Sep

3

The summer months are in the rear view mirror (right where JJ likes his competition), and that means football season is upon us. Jimmie Johnson and his wife Chandra will be cheering on her alma mater, the Oklahoma Sooners, much like they did in person in 2007 when they were on hand for the final game of the season: a home field showdown against intra-state rivals Oklahoma State.

It was an old fashioned whooping as all-star freshman quarterback Sam Bradford led the Sooners to a 49-17 victory over the Cowboys. After the electrifying victory that would send the team to the Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops invited Johnson into the locker room to take part in the celebrations. Little did Jimmie know he was to be the center of the festivities. "I didn't know it was coming, then Coach Stoops just said, 'Hey guys, we have a special guest here today, 2007 Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson.'" The boisterous team whisked Johnson into the air and proceeded to elatedly toss him around like a rag doll!

After he returned from orbit, Coach Stoops presented Jimmie with a signed Sooners helmet, which resides with the rest of his helmet collection. Johnson returned the favor, and Stoops proudly displays a personalized Lowe’s helmet in his office (you can see it in this video tour of Stoops’ office). "I was shocked to see the love for me and their knowledge of racing. It was one of the few moments in my life where I was so shocked in what was going on that the hair on the back of my neck was standing up."

The Oklahoma crimson helmet isn’t the only football helmet in Johnson’s ever growing collection. He also traded one of his Lowe’s lids with Alan Miller, 1963-65 Raiders Captain and MVP. The bulk of the helmets in Jimmie’s collection have come via trades, most of which have been with fellow NASCAR drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Kenny and Rusty Wallace, and Michael Waltrip. Jimmie has also traded with some of the best on two wheels and dirt, which is where the six-time NASCAR champion cut his teeth in racing. He has traded helmets with Ryan Dungey, Nicky Hayden, Rick Johnson (of no blood relation), Davi Millsaps, Travis Pastrana, and Ryan Villopoto. Other drivers Jimmie has traded with include Indycar stars Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan, as well as sports car standouts Mattias Eckstrom and Max Papis.

Two helmets in the collection were not acquired via trades. One is a vintage Bobby Rahal CART (Indycar) helmet which he purchased from the Dan Wheldon Memorial Auction. Bobby was kind enough to sign it…”To Jimmy.” But that’s okay, it’s not the only helmet in the collection without the “-ie.” The other is a Michael Schumacher Formula 1 helmet, gifted to Johnson by the late Randy Dorton’s wife. Dorton was the lead engine builder for Hendrick Motorsports and tragically passed away in the 2004 plane crash. The helmet was one of his most prized possessions, and Jimmie is now proud to say it is one of his.

This Saturday Coach Stoops will lead the Sooners from the sideline against the Akron Zips in their opening game of the season from Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Then on Sunday Jimmie Johnson will pilot the throwback Lowe’s Chevrolet SS in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington. Tune in to NBC at 7 PM ET to see if Jimmie can capture his fourth win at “The Lady in Black.”