Jimmie Johnson Candidate for Athlete of the Year

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 7, 2006) – The acknowledgments continue for 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, who was honored during last week’s annual Champion’s Week festivities in New York City. Johnson, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, is among the candidates listed for the 2006 United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. The ballot for male athletes includes South Korean speed skater Hyun-Soo Ahn, Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele, Italian soccer star Fabio Cannavaro, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, Johnson, golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, swimming star Michael Phelps, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young. Voting, done online, began Dec. 1 and ends Dec. 25. An overall winner will be selected, along with male and female athletes of the year. Federer was the 2005 overall winner. Sports fans worldwide can vote online at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/front.htm http://athleteoftheyear.msnbc.com http://www.ussa.edu/aoy/index.asp