation ( Westminster , Md. ), National Multiple Sclerosis Society Mid Atlantic Chapter ( Charlotte , N.C. ) and KidsPeace ( Raleigh , N.C. ). Each winning charity will receive a $1,048 donation in addition to proceeds from the sale of a Helmet of Hope t-shirt.

Fans can nominate their charity or order a t-shirt by visiting, www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.

For more information about these charities visit www.taylorbrooksfoundation.org and http://www.specialops.org.

Jimmie Johnson and the 2009 Hendrick Motorsports Team

Hendrick Motorsports Celebrates 25 Years in Racing

Hendrick Motorsports kicked off its 25th anniversary in NASCAR racing on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway by unveiling four silver cars to mark the occasion. Taking part in the event were (left to right) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin took a team photo in front of their rides on the track.

                         NASCAR Photo

 
Jimmie Johnson celebrates winning the 2006 Daytona 500 in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway, kicking off his three-year reign over the sport.

Jimmie Johnson kneels on the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after winning the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Johnson joined Dale Jarrett (1996) as the only drivers to win both races in the same season.

Following the 2007 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson waves a flag signifying consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings leader Jimmie Johnson watches on as his crew works on his car. Johnson is looking to become the second driver in history to win three straight championships.

NASCAR Photo

Jimmie   Johnson   Kisses  the famed  Bricks  for  the  Second Time...Wins 2008 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard

Jimmie Johnson addresses the National Press Club in Washington, DC on Tuesday, July 8, 2008.

Johnson became only the third NASCAR driver -- joining the late Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart -- to speak to the organization.

Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson discussed his life experiences as a leading NASCAR driver and influential philanthropist at the National Press Club on Tuesday. Check out the transcript of his remarks.

 NASCAR Photos

Johnson, Casey Mears Fastest In Monday Morning Session of NASCAR Preseason Thunder

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 7, 2008) – A champion belongs behind the wheel.

That’s what reigning and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) has decided about off-seasons.

His ended promptly at 9 a.m. Monday with the first session of NASCAR Preseason Thunder – NASCAR’s annual January tests – and no one was happier to crawl off his couch.

“I enjoyed myself,” Johnson said of his second consecutive series title and the subsequent holidays. “But I'm like, all right, there's only so much celebrating you can do.  There are only so many phone calls and friends you can talk to, only so much time you can spend on the couch, and it's time to get back in the car.”

The 2008 season officially begins with the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, but NASCAR Sprint Cup teams began the march toward that milestone on Monday at Daytona International Speedway. Those that were in odd-number positions in the car owner standings as of July 17, 2007, will test through Wednesday, Jan. 9.  

The Daytona 500 also marks the first Daytona event for NASCAR’s new race car, and Johnson said he and crew chief Chad Knaus were delighted with their results following Monday’s morning session.

“First time being here on such a rough surface, there's a lot of speed in making the car drive right,” Johnson said during a lunch-break visit to the Daytona infield media center. “It's been fun. I didn't expect today to be this much fun and really be this challenging as a driver and challenging as a team in finding the right setup and balance of the car.”

Back to that off-season: Johnson also likes to be behind the wheel of other race cars, especially overseas.
Last December, he participated in the Race of Champions in London. While he admits he didn’t do very well in this particular competition, he says he enjoyed the entire experience – his first English foray – which included an off-beat, self-guided tour of London landmarks.

Channeling the movie European Vacation, he says he and wife Chandra unintentionally mimicked a scene where the stars get stuck in a tour taxi.

“We’re driving around and everything’s closed up,” Johnson said. “My wife was in the car, too, and we’re driving along and she goes, ‘There’s Big Ben – there’s Parliament.’ ”

And when a champion isn’t behind the wheel, a golf club isn’t a poor substitute – particularly at hallowed August National.

“I had no business being there with my golf game,” Johnson says of the two-day, mid-December pilgrimage with friends, “but it was a lot of fun to see it and experience it.”

He did so with a 94 one day and a 97 the next, all from the member tees. Augusta’s Par 3 course tagged him a bit, but walking Augusta’s greens and watching a friend’s hole-in-one on No. 6 made up for the scoring.

As 2008 looms, Johnson acknowledges the challenge of a “three-peat.” Only one driver – Cale Yarborough – has won three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles (1976-78), Johnson knows the garage bulls-eye sits squarely on his No. 48.

“It would be unbelievable,” he said of claiming three consecutive titles. “I think every year I look for different things to motivate me. In a sense, chasing history does just that. I would love to win three in a row and be one of two guys to ever do that.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 3, 2007) – With the competitive nature of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series being what it is, no one could have ever predicted the type of year Jimmie Johnson had. Sixteen different drivers won a race in NASCAR’s premier series – the most since 2003. Yet somehow Johnson won 10.

Almost a decade has passed since we have seen a season like the one Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team put together this year.

Here is a list of his remarkable 2007 accomplishments:

• Won back-to-back championships, the first since 1997-98.
• Won 10 races, the first time a driver has won double-digit races since 1998.
• Won four consecutive races, the first time since 1998.

But what makes an athlete one of the “greats” is what he or she does on the biggest stage, when everyone’s watching – when it’s “crunch” time.

Johnson’s performance in NASCAR’s “postseason” – the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – was nothing short of astonishing. He won four consecutive races to storm back from a 68-point deficit with five races remaining to win the championship by 77 points. His average finish in the Chase was 5.0, and his point total during the Chase was 1,663 – the most since the Chase’s 2004 inception.

The word most people use is “clutch” and is certainly the adjective that best describes Jimmie Johnson’s performance in 2007.

Photo By Joe Paolella 

Jimmie Johnson Vies For United States Sports Academy’s Athlete Of The Year Award

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 3, 2007) – On the heels of his second consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship, Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) has the opportunity to acquire another title – that of Athlete of the Year. 

Feted during last week’s Champions Week activities in New York City, Johnson again is among the candidates listed for the 2007 United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. 

Johnson, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, finished third in last year’s voting for Male Athlete of the Year. 

The 2007 ballot for male athletes includes Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay, Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps and golfer Tiger Woods. 

Johnson’s ’07 credentials speak volumes for making him a bona fide candidate:

* He is the first back-to-back series champion since teammate Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) accomplished the feat in 1997-98;

* His 10 wins in ’07 is the first double-digit win tally since ’98;

* He also won four consecutive races, another first since ’98;

* Johnson finished with a series-high Driver Rating of 110.3, according to NASCAR Loop Data;

* He also finished with four poles, 20 top fives and 24 top 10s. 

Based in Daphne, Ala., the Academy’s Athlete of the Year program is the annual finale to its Athlete of the Month program, which honors men and women in sports around the world. Monthly honorees are selected via an international committee of former athletes, media, sports organizations and governing bodies.

Sports fans worldwide select the Athletes of the Year. Voting, done online, began Dec. 1 and ends Dec. 25. An overall winner is selected, along with male and female athletes of the year. Federer was the 2006 overall winner; Woods the ’06 male athlete of the year.

Vote online at http://www.ussa.edu/aoy/index.asp.

_______________________________________________

Jimmie Johnson goes up in  smoke  at  the  2007 Allstate 400
Early trouble for the defending race winner.... This was just the start of his bad day... it got much worse....
Into the turn three wall.....
Out of control....
Now.... Just a passenger...

Click  on  the  link  below  to  see  this  picture (above) ... voted as one of...

THE BEST PHOTOS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS OF 2007

Use this link to go directly to my photo:
http://www.picture.com/voteforme/photovote1.asp?PID=2306047

Finally, the car comes to a stop on the pit warm up lane

I'm out of here..... get me out!!

Photos By Joe Paolella

Just in time!! the flames flare up again...
Wow... that was close!!

 
The Fire & Safety Crew put out the flames

Not even a cut tire will stop Jimmie Johnson from winning the Allstate 400 in 2006 !

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation Car at the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Jimmie Johnson at the 2007 Allstate 400

Chandra and Jimmie Johnson Announce Charlotte Area Funding Opportunity in Partnership with Lowe’s Toolbox for Education

Four Charlotte area school districts eligible for Champions Grant Funding

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 24, 2009) – Chandra and Jimmie Johnson announced a $150,000 commitment for K-12 education in the Charlotte area today.   The foundation has partnered with Lowe’s, Johnson’s primary sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and its Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program to offer a competitive grant opportunity to four local school districts in the city where the Johnsons currently reside.  The Johnsons have also announced similar initiatives in their hometowns in California and Oklahoma , bringing the total commitment to education to more than $500,000.  

“This year we felt that education was the right place to focus our fundraising efforts,” said Johnson, three-time, reigning Sprint Cup champion. “Education is something that is very important to Chani and me. Even when I first started out, my parents made me keep my grades up or I wasn’t allowed to race. I think it’s important to make sure we give teachers and students the best tools possible and hopefully, these grants will help.”

Public K-12 programs or 501c(3) parent group associations in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District , Mooresville Graded School District , Iredell-Statesville Schools , and Cabarrus County School District may apply for a Champions Grant through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation website, www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.  The Champions Grants will range from $25,000-$100,000.  The grant application process closes on October 16. 

The Johnsons were joined at the announcement by the superintendents and representatives from the four school districts including Dr. Peter C. Gorman, Dr. Mark Edwards and Dr. Barry Shepherd.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to compete for the Champions Grants,” said Dr. Peter C. Gorman, superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. “It’s a great opportunity for our teachers and principals to exercise creativity and flexibility, and it will give our students access to more resources. We appreciate the generosity of Chandra and Jimmie Johnson and Lowe’s in making these grants happen.”

Additional K-12 programs or 501c(3) parent group associations not included in these districts still may apply for a standard grant directly through the Toolbox for Education grant program at www.toolboxforeducation.com.

“Through our Toolbox for Education grant program, Lowe’s recognizes parent-initiated efforts to enrich the lives of children in our communities,” said Larry D. Stone, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By partnering with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, we will be able to give extra support to the Charlotte community through Toolbox for Education grants during the upcoming school year. We are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees and helping build a stronger foundation for the children who will be tomorrow’s employees, homeowners and community leaders.”

About the Jimmie Johnson Foundation

Chandra and Jimmie Johnson launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in February 2006.  Johnson, the three-time reigning Sprint Cup champion, drives the No. 48 Lowe’s Impala SS in NASCAR’s top series.  The mission of the foundation is to assist children, families, and communities in need throughout the United States .  The foundation has committed more than $2 million to various charities.  For additional information on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, please visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.

About Lowe’s Toolbox for Education^®

Since its inception five years ago, has given more than $17.7 million to schools in the United States . This grant program provides parent groups and educators affiliated with K-12 public schools with financial tools to help improve their children’s schools. At a time when schools and community groups are struggling to make ends meet, in 2009 Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation is focusing on basic, one-time project needs. Schools can apply for up to $5,000 grants. The fall 2009 application process is open until Oct. 16, 2009. To apply now, visit toolboxforeducation.com.

Team 48 Stats prior to impressive Indy Win

Jimmie Johnson – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Jimmie Johnson – Year-by-Year Cup Statistics

* to date