Early and Personal Life
Johnson was born in El Cajon, California, on September 17, 1975, the son of Catherine Ellen "Cathy" (née Dunnill) and Gary Ernest Johnson. He attended Granite Hills High School, while he raced motorcycles during the weekends. He was a varsity water polo player, diver and swimmer and graduated in 1993. The number 48 is retired from all sports teams uniforms at his school and Johnson was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. He has two younger brothers, Jarit and Jessie. Johnson lives in Charlotte, North Carolina like many other NASCAR drivers. He is married to the former Chandra Janway, the two having known each other since 2002. In January 2010, Johnson signed a mini-series deal with HBO for a NASCAR based reality show 24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona. Cameras followed him from January 2010 to the 2010 Daytona 500. On January 4, 2010, the Associated Press reported that the Johnsons were expecting their first child. On July 7, 2010, Chandra gave birth to their daughter, Genevieve Marie.
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