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Jason Bray plans to respectfully remove his No. 48 ball cap for the national anthem and prayer before the start of today’s Shelby 427.

Removing his cap isn’t unusual for Jason. He does that before every race. But this time, the Madison teenager and his family won’t be watching TV, they’ll be in the grandstands of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and watching the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in person.

Thanks to money raised by the Chi Omega sorority at UNCG and the efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 15-year-old Jason also will get to meet his hero — race car driver Jimmie Johnson.

“He’s the best,’’ Jason said. “He’s won so many races.”

Fifty members of the sorority held three fundraisers, including a kickball tournament, to raise $6,200 for Jason’s wish.

“It’s very exciting that we get to be a part of this,” said Molly Frazier, the sorority’s community service director.

Jason was surprised on Feb. 21, during halftime of UNCG’s home basketball game when members of Chi Omega broke out a big yellow banner and announced to the crowd — and to Jason — that he would get to meet Johnson in Las Vegas.

Jason, who has two forms of muscular dystrophy and wears braces on both legs, received race tickets and garage and pit passes, too. Jason said he wanted to visit Las Vegas because he believes it’s the most exciting track on the circuit. 

His room at home is filled with NASCAR memorabilia, posters, magazines and inflatable race cars. He even has a scaled-down version of a Lowe’s Racing  car hood in his room.

Jason and his father, Greg Bray, race slot cars at the Eden Raceway on weekends. Jason’s car bears Johnson’s number 48. 

Greg Bray says his son is such a big race fan that he makes a habit of watching a race on television and then playing the same track and winning driver on his PlayStation.

His father says Jason sits at the controls and races every lap of the event until the checkered flag waves.

He’s even found Jason still racing in his room past midnight.CutlineJason Bray reacts to the news that he and his family would travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for today’s NASCAR race, thanks to the efforts of UNCG’s Chi Omega sorority and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A meeting with his hero, Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, was also planned. The sorority made a banner for the surprise presentation at a recent UNCG basketball game.