NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson visited Florida this week promoting the upcoming Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday night, July 7 at Daytona International Speedway.
Harvick visits troops at MacDill, throws first pitch at Rays/Mets game.
Harvick, who captured the 2010 Independence Day holiday weekend classic, visited the Tampa-St. Petersburg area on Tuesday. His first stop was at MacDill Air Force Base where he toured a KC-135, a long-range tanker aircraft capable of refueling other aircraft in mid-air, and then participated in a question and answer session with the troops.
“To come out and see this particular aircraft and how it functions and works and how (the troops) work in their environment is something a lot of people don’t get to see first hand,” said Harvick, who drives the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. “It’s fun to be able to hear straight from the guys that are doing it.”
Following his visit to MacDill Air Force Base, Harvick attended the Tampa Bay Rays-New York Mets baseball game at Tropicana Field. He toured the clubhouse, visited with Ray’s players and manager Joe Maddon, participated in a jersey exchange with All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria and threw the ceremonial first pitch.
Johnson races students, golfs with Orlando media at Disney.
Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson visited the Walt Disney World Resort located outside Orlando on Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson joined approximately 40 Daytona Beach-area elementary school children at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The children participated in athletic drills with select Olympic athletes and NFL players before moving inside to build their Lowe’s Build and Grow race cars.
Johnson participated in a question-and-answer session with the children and then joined them at a 31-degree race track to race the wooden cars.
The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports then previewed the upcoming 160-lap, 400-mile race with media at Disney’s Palm golf course where his tee shot on the No. 1 hole went straight down the fairway.
“There’s nothing like it,” Johnson said about racing on the 31-degree high banks. “Even if I come run the Rolex 24, the 500, the 400 … whatever it may be, it’s Daytona. It’s such a special race track with so much history. Still today after all the years of racing there, I still drive through the tunnel, kind like a kid, look around and realize that I’m at Daytona.”
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