18 • July 8-9, 2020 SPORTS bransonglobe.com Knocked out of Brickyard, Johnson copes at home with coronavirus INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jimmie Johnson and his family took every precaution to avoid the coronavirus. They washed their hands freNASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) quently, diligently followed the face-mask guidelines and even left their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the less densely populated Aspen, Colorado. And yet both Johnson and his wife still tested positive for the virus this week — knocking the seven-time NASCAR champion out of what was expected to be his final Brickyard 400. Johnson is the first NASCAR driver to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 and it will end his streak of 663 consecutive Cup starts. It’s also temporarily disrupting his family life as he and wife, Chani, attempt to quarantine while still raising their two daughters. Both girls tested negative, Johnson said. “We’re being very responsible in our home and trying to self-isolate, but at the same time we have to parent on top of their fears,” Johnson said Saturday by Zoom from Colorado. “So we’re OK, but for a 9-yearold and 6-year-old, it’s hard. We SEE JOHNSON, PAGE 19
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