Johnson delivers Kobalt Tools to Georgia high school

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 6, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson helped Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools kick off their partnership with SkillsUSA on Friday by delivering a set of tools to Hampton’s Lovejoy High School near Atlanta Motor Speedway. This season, Lowe’s will donate about $300,000 worth of Kobalt tools to more than 500 SkillsUSA Building and Construction trade classes and labs across the country for use in their classrooms. Each school receives a Kobalt rolling chest and more than 40 tools, including five claw hammers, five 15-inch hand saws and five six-in-one screwdrivers. “The No. 48 team knows how important it is to have the right tools to be successful,” said Johnson, who will drive the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet in this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta. “This program is great because we are literally putting those tools in the hands of students who need them and can use them to further their education. I also hope it gives all the students involved with SkillsUSA some pride in knowing that we will be racing a car for them in Texas and hoping to put it in Victory Lane.” The three-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will run a special “Tough Tools for Cool Schools” paint scheme during the Cup event at Texas Motor Speedway on April 5. “The donation of Kobalt Tools to SkillsUSA’s Building Trades labs nationwide will help prepare the next generation of workers and leaders for the challenging and competitive construction workforce of the 21st Century,” SkillsUSA executive director Timothy Lawrence said. “The youth who will benefit from this generous donation will build and maintain our homes, schools and commercial structures in the future. “This outreach to our schools is another great example that proves how much Lowe’s believes in the young men and women who are training to build and rebuild the infrastructure of America. Through the Tough Tools for Cool Schools program, SkillsUSA, Lowe’s and our technical training schools are building something together that will truly make a lasting impact.”