CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson concludes his final full-time NASCAR season, Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) today revealed a new paint scheme for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, featuring the signatures of 10,000 of his fans. The scheme will appear on the car Johnson drives in the Martinsville, Va., race on Nov. 1, bringing his fans along for one of the legendary driver's final Cup Series rides. After the season, the "Sign for Jimmie" car will be placed on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
Ally also surprised Johnson with a $70,000 donation to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation – $10,000 for each championship title. The funds will help seed a number of new grants to address inequities affecting Black and Brown communities.
"We knew the best way to honor Jimmie and recognize all that he's meant to racing was to lift up the things that matter to him the most: the fans, kids and his local communities," said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer for Ally. "Jimmie is one of the best ever to compete in NASCAR. But more than that, he's been an inspirational leader on and off the track, standing up for diversity and inclusion, which is tremendously important to all of us at Ally. This commitment will help Jimmie further his legacy as a champion for equality."
10,000 Autographs for Jimmie
Over the course of his career, Johnson has signed countless autographs for fans. So earlier this fall, the Ally Racing team created an interactive website to give fans a chance to virtually sign their autographs for the "signature" paint scheme and become a physical part of NASCAR history. Fans who filled the first 10,000 signature slots can search for their signatures at www.SignForJimmie.com and capture an image as a keepsake and to share with friends and family. Additional signatures will be featured on a race-day pit wall banner at Martinsville, where Johnson has nine NASCAR Cup Series wins.
Fans are also encouraged to share their farewell messages and tributes by uploading a comment, photo or short video via a new website, www.ThisIsJimmie.com, that will launch next week. The website will also feature a collection of short videos and first-hand accounts of the man behind the legend from those who know him best.
"Ally has been such a great partner and to bring in 10,000 fans to ride along with me and to give that support for my final Martinsville race is going to be really meaningful," Johnson said. "And it's 10,000 more reasons why we need to get to Victory Lane, so I'm excited about that."
Ally's Commitment to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation
A portion of the initial funds from Ally's $70,000 commitment to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation will be distributed to two Charlotte-based nonprofits: the CMS Foundation, to help bridge the digital divide for students in need; and the Center for Racial Equity in Education (C.R.E.E.D.).
About the Jimmie Johnson Foundation
Chandra and Jimmie Johnson launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in February 2006. Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, drives the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in NASCAR's top series. The mission of the Foundation is to assist children, families, and communities in need throughout the United States. The Foundation has committed more than $12 million to various charities. The Foundation currently focuses on K-12 public education. For additional information on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, please visit jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.
About Ally Financial Inc.
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial-services company with $184.1 billion in assets as of June 30, 2020. As a customer-centric company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions, we are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial and corporate customers. We are one of the largest full-service automotive-finance operations in the country and offer a wide range of financial services and insurance products to automotive dealerships and consumers. Our award-winning online bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) offers mortgage lending, personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products, including savings, money-market, and checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Additionally, we offer securities-brokerage and investment-advisory services through Ally Invest. Our robust corporate finance business offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.
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Contact:
Ann Smith
Ally Financial
Ann.Smith@ally.com
SOURCE Ally Financial
