Jimmie Johnson’s latest happy hour is taking a spin at comedy.
The three-time defending Cup champion is trying to put the breaks on his corporate image with a video spoof on FunnyorDie.com that shows Johnson offering humorous tips on how to succeed in life and on the race track. Johnson must have found his inner stand-up comic during the shoot.
He cracked a one-liner Thursday when asked about sharing a top male athlete ESPY nomination with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
“Would Phelps make it in our sport? Would he pass the (drug) test?” he said to laughter.
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Phelps was photographed earlier this year smoking from a marijuana pipe.
Johnson pitches a three-disc DVD set that will “nurture and encourage your inner top dog.” The Canadian Press
The promo for Jimmie Johnson’s three-DVD self-help program—“Winning at Confidence: Jimmie Johnson’s Success Guide to Success”—begins with cheerleaders jumping beside the three-time reigning NASCAR champion and chanting “Winner, winner, winner!” repeatedly.
Then Johnson defeats an elderly man in arm wrestling by using both hands. Then, with the help of former NFL safety Jason Sehorn, he throttles two grade-school boys in football. Then he dusts singer Nick Lachey in a race—Johnson driving a sports car, Lachey riding a bike.
When the 800 number to order the DVDs pops up, a voice-over says the first caller wins a throne. The second caller, viewers are told,” gets punched in the face.”
“Just a bunch of stupid stuff that makes it funny and different,” Johnson said sheepishly of the obviously satiric piece posted on the Web site Funny or Die. “It was something outside of my comfort zone and really a lot of fun to do.”
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Once again this summer, comedic larks are the only Jimmie Johnson performances that qualify as uncomfortable. He starts Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in the third position with Brian Vickers on the pole, seeking to add to a third-best Sprint Cup points total, ultimately attempting to seize momentum for the impending Chase for the Cup and a fourth straight title. Chicago Tribune
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