NASCAR legend Junior Johnson will serve as the grand marshal for the Blue Lizard Transporter Parade - Making Wishes and Miracles Happen For Children In The East Tennessee Region Thursday, Aug. 23.

This is the 11^th consecutive year that NASCAR's transporters will take part in the parade, which precedes the sold-out Sharpie 500 Saturday evening. The parade has become one of the most popular events of August race week with dozens of big rigs making their way through the city to Bristol Motor Speedway. Thousands of fans line the 10-mile route to take part in the spectacular event. This year the parade will have added significance as most of the transporter drivers will have a special passenger onboard - a child from Make-A-Wish or the Children's Miracle Network for the duration of the parade.

Johnson is the all-time winning car owner at Bristol Motor Speedway with a remarkable 21 victories and was Darrell Waltrip's car owner during his streak of seven straight wins (1981-1984) on the half-mile oval.

The 75-year-old Johnson was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and captured 50 Cup wins over his distinguished career. That includes one at Bristol in the spring of 1965 when he served as both driver and car owner. Aided by Waltrip's streak, Johnson won an amazing eight straight events on the high-banked oval, starting with the August night race of 1980 with Cale Yarborough behind the wheel.

Slated for a 9 p.m. start, following the completion of downtown Bristol's Food City Family Race Night, the brilliantly colored transporters will make their way from Bristol Mall down Volunteer Parkway to "The World's Fastest Half-Mile." The 2007 edition of the Blue Lizard Transporter Parade will boast more than 50 of the multi-million dollar machines that haul the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race cars from track to track throughout the season.

The transporter leading the way will be the one belonging to the leader of the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings heading into the Sharpie 500. Adding to the fanfare of the parade, fireworks will explode high overhead from four points along the route.

The transporter drivers also will be available prior to the start of the parade to sign autographs at the Bristol Mall. Spectators also can watch the drivers take part in the Pilot Truck Challenge