CONCORD, N.C. -- A seven-time champion on the track and a workout guru off the track, Jimmie Johnson has embodied what it means to be an athlete.
The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has always made a point to maintain his physical fitness, so it made sense that Michigan International Speedway renamed the nature trail that wraps around the Graves Family Campground on the track’s property the “Jimmie Johnson Nature Trail.”
“Fitness is high priority to me and to have this trail in my name means a lot,” Johnson said. “Fans for generations to come will be able to enjoy ‘Pure Michigan’ and experience the racetrack at the same time. I have always loved the area, fishing close by with my girls and cycling on Saturdays during race weekends. I am very thankful to the folks at Michigan for this thoughtful honor.”
The nature trail serves not only as a family campground, but it’s also home to Adrian College. The institution uses this nature trail to host youth-focused camps when it is not race season.
“Jimmie Johnson is emblematic of everything that is great about our sport,” said Michigan International Speedway president Rick Brenner. “He won an awful lot in his storied career and did it with a tremendous amount of class and dignity. He also was a key figure in incorporating physical fitness into our sport, and changing the way drivers are viewed. On behalf of everyone at MIS, we wish him and his family all the best in his life after NASCAR.”
Michigan International Speedway isn’t the first venue to dedicate a trail to Johnson. New Hampshire Motor Speedway also unveiled a 5-kilometer running trail renamed after Johnson on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Take a look at Johnson being honored at the newly named “Jimmie Johnson Nature Trail.”
