DOVER, Del. _ The friendship between NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson and Beau Smith began with a hug.
Actually, three hugs.
The encounter wasn't by chance: Beau knew what he was doing as Johnson made his way through the infield before the 2015 spring race at Dover International Speedway.
Coming to the race with his parents from their home in nearby Rehoboth Beach, Del., Beau was on a mission to meet Johnson, his favorite driver.
As Johnson walked through the infield, Beau approached him and went straight in for a hug. Then came another embrace. Then another.
"My man Beau is very good at giving hugs," Johnson says now. "He just warms you up."
Beau, 12, has that effect on people.
"He's always happy," said Beau's mother, Maureen Smith. "He's always up for fun."
Born with chronic respiratory failure and multiple birth defects, Beau lives with what Maureen describes as an undiagnosed genetic condition.
He needs help with the most basic of human functions. He breathes with the aid of an oxygen tank, which accompanies him everywhere. He eats through a feeding tube. And although he can walk short distances, a wheelchair does the rest.
Beau deals with kidney disease, heart defects and osteoporosis. He undergoes monthly blood transfusions and has had multiple surgeries.
"There are a bunch of conditions we treat," Maureen said. "We don't know exactly what the underlying diagnosis is, but he's had all of it since birth.
"He's had chromosome and gene tests and they've all come back normal. He's an enigma.
"Whatever it is, it's his own thing."
Maureen then brightens.
"We didn't expect him to be here this long, it's amazing," she said. "His doctors are amazed he's here."
When Beau was 5, his family had a house built designed to hold all the medical equipment he needed. Beau's room included a fan from Lowe's, Johnson's primary sponsor, with Johnson's number 48 painted on it.
"That was it," said Terry Smith, Beau's dad. "He's been a Jimmie fan ever since."
Beau went to a race at Dover that year and watched Johnson win. The Smith family _ Beau has three older sisters _ continued to go to the Monster Mile most years, and in 2015 Beau decided he had to meet Johnson.
That was just the beginning.
Later in 2015, Beau was Johnson's guest at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, where he helped the crew push the car to pre-race inspection, then watched the race from atop the pit box with his mother and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick.
Then came Sunday at Dover, where Beau attended the drivers meeting with Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.
Sporting an official pit crew shirt he was given for being an honorary team member, Beau then went to Johnson's pit stall, where he wore a constant smile and held court with whoever stopped by.
He huddled with engine-tuner John Boydston. He inspected the cockpit with interior specialist Andy Kruep. Leaning into the right-front wheel well with tire specialilst Kyle Collins, Beau learned about the intricacies of changing a tire. He helped Collins secure the tire with lug nuts.
"They let me see me what they're doing and do stuff," Beau said. "It's so fun."
Later, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott stopped by to introduce himself. As the start of the race neared, Johnson arrived with his wife, Chandra, and daughters Lydia and Genevieve. This time, a fist bump served between Beau and Jimmie.
During the national anthem. Beau took off his No. 48 hat, revealing a full head of red hair. He stood proudly with the Johnson family, hand over his heart.
Beau, Maureen and Terry watched from the stands as Johnson, despite leading 90 laps, finished what he considered a disappointing seventh.
"I wish we could have brought Beau to Victory Lane with us," Johnson said after the race. "But I know he's happy for us either way."
With the help of a nurse, Beau attends school, where he is in the sixth grade. In addition to NASCAR, he also loves baseball, playing the drums, country music and dancing. He recently attended a Trace Adkins concert, during which Adkins brought Beau onstage and gave him a Stetson hat.
"He's pretty positive; he wakes up and asks, 'what are we going to do today?' " Terry said. "He's met so many people through NASCAR. He loves that and doesn't let his illness bring him down at all."
In June, the Smith family traveled to Charlotte, N.C. in June to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where Beau most enjoyed the driving simulator. They also stopped by the Hendrick headquarters in Concord, N.C.
Johnson wasn't there that day, so Beau left a note on his desk.
"Hi Jimmie," he wrote. "Beau was here."
And Johnson missed a hug.
