Johnson vs. Schumacher in the Race of Champions

Two � time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will be pitted against his Formula One counterpart, Michael Schumacher in this Sunday�s Race of Champions (ROC). The Race of Champions is a sub-event of The ROC Nations Cup. Two excelling race car drivers from different motor sports and different countries will race against each other in an attempt to determine which country is the fastest (in terms of racing sport) in the world.

Johnson has high regard for Schumacher as he is quoted saying, �Everyone recognizes Schumacher as a champion, and after winning my second consecutive championship in NASCAR, I hope I'm perceived in that way�. He hopes to be able to win in the Race of Champions. He says, �Beating him and helping Team USA win The ROC Nations Cup would be a perfect ending to the best year of my career.�

This is not the first time that Johnson will drive for the ROC and he believes that his team has a better chance at winning the cup now. He says �My teammate, Travis Pastrana, was the unexpected success of the event last year, almost winning the whole thing single-handedly after I pulled out with an injury. That's got to give us the edge this year!�

Among the drivers participating in the race are:

� Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher
� Formula One star Jenson Button
� Triple and reigning World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx
� Red Bull Racing's David Coulthard
� Scuderia Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel
� Four-time Champ Car Champion Sebastien Bourdais
� Seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen
� Two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom
� Two-time and reigning NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson
� Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana
� Double World Rally Champion, Marcus Gronholm
� Renault F1's Heikki Kovalainen
� 1995 British Rally Champion Alister McRae
� World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller
� 2003 World Rally Champion, Petter Solberg
� Five-time Norwegian Rally Champion, Henning Solberg

The driver pairings are as follows:

� Sebastien Bourdais (France) vs. Henning Solberg (Norway)
� Yvan Muller (France) vs. Petter Solberg (Norway)
� Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) vs. Tom Kristensen (Scandinavia)
� Marcus Gronholm (Finland) vs. Mattias Ekstrom (Scandinavia)
� David Coulthard (Scotland) vs. Jenson Button (England)
� Alister McRae (Scotland) vs. Andy Priaulx (England)
� Jimmie Johnson (United States) vs. Michael Schumacher (Germany)
� Travis Pastrana (United States) vs. Sebastian Vettel (Germany)

The Race of Champions will be held at the famous Wembley Stadium in London. The stadium has been transformed into a parallel track with 1,800 tons of tarmac in preparation for the upcoming ROC event. The ROC Nations Cup will begin at 9am Eastern Time and the actual Race of Champions will start at 2pm eastern time. Fans may tune in to the action via the Race of Champions website.

Source: Johnson, Schumacher to duel at Race of Champions