Knocked out of Brickyard, Johnson copes at home with virus

INDIANAPOLIS — Jimmie Johnson and his family took every precaution to avoid the coronavirus.

They washed their hands frequently, diligently followed the face-mask guidelines and even left their home in Charlotte, N.C., for the less densely populated Aspen, Colo..

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

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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-year-old and 6-year-old, it’s hard. We can’t feed them. We’re heartbroken to see the fear in their eyes.”

Johnson was in Indianapolis on Wednesday to test on Dallara’s simulator. He then flew back to Aspen and was scheduled to return to Indy for Sunday’s race.

He didn’t have an inkling anything was wrong until Friday.

Chani Johnson had been experiencing seasonal allergy symptoms in the summer mountain air, and the 44-year-old Johnson was using a routine prescription to treat his own seasonal issues.

Chani Johnson, a “rule follower” her husband said, went for a coronavirus test because of the allergies. Her results came back positive Friday morning and Johnson and their daughters immediately went for their own tests.

“It would be very easy right now to get bummed out,” said Johnson, who is stepping away from fulltime NASCAR racing at the end of the season. “If it wasn’t for Chani’s diligence to do the right thing, we’d be going on with life as normal and who knows who we could have come in contact with and infected.”

The good news is doctors believe Johnson’s wife already endured the worst of COVID-19. Johnson said aside from a tickle in his throat, he’s asymptomatic.

But the ramifications reverberate around the racing community.