Jimmie Johnson still is in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, but his thoughts Tuesday were with everybody in his home state, not on chasing his eighth championship.
Johnson tweeted Tuesday that he “can’t imagine” what so many Californians have been through because of the recent wildfires that have ravaged the state.
Firefighters have been battling blazes since Oct. 8 across more than 200,000 acres, and for Johnson, an El Cajon, Calif. native, the devastation reminded him of fears he and his family lived with when he was a child.
Although the fires metaphorically hit close to home for Johnson, other members of the racing world have been more directly impacted.
Within the first 24 hours of the wildfires, the land neighboring Sonoma Raceway had been completely charred and IMSA driver Dane Cameron’s childhood home was burned to the ground.
Thumbnail photo via Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports Images
