Double NASCAR champion, Jimmie Johnson, has said he cannot wait to pit his skills against the man widely billed as the world's greatest driver, Michael Schumacher, in The Race of Champions this weekend.

The Team USA hero, who has been drawn against the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion for the first round of The ROC Nations Cup, says he has the greatest respect for the European superstar, which motivates him all the more to snatch victory for The United States.

"Everyone recognises Schumacher as a champion, and after winning my second straight championship in NASCAR I hope I'm perceived in that way,” said Johnson, who took the NASCAR title this season with 10 wins in the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“Beating him and helping Team USA win The ROC Nations Cup would be a perfect ending to the best year of my career."

The ROC Nations Cup aims to determine the fastest country in the world, with two drivers from each pitted against each other in identical cars. This year The Race of Champions is being held at Wembley Stadium in the UK and the famous landmark has been transformed into a stunning parallel track, using 1,800 tonnes of tarmac, for the unique event this Sunday.

“I've raced The ROC before and did OK,” said Johnson, who won The ROC Nations Cup in 2002. “My team-mate, Travis Pastrana, was the unexpected success of the event last year, almost winning the whole thing single-handedly after I pulled out with an injury. That's got to give us the edge this year!”

The draw for The ROC Nations Cup was made at Wembley Stadium yesterday, with the individual category being saved for a face-to-face draw at the official press conference tomorrow [December 15].

The ROC Nations Cup draw resulted in the following pairings:

France Sébastien Bourdais Vs Norway Henning Solberg
France Yvan Muller Vs Norway Petter Solberg
Finland Heikki Kovalainen Vs Scandinavia Tom Kristensen
Finland Marcus Grönholm Vs Scandinavia Mattias Ekström
Scotland David Coulthard Vs England Jenson Button
Scotland Alister McRae Vs England Andy Priaulx
USA Jimmie Johnson Vs Germany Michael Schumacher
USA Travis Pastrana Vs Germany Sebastian Vettel