The president honored NASCAR and three-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson today at the White House. In his speech the President joked about having a NASCAR vehicle on the White House Lawn, and joked that he wanted to take the car out for a spin."You know, it is not every day that we have a championship stock car parked out on the South Lawn. Fortunately, we got Jimmie to agree not to do any burnouts or tear up my backyard. I also suggested to Jimmie that, in exchange for free parking, he should let me take the 48 out for a few laps. He said that was fine -- but Secret Service didn't think it was fine."Here's a bit more from today's speech at the White House...
"It's fitting that you've all come here to the White House -- the American people's house -- because NASCAR is a uniquely American sport. Since its humble beginnings, when moonshiners raced on the sands of Daytona Beach during prohibition, it's grown into a sport with tens of millions of fans here in America and around the world."
But NASCAR is about a lot more than just racing cars. It's as much about what you give back off the track as you give on the track. It's about what you're doing to protect our environment and help America become energy independent -- using solar energy, and working to offset carbon emissions, and even hiring a director of green innovation to take your commitment to the next level."
And it's about all the foundations NASCAR has started to support schools and hospitals, combat hunger and homelessness, and work to help folks in our communities -- like the campers here from Victory Junction; kids who can teach us all a thing or two about courage and hope, and I hope had the time of their lives at summer camp.
After all, one of the core values of the NASCAR community is the belief that service isn't just something you do once in a while when it's convenient -- it's a way of life. I think Jeff Gordon put it best when he said, simply, "Any person out there should do something some way to give back to their community."
And that's what folks from more than 150 countries see around the world when they tune in to your races -- not just your speed and your skill, but also your compassion, your dedication to your families and our communities, how much you love this country and how strongly you support the heroes who serve it. That's the face of America that you show to the world.
So today, I want to thank all of you for that and for everything you do to make this country a better country. And I wish you all the best of luck in this year's chase."
This acknowledgement is in stark contrast to earlier reports (prank) that President Obama wanted to end NASCAR after the 2009 season.
The president recognized wounded soldiers from Walter Reed Medical Center who were also in attendance. Video.
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