Jimmie Johnson became the first NASCAR driver to announce that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, and will miss Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Johnson, who is asymptomatic, was tested after her wife, Chandra, had tested positive.
While you know it won’t be easy to watch the race on Sunday from the side: the seven-time champion has never missed a race throughout his Cup Series career, which is coming to an end after this season, that’s not your attention.
Instead, Johnson is concerned about his two daughters.
“My biggest concern right now is for my children,” Johnson said at a press conference on Saturday. “Of course, we are being very responsible right now, at home, trying to isolate ourselves, but at the same time, trying to be parents. That is a really complicated obstacle, trying to solve right now, while managing your fears.
“They cannot come with mom and dad, and we have to feed them and, at the same time, we are concerned about transmitting the virus. We are trying to be as healthy as possible, but I am heartbroken to see the fears in their eyes to see them trying to manage what is happening right now. “
Johnson’s two children, both under the age of 10, have tested negative and are home in Aspen, Colorado.
It is unclear when Johnson will be able to return, although NASCAR rules state that he must be symptom free, negative for the coronavirus twice in tests that are at least 24 hours apart, and be cleared by a physician.
Although Johnson is the first, at least the first to publicly acknowledge, that he has tested positive, the coronavirus pandemic is still at its peak across the United States.
There were more than 2.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country as of Saturday afternoon, according to The New York Times, with nearly 130,000 deaths attributed to it. The United States reported more than 50,000 new cases on both Thursday and Friday, including a single-day record 55,595 on Thursday. Indiana had nearly 50,000 cases, more than 11,000 of which were in Marion County, where Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located.
The news was not, and is not, easy for Johnson to swallow. But given what is happening across the country, the 44-year-old knows that he cannot be too discouraged about it.
“2020 has been interesting, there is no question about it,” Johnson said. “I may be depressed about my situation, but if I turn on the news and see how this virus is affecting so many others, I am quickly grateful that I am asymptomatic and have no other problems.”
Jimmie Johnson became the first NASCAR driver to announce that he had tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.
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