CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has awarded nearly $1 million in education grants to school districts in California, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
The four-time series champion received more than 80 applications from schools in districts both he and his wife, Chandra, attended, as well as the greater Charlotte area, where they currently reside.
The grants totaling $922,000 include $347,000 toward science and technology needs, $357,000 for outdoor classrooms, playgrounds and athletic facilities and $27,000 for accelerated reading programs.
The Johnsons awarded the California grants at a special ceremony Monday at Crest Elementary, in El Cajon, Calif., a school the driver attended.
