Jimmie Johnson, a NASCAR driver, joins a Zoom meeting with members of the Barren County Flames team on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Johnson called from Kansas Speedway before he was set to race in the Super Start Batteries 400.
(Brennan Crain/WCLU News)
GLASGOW, Ky. – The Barren County Flames were treated to a special appearance by famed Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson on Thursday afternoon.
Johnson joined 37 others on a Zoom call from Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The driver was set to race Thursday evening in the Super Start Batteries 400.
Members of the Flames team submitted questions prior to the Zoom call, and those questions were asked by members of the team.
James Cheely, coach of the Barren County Flames, spoke before Johnson answered questions.
“I’m just a coach in this bunch,” Cheely said. “And thank you very much.”
Of the questions asked, one player asked Johnson about his methods of coping with loss, especially since she was a competitive player.
“I’m very competitive, and I like to win,” said the player.
“If you’re just OK with not having the success that you desire, you won’t reach the goals that you want,” Johnson said. “You need that to hold you accountable and keep fighting hard.”
While he offered words of wisdom, the driver also answered questions from the players’ curiosity.
And just how fast has Johnson ever driven?
“I think 220 miles per hour,” Johnson said. “It’s fine until something goes wrong. Then you wish you weren’t going that fast.”
Alan Wells, an athlete with the Flames, asked Johnson about his driving record. Wells wanted to know Johnson’s secret behind speeding tickets, but it turns out that he’s had his share.
Johnson said he had received a few speeding tickets, but he fell short to a recent traffic violation.
“I think my most recent one was for passing on a double yellow line. I don’t think I was technically speeding, but I passed a slower car on a double yellow line,” Johnson said.
Wells then asked, “why did you do that?”
“They were going too slow. They were going below the speed limit,” Johnson said. “It was probably an unsafe thing, but I could see down the straight road quite a ways and felt like it was safe. I just didn’t see the police officer in my rear-view mirror.”
The Flames told Johnson he and his family would receive a shirt from the team. They also encouraged him to visit Kentucky for a special Olympics event.
“Best of luck to you,” Johnson said. “Have fun out there, and I’ll be cheering from the side.”
