Jimmie Johnson's win yesterday at the Sprint Cup Auto Club 400 had a "whimsical quality to it, thanks to the promotion of the upcoming movie 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,'" according to David Scott of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Johnson and his No. 48 Chevy were "adorned with Superman’s colors and logo," while teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 Chevy were "decked out" in Batman decor. Johnson "appeared at his post-race news conference wearing a red cape after diving (or flying) onto the shoulders and outstretched arms of his team in victory lane" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/21). The AP's Greg Beacham noted Johnson after the race was "knowingly grinning at the cheesiness" of wearing the cape. He said, "Everybody was waiting for the chance to pull out a cape if we won here. All the wins are special, but when you have props and a cause like this, it takes you to the next level" (AP, 3/20). This is not the first time Johnson used movie props during a race: he donned a multi-color wig in '12 to promote "Madagascar 3" (THE DAILY).
PICK A SIDE: Fox’ Chris Myers noted there were a lot of people yesterday at Auto Club Speedway "walking around ... in Superman capes or Batman suits, all playing into the Superman versus Batman theme that we'll revisit throughout the race“ (“NASCAR Auto Club 400,” Fox, 3/20). FS1’s Jeff Hammond mentioned the superhero paint schemes Johnson and Earnhardt had on their cars and said, “So many of our race fans are movie fans, and it just makes a natural connection whenever you see one of the race cars putting an upcoming movie or big show like this they've got coming on” (“NASCAR Race Hub,” FS1, 3/18).
