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NASCAR's Home Depot car races into Founders Day Parade

NASCAR thunders onto the streets of Johns Creek on Saturday, Dec. 5 when the #20 Home Depot car joins in the third annual Johns Creek Founders Day Parade.

The 2009 orange-and-white NASCAR Sprint Cup Toyota Camry will rumble its way along the 1.3-mile parade route down State Bridge Road, then on to Newtown Park where it will be on display as part of the "Santa at Newtown" festivities. Visitors can check out the car up close, take photos and purchase souvenirs from the Home Depot Racing merchandise trailer.

The car is part of the Joe Gibbs Racing Team, owned by the legendary former Super Bowl-winning coach of the NFL Washington Redskins, and driven by former Johns Creek resident Joey Logano, who lived here briefly in the late '90s and early 2000s.

The 18-year-old has set the NASCAR world on fire in his inaugural season and is currently ranked 19th in the Sprint-Cup Driver standings and 14th in the Nationwide rankings. Logano unfortunately is not able to attend the parade, as he will be at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas, where he is the heavy favorite to take Rookie of the Year honors.

The Home Depot car joins the U.S. Marine Corps Band from Albany, Ga. this year as part of the ongoing growth of the Founders Day Parade. Since its creation in December 2007, the parade has grown to include more than 100 units and several thousand participants. Founders Day itself has expanded from a one-day event to a weeklong celebration of the city's Dec. 1, 2006 incorporation.

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. and travels State Bridge Road from West Morton Road, ending at Ocee Elementary School at Kimball Bridge Road. Emmy Award-winning news anchor and Johns Creek resident Karyn Greer from WXIA 11Alive News will once again serve as emcee.

The day concludes with Santa at Newtown Park from 1 to 3 p.m. There, in addition to the Home Depot car, children can visit with Old Saint Nick and pose for pictures (so parents, be sure to bring your cameras). There will be plenty of other kids' activities, more live entertainment and food available for purchase.

The schedule of Founders Day events begins with the lighting of holiday decorations at City Hall on Monday Nov. 30. From there events include holiday book readings by the Mayor and City Council members, a children's holiday decoration-making event at Johns Creek Arts Center, a combined holiday card signing for the troops and Toys for Tots drive at City Hall, and a "holiday workshop" hosted by Emory Johns Creek Hospital. (See the Founders Day page for a complete listing of events and more information.)