US President Barack Obama welcomed star drivers from US stock car racing to the White House on Wednesday to honor three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson led last weekend’s National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) event with two laps remaining but ran out of fuel and finished 33rd.
The US veteran racer did manage to get his number 48 car to the White House to be honored by Obama. AFP
“In exchange for free parking,” the president said to Johnson, “he should let me take the 48 out for a few laps.”
But before Johnson could help the commander-in-chief into his helmet, Mr. Obama said the Secret Service didn’t think it was a good idea.
It was not the “Cash-for-Clunkers” program that brought #48 to the White House. Mr. Obama was hosting an event to salute Jimmie Johnson and his team as winners of the 2008 Sprint Cup, Johnson’s 3rd consecutive win.
“It’s fitting that you’ve all come here to the White House – the American people’s house – because NASCAR is a uniquely American sport,” said the president.
He spoke of racings’ “humble beginnings, when moonshiners raced on the sands of Daytona Beach during prohibition.” CBS News
In a brief ceremony lasting less than 10 minutes, Obama described Johnson as a champion since the age of 5, when Johnson began racing motocross in California. Obama cracked a joke about the No. 48 Chevy parked on the South Lawn. And he thanked NASCAR both for protecting the environment and supporting the troops.
Johnson’s win last year was his third in a row, and he’s now third in points among drivers for 2009. Setbacks — such as running out of fuel at a race in Michigan on Sunday — are blips in a career that likely will land the 33-year-old driver in racing’s Hall of Fame.
“I’m just glad Jimmie could be here so we can honor him for winning his third consecutive Sprint Cup Championship,” Obama said.
Such ceremonies are traditionally nonpolitical, and Johnson said after the ceremony that he was glad at the chance to tour the White House and meet Obama. He noted that his last visit as a Sprint Cup champion was in February 2007. “We’ve been here in the winter freezing our butts off, and today we’re sweating,” he joked.
“It’s a really neat day for us all,” Johnson said, wearing a dark suit and holding hands with his wife, Chandra. “You get to tour the White House and meet the president.” MiamiHerald.com
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