Jimmie Johnson likes to give back to his hometown, then come back to see how the money is spent.
On Tuesday, that meant pulling into a school yard in a replica of his No. 48 Chevrolet, thrilling several hundred students at Emerald STEM Magnet Middle School in this blue-collar community on the eastern edge of San Diego’s suburban sprawl.
A few minutes later, Johnson and his wife, Chandra, were in the automation and robotics lab watching 13-year-old J.T. Duboise demonstrate a computer-controlled model car.
Duboise told Johnson he thought about adding a horn, then decided against it.
“Who wants a horn?” Johnson replied, reassuring the eighth grader that his car was just fine.
“Today’s the best day,” said Johnson, who made the visit during a brief break from his pursuit of a fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. “It’s a fun journey to put together an event to raise the money, but then when you’re able to grant the money, you experience a good high from that. To actually come and see the money after it’s been put in play is a whole new experience.
“It’s just amazing to see it come together,” Johnson said. “It makes me kind of want to go back to school. This looks like a lot of fun. I think we were just trying to figure out how to type in school, and now kids are running software programs, CAD programs. It’s pretty amazing to see how advanced kids are.”
Although the Johnsons live in Charlotte, N.C., the driver hasn’t forgotten his hometown, where he had a modest upbringing. His mother drove a school bus and his father operated heavy equipment. His dad worked in the racing community, which led to the son getting his start.
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