Johnson sports a special helmet for Indy

INDIANAPOLIS – This weekend, Jimmie Johnson will climb into his No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway sporting his familiar blue and white  firesuit.

But Johnson’s race day ensemble also will feature something special; a Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope design on his No. 48 helmet.

The specially-designed helmet  features the five winners of the 2014 Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope, a program that allows fans and consumers across the country to nominate and vote for not-for-profit (501c3) organizations that support K-12 public education.

Each of the following winners received a $25,000 grant as part of their prizing: Crayons to Classrooms in Dayton, Ohio; Champions for Learning in Naples, Florida; HEART Tutoring in Charlotte, North Carolina; Le Mars Community Schools Foundation in Le Mars, Iowa; and Reading Partners in Denver. The five winning schools also will receive a Blue Bunny ice cream party.

Johnson, who will wear the helmet for all Sprint Cup activities this weekend at the Brickyard, is thrilled to be part of the program.

“The helmet looks phenomenal,” Johnson said. “The five winners are each very deserving organizations. I will wear their logos with pride. Chandra (wife) and I are very proud of the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope Program.  The partnership with Blue Bunny enables us to support some great organizations that assist K-12 public education. We are very grateful.”

The program is an initiative of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which Johnson and his wife Chandra started in 2006 with the mission of assisting children, families and communities in need throughout the United States.