Johnson will add final two charities to 'Helmet of Hope'

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 15, 2008) -- This weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, will unveil the final two charities that will appear on his “Helmet of Hope.” Johnson will be wearing the helmet during the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Aug. 31. Ten of the total 12 charities have been named so far. To help Chandra and Jimmie Johnson make the difficult decision of picking organizations, media and fans submitted charities they felt worthy of placement on the special helmet. One of the final two logos was decided by XM Radio listeners who called into Claire B. Lang’s show this week. The 10 charities selected so far include: Monarch (Albemarle, N.C.), Breakthrough Manchester (Manchester, N.H.), STEP, Inc. (Rocky Mount, Va.), The American Diabetes Society (Alexandria, Va.), The Children’s Fund for Glycogen Storage Disease (Cheshire, Conn.), the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Charlotte, N.C.), Alex’s Lemonade Stand (Wynnewood, Pa.), the Nationwide Foundation (Columbus, Ohio) and Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (Exton, Pa.). The San Diego Habitat for Humanity logo also will be featured because it is the beneficiary of the 2008 Jimmie Johnson Foundation Annual Golf Tournament, which takes place the same weekend Johnson will sport the “Helmet of Hope.” For more information visit http://www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org