A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring three‑time NASCAR SPRINT CUP champion jimmie johnson.
Whereas, at the age of 33, Jimmie Johnson has had an outstanding career as a race car driver; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson began racing on 50cc motorcycles at the age of five and within a few years had moved to the 60cc motorcycle class, winning his first championship at the age of eight; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson began competing in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series and later advanced to off‑road racing; and
Whereas, in 1998, Jimmie Johnson began driving in the American Speed Association series, earning the title of ASA Pat Schauer Rookie of the Year; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson raced in the NASCAR Busch series beginning in 1998 and posted his first Busch series win in 2001 at the inaugural race at Chicagoland Speedway; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson began his career as a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in 2002 driving the Lowe's #48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports and has been sponsored by North Carolina‑based Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse; and
Whereas, in 2002, Jimmie Johnson became the first rookie in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing to lead in the point standings, claiming three victories in his rookie campaign by winning twice at Dover International Speedway and once at California Speedway, and became the first rookie in series history to sweep both races at a track; and
Whereas, in 2003, Jimmie Johnson finished second in the Sprint Cup points standing with three wins, 14 top fives, 20 top tens, and two poles. He swept the May races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, capturing victories in the All‑Star Race and the Coca‑Cola 600, and won two races at New Hampshire International Raceway; and
Whereas, in 2004, Jimmie Johnson was able to complete the season with a second‑place finish in the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, had the most number of wins of any driver with eight victories, claimed 20 top‑five and 23 top‑10 finishes, and led 24 races for a total of 1,312 points; and
Whereas, during the 2005 season, Jimmie Johnson's accomplishments included a fifth‑place finish in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, the lead in point standings for 17 weeks, first place finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway, winning both points events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and becoming the only driver ranked in the top 10 in point standings after every race during the season; and
Whereas, in 2006, Jimmie Johnson captured his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead‑Miami Speedway and became the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first five full‑time seasons; and
Whereas, at that time, Jimmie Johnson's success placed him among four other drivers in NASCAR's history to have won the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in the same season and the title of Driver of the Year; and
Whereas, in 2007, Jimmie Johnson won his second consecutive Sprint Cup Series Championship and finished the season with 10 wins, 20 top‑fives, 24 top‑10s, and four poles; and
Whereas, in November 2008, Jimmie Johnson's fifteenth‑place finish in the Ford 400 at Homestead‑Miami Speedway earned him his third consecutive Sprint Cup Championship; and
Whereas, with this victory, Jimmie Johnson became the first person to win three back‑to‑back championships in 30 years since Cale Yarborough repeated three times from 1976 to 1978; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson's third Sprint Cup Championship enabled him to become part of an elite class of three‑time champions, which include Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Lee Petty, and Cale Yarborough; and
Whereas, during the off-season, Jimmie Johnson is a frequent guest on late night television shows and other media outlets; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson founded the Jimmie Johnson Foundation with his wife Chandra Johnson in February 2006 to assist children, families, and communities in need across the United States; and
Whereas, in March of 2006, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation established Victory Lanes, a bowling alley for campers with chronic and life‑threatening illnesses at Kyle and Pattie Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, North Carolina; and
Whereas, Jimmie Johnson's achievements as a member of the Hendrick Motorsports team are a fitting memorial to the memory of William C. "Bill" France, known to the racing world as Bill France, Jr., who succeeded his father, William Henry Getty "Big Bill" France, as President of NASCAR, serving the company from 1972 to 2000; and
Whereas, Bill France, Jr., died on June 4, 2007, and is survived by his wife, Betty Jane, and children, Brian France and Lesa France Kennedy; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly congratulates Jimmie Johnson on earning his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly honors the memory of William C. "Bill" France, Jr., and expresses its appreciation for his contributions to stock car racing.
SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to Jimmie Johnson and the family of William C. "Bill" France, Jr.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.