On Sunday NASCAR superstar Jimmie Johnson made all kinds of history.
The El Cajon native and Granite Hills High School alum won the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway. It was the 83rd win of his career, tying him with Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for 6th on the all-time wins list.
It was also his 11th win at the Monster Mile, making him the third driver in history to win 11 races at one track. The others are Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. Johnson is the first driver this season to win three races and looks like he’s ready to make his run at a record 8th NASCAR cup series championship.
But there is something that can slow down Johnson. On Monday, Jimmie underwent a surgical procedure to remove a skin cancer. Jimmie let his fans know he was alright, coupled with a warning, on Twitter:
“Wear sunblock kids. I’ve spend the morning on a table having Basal Cell Carcinoma cut out of my shoulder.”
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, BCC is caused by sun exposure and is diagnosed in four million Americans every year. The good news is it very rarely spreads beyond the original site and is in most cases treatable when caught early, which is what Johnson did.
Jimmie is expected to be just fine and will return to the track for next weekend’s event at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, a place where 7-Time has three career victories.
