NASCAR champs meet Obama at White House

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama Wednesday compared Jimmie Johnson's five straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championships to some of sports' greatest dynasties.

The race car driver made the traditional pit stop at the White House afforded all sports national champions.

Obama said Johnson "has got a lot to be proud of."

"NASCAR is a sport where anything that can go wrong will go wrong at some point during the season -- similar to being president," Obama said. "That's true even for the best drivers.

"And that's why Jimmie is not just one of the best drivers of all time -- he's up there with some of the great sports dynasties. If you think about it, only the Boston Celtics, the [New York] Yankees and the [Montreal] Canadiens have ever won more than four titles in a row. And now Jimmie is breathing down the necks of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for the most NASCAR titles ever, which is not bad for the son of a machine operator and a school bus driver who still has plenty of seasons ahead of him."

Johnson thanked the president for inviting him and his Lowe's Motor Sports team to the White House, and presented Obama with a pair of gloves he wore while winning a NASCAR race in Las Vegas to go with a helmet he gave Obama on an earlier visit.

Obama said he would wear the helmet and the gloves while driving his golf cart.

The president had joked earlier that it was great to have Johnson's No. 48 car parked outside.

"I was just telling these guys I'm not allowed to drive much these days -- basically just my golf cart at Camp David -- which is called Golf Cart One," Obama said. "But I will say that it's pretty tough to look at No. 48 and not want to jump in and take a few laps -- although I'm sure Jimmie would not be happy if I was doing that."