Mount Pleasant High School graduate Logan Quinn and Concord High School graduate Bronwen Bates were named recipients of the Jimmie Johnson Scholarship, Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced ahead of this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
Established in October of 2020 to honor seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and future Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, the $4,800 scholarship is granted to a deserving Cabarrus County high school senior pursuing a career in fitness, nutrition or exercise science. The award will be distributed annually to a prospective college student.
This marks the first time in the scholarship’s history that the committee agreed upon awarding two worthy applicants with the prize.
Quinn, who plans to attend Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina, has high hopes of working for a professional sports organization and making an impact within the community.
In addition to his four years on the Mount Pleasant Tigers varsity soccer team, Quinn was also a member of the National Beta Club, the National Technical Honor Society, and the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society.
“It meant a lot for me to be selected,” said Quinn, who accepted the award in front of a packed crowd during the weekend’s STEAM Expo. “When you apply for something like this you don’t necessarily think you’re gonna win, but I was extremely excited.”
The win was made even sweeter by the fact that Quinn’s father is a longtime fan of Johnson – it’s part of the reason Quinn’s parents were the first people he told when he found out he would be one of the recipients.
Bates, who is attending the UNC Charlotte following his graduation, believes the impact of the scholarship will be monumental to his educational experience.
“As an individual on the autism spectrum, there were a lot of difficult things growing up, but academics were not one of them,” said Bates in his scholarship application essay. “Winning this award would help pay a portion of my tuition at UNCC where I can continue my education and move into a field where I can further help others.”
As well as being a student of the International Baccalaureate Program during the entirety of his high school career, Brown is a member of the National Honor Society, National Senior Beta Club, IB Executive Committee, and was named junior marshal just last year.
Charlotte Motor Speedway created the Jimmie Johnson Scholarship to honor the legendary driver’s passion for physical fitness. Johnson – the speedway’s all-time most successful NASCAR Cup Series driver with eight points wins – joined his wife, Chandra, in launching the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006 to support K-12 public education. The scholarship in Johnson’s name represents the speedway’s efforts to mirror Johnson’s foundation in positively impacting students’ academic aspirations.
