Backstretch Motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the fourth week this season, the top four drivers in the NASCAR Sprint cup Series points standings are all past champions. Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is important for all four – for different reasons:

Jeff Gordon: With a win, Gordon would tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for victories at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with six. He also would close the increasingly important Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup bonus points gap. With each win in the 26-race “regular season,” a driver earns 10 bonus points toward his Chase seeding. Gordon, with one win, has 10 bonus points.
Kyle Busch, with three wins, leads with 30.

Tony Stewart: With a win, Stewart would … A) Become the seventh driver to follow up a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race win with a 600 win; B) Become the first driver-owner to win a points race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998; C) Likely become the first driver-owner to lead the points since Alan Kulwicki in 1992; and D) Likely lead the points for the first time since Nov. 20, 2005. Stewart is 29 points behind series leader Gordon. A win would likely give him the points lead.

Kurt Busch: This is an important juncture for Busch. He is heading into a three-track stretch – LMS, Dover and Michigan – where he has average finishes of 20.8, 21.4 and 20.1, respectively. Currently, he is a comfortable 282 points inside the Chase cutoff, but three bad finishes can erase that cushion.

Jimmie Johnson: Like Gordon, Johnson can also tie Allison and Waltrip with six LMS wins. Johnson has not won a points race at LMS since 2005, which must seem like an eternity for the Lowe’s-sponsored driver. He won there five times in six races from 2003-05.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Driver Races Poles Wins Top Fives Top 10s DNFs Average Finish Driver Rating

1 Jeff Gordon 32 7 5 15 18 9 16.1 85.9
2 Tony Stewart 20 0 1 6 11 1 13.1 84.0
3 Kurt Busch 17 0 0 3 3 3 20.8 79.3
4 Jimmie Johnson 15 2 5 8 12 2 8.9 117.1
5 Denny Hamlin 7 0 0 0 3 0 16.3 78.2
6 Jeff Burton 30 0 3 8 15 4 14.4 91.8
7 Kyle Busch 10 1 0 3 4 3 21.4 100.4
8 Ryan Newman 16 7 0 3 5 5 21.9 76.9
9 Greg Biffle 12 0 0 2 5 2 18.3 90.3
10 Matt Kenseth 19 0 1 5 8 5 16.6 83.6
11 Mark Martin 48 2 4 17 22 13 15.9 92.1
12 Carl Edwards 8 0 0 3 6 0 10.8 89.0

Selected Driver Highlights – Lowe’s Motor Speedway-specific
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last eight races at LMS. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 18.3
• Average Running Position of 16.5, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 90.3, sixth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.647 mph, third-fastest
• 1,824 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), fifth-most

Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
• Three wins, eight top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Average Running Position of 13.8, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 91.8, fifth-best
• 1,865 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4%), fourth-most
• 313 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 21.4
• Average Running Position of 12.2, third-best
• Driver Rating of 100.4, second-best
• 183 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• 495 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 176.233 mph, second-fastest
• 2,210 Laps in the Top 15 (75.1%), third-most
• 400 Quality Passes, second-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 17.3
• Average Running Position of 17.7, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 88.6, eighth-best
• 111 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• 508 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.566 mph, fifth-fastest
• 1,597 Laps in the Top 15 (54.3%), seventh-most
• 272 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
• Three top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 10.8
• Average Running Position of 16.8, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 89.0, seventh-best
• 61 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
• Series-high 604 Green Flag Passes
• 1,518 Laps in the Top 15 (51.6%), 10th-most
• 271 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Five wins, 15 top fives, 18 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 16.1
• Driver Rating of 85.9, 10th-best
• 122 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.464 mph, eighth-fastest
• 1,416 Laps in the Top 15 (48.1%), 12th-most
• 234 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)
• Five wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 8.9
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.2
• Series-best Driver Rating of 117.1
• Series-high 279 Fastest Laps Run
• 540 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 176.608 mph
• Series-high 2,640 Laps in the Top 15 (89.8%)
• Series-high 425 Quality Passes

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Three wins, four top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Average Running Position of 12.9, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.6, third-best
• 238 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 591 Green Flag Passes, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.041 mph, 12th-fastest
• 1,763 Laps in the Top 15 (59.9%), sixth-most
• 329 Quality Passes, third-most

Mark Martin (No. 5 Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Four wins, 17 top fives, 22 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 15.9
• Average Running Position of 11.9, second-best
• Driver Rating of 92.1, fourth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.539 mph, sixth-fastest
• 2,255 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), second-most
• 308 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet)
• One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.1
• Average Running Position of 17.0, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 84.0, 11th-best
• 135 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 476 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.573 mph, fourth-fastest
• 1,531 Laps in the Top 15 (52.1%), eighth-most

At Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
History
• Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Lowe’s Motor Speedway was then known, in 1959.
• The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was May 29, 1982.
• The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
• The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at LMS was on May 16, 2003.
• The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.

Notebook
• There have been 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
• 37 drivers have posted poles, led by David Pearson with 14.
• Fireball Roberts won the pole for the first race, in 1960.
• David Pearson posted 11 straight poles at Lowe’s from the fall of 1973 through 1978.
• Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in poles, with seven.
• Jeff Gordon won five straight poles for the spring race between 1994 and 1998.
• 41 drivers have won races, led by Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip with six each.
• Joe Lee Johnson won the first race, in 1960.
• Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers in victories, each with five.
• There have been 13 back-to-back victories, including three in a row by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).
• A sweep has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.
• Hendrick Motorsports has won 14 races, more than any other organization.
• 13 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson in the 2004 Coca-Cola 600.
• The last three races have been won from a top-five starting position.
• Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

NASCAR in North Carolina
• There have been 508 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in North Carolina.
• 411 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as North Carolina; 342 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
• There have been 42 race winners from North Carolina in NASCAR’s three national series; 28 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
Driver NSCS NNS NCWTS
Richard Petty 200 0 0
Dale Earnhardt 76 21 0
Lee Petty 54 0 0
Ned Jarrett 50 0 0
Junior Johnson 50 0 0
Herb Thomas 48 0 0
Buck Baker 46 0 0
Bobby Isaac 37 0 0
Dale Jarrett 32 11 0
Jim Paschal 25 0 0
Benny Parsons 21 0 0
Speedy Thompson 20 0 0
Buddy Baker 19 0 0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 18 22 0
Harry Gant 18 21 0
Bob Welborn 9 0 0
Kyle Petty 8 0 0
Morgan Shepherd 4 15 0
Bill Blair 3 0 0
Gwyn Staley 3 0 0
Billy Myers 2 0 0
Jimmy Pardue 2 0 0
Brian Vickers 1 3 0
Phil Parsons 1 2 0
Richard Brickhouse 1 0 0
Leon Sales 1 0 0
Buddy Shuman 1 0 0
Donald Thomas 1 0 0
Jack Ingram 0 31 0
Tommy Houston 0 24 0
Sam Ard 0 22 0
Robert Pressley 0 10 2
Scott Riggs 0 4 5
Dennis Setzer 0 2 18
Hank Parker Jr. 0 2 0
Johnny Rumley 0 2 0
Ed Berrier 0 1 0
Justin Labonte 0 1 0
Stephen Leicht 0 1 0
Andy Houston 0 0 3
Ricky Hendrick 0 0 1
Shane Hmiel 0 0 1

Lowe’s Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 12 of 36 (5-24-09)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
• Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 5 degrees
• Frontstretch: 1,980 feet
• Backstretch: 1,500 feet

Driver Rating at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Jimmie Johnson 117.1
Kyle Busch 100.4
Kasey Kahne 97.6
Mark Martin 92.1
Jeff Burton 91.8
Greg Biffle 90.3
Carl Edwards 89.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88.6
Brian Vickers 87.5
Jeff Gordon 85.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (8 total) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2008 pole winner: Kyle Busch (185.433 mph, 29.121 seconds)
2008 race winner: Kasey Kahne, 135.772 mph, 5-25-08)
Qualifying record: Elliott Sadler (193.216 mph, 27.948 secs., 10-13-05)
600-mile race record: Bobby Labonte (151.952 mph, 5-28-95)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage.