Racing legend Jimmie Johnson may have retired from NASCAR but the 45-year-old's days of speeding are far from over as he gears up to take his talents to IndyCar. With the coronavirus pandemic having delayed the 2020 NASCAR season, Johnson called it quits, so he could prepare to mash the pedals in a vehicle that he'd actually envisioned himself driving many years earlier.
"As a kid, IndyCar was really the dream for me. My opportunities took me to NASCAR and clearly I'm so thankful for the journey I've been on, but in 2018 I had a chance to drive a Formula One (F1) car and that experience was so intense and so cool that I needed more of it in my life and was able to put this opportunity together with Carvana and Chip Ganassi Racing for this season and for next," Johnson told Cheddar.
Like F1 race cars, IndyCar uses an open-wheel design.
While the racing legend spent nearly two decades behind the wheel of a stock car, he's only had "a handful" of test sessions before his IndyCar debut. If you thought that might impact Johnson's psyche and make for a nervous debut, he said it "totally does." For the most part, it will be a learn-as-you-go type of experience for the veteran racer.
"For me, really everything's different. I mean, not only the car, which you can visually see and the performance side to it, but the tracks are all new and different, and I've never been to them," Johnson said. "Some are temporary street circuits in downtown districts that are just there for four or five days and they're gone."
As Johnson prepares to make his first appearance at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, he is also touting a partnership with Alcon, a Swiss-based eyecare company. Johnson who suffers from seasonal allergies, with itchy eyes being a major symptom, said the partnership was the perfect match.
Bettis, known as "The Bus" when he was an unstoppable running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, voiced support for the NFL player protests but also said he thought the league was "doing the right thing" in a tense situation.
Serena Williams's altercation with a chair umpire during the U.S. Open final was just the latest example of women being treated differently than their male counterparts in the sport. But whether things change by the Australian Open in January, said the Washington Post's Cindy Boren, is hard to say.
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Randal Hill, a former NFL wide receiver, is optimistic even in the face of the protest controversy that has divided America. He told Cheddar Big News that one of the best things about sports leagues is how they can heal national wounds.
Rich Tamayo, the director of guest experience for the Baltimore Ravens, said that the changes being made for Ravens fans will "change the game in the way our fans experience the stadium." The Ravens start their season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Social live-streaming is today where social media was in the mid-2000s. At least that's what 21st Century Fox is betting. The CEO of Caffeine, which just took a $100 million investment from the media giant, is looking toward the future of the industry.
Todd Martin, the CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, said he sees a possibility for an upset in the men's semifinal, but Serena Williams has it all but wrapped up on the women's side.
Nate Boyer, a former NFL player and Green Beret, is the man behind Colin Kaepernick's protests in 2016 when he suggested that the quarterback kneel instead of sit during the National Anthem as a sign of a respect. Two years later, Boyer believes people are missing the point of his protest and not listening to both sides of the issue.
Scooby Axson, a writer and producer for Sports Illustrated and an Army veteran, said that Pres. Trump is using Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad to stoke anger in his base.
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