Jimmie Johnson to Appear on FOX Series Breaking In on Wednesday

Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (second from left) poses for a picture with (left to right) Brett Harrison, Michael Rosenbaum and Christian Slater during a taping of the "Need for Speed" episode of BREAKING IN airing Wednesday, April 20 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Credit: Jordin Althaus/FOX

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 19, 2011) — Five-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will guest-star in an upcoming episode of the new hit FOX comedy series “Breaking In” this Wednesday, April 20th at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT after “American Idol.”

“Breaking In” is an offbeat half-hour workplace comedy about a high-tech security firm that takes extreme – and often questionable – measures to sell its protection services. Created by Adam F. Goldberg and Seth Gordon, the series centers on a team of uniquely skilled oddball geniuses hand-picked to work for a manipulative mastermind. The series stars Christian Slater as larger-than-life Contra Security head honcho Oz, Bret Harrison as computer hacker Cameron, Odette Annable as alluring bad girl Melanie, Alphonso McAuley as fanboy/mad genius Cash.

Johnson, the 35-year-old El Cajon, Calif., native, plays himself in the episode as the storyline is built around his race team needing security assistance.

“It was a very cool experience, and I’m excited to see how this week’s episode turned out,” said Johnson.

“Fred Savage was really encouraging and gave me great direction and I had a blast with Christian Slater. I think the hardest part was not laughing at Michael Rosenbaum [who plays character Dutch]. That guy is what you’d call high energy. The whole experience was great. I hope the fans enjoy seeing me do something different, but trust me, I won’t be leaving my day job any time soon.”

Slater, who served last month as the Grand Marshal for the Auto Club 400, was very impressed with Johnson’s acting ability.

“Jimmie was just as smooth on the set as he is on the track. Everyone was excited to have him be part of the episode,” said Slater. “It was even more special for me as he made my son’s birthday by autographing a pair of racing shoes.”

Part of Wednesday’s NASCAR-focused episode was shot at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Johnson, who currently sits second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, was also on the Sony-based set of “Breaking In” to film portions of the episode.

“Breaking In” is produced by Happy Madison Productions, Adam F. Goldberg Productions and Sethsquatch, Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television. Goldberg, Gordon and Doug Robinson serve as executive producers, while Goldberg serves as writer. Fred Savage is the episode’s director.