Backstretch Motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2008) – Because he shares a sponsor with the track, and because of his immense success there, Jimmie Johnson is the story when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Here are some LMS-specific Johnson numbers:
1 – Johnson’s current points position. It’s the first time in his career he has held the top spot going into the second LMS race.
1 – Johnson’s starting position in the 2004 Coca-Cola 600. Johnson is one of 13 LMS winners to start from the pole position.
2 – Season sweeps of LMS by Johnson (2004 and 2005), the only driver to do it twice. Other sweeps at LMS were done by Fred Lorenzen (1965), Bobby Allison (1971), David Pearson (1974), Richard Petty (1975), Dale Earnhardt (1986) and Kasey Kahne (2006).
5 – Wins at LMS for Johnson. He and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon are the active leaders there. Another win, and Johnson will be tied for all-time wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

7.7 – Johnson’s Average Running Position at LMS, the only driver with an ARP under 10.
37 – Johnson’s starting position for the 2003 Coca-Cola 600, which he won. It’s the deepest in the field a race winner has started at LMS.
116.5 – Johnson’s Driver Rating at LMS since 2005, the only driver with a rating over 100.
334 – Laps Johnson led in the 2004 Coca-Cola 600, one short of the most by an LMS race-winner. Jim Paschal led 335 laps in the 1967 spring race.
1,169 – Laps led by Johnson in 14 career LMS races. Bobby Allison is the all-time leader with 2,339 – in 43 career starts there.

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 Jimmie Johnson 14 2 5 8 11 2 9.1 116.5
2 Carl Edwards 7 0 0 3 6 0 7.6 88.2
3 Greg Biffle 11 0 0 2 4 2 19.3 87.0
4 Jeff Burton 29 0 2 7 14 4 14.9 86.6
5 Clint Bowyer 5 0 0 1 1 0 19.6 71.4
6 Kevin Harvick 15 0 0 1 3 1 20.7 66.4
7 Tony Stewart 19 0 1 6 11 1 13.2 80.0
8 Jeff Gordon 31 7 5 15 17 9 16.4 84.1
9 Matt Kenseth 18 0 1 5 8 4 15.3 87.6
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr 18 1 0 5 9 3 16.3 89.7
11 Kyle Busch 9 1 0 2 3 3 23.3 98.7
12 Denny Hamlin 6 0 0 0 3 0 16.3 77.8

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 seven races at LMS. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 19.3
• Average Running Position of 18.2, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 87.0, eighth-best
• 92 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.726 mph, sixth-fastest
• 1,493 (57.3%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 219 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), ninth-most

Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Two wins, seven top fives, 14 tops 10s
• Average finish of 14.9
• Average Running Position of 15.2, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 86.6, ninth-best
• 49 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 12th-most
• 437 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
• 1,532 (58.8%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• 276 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 23.3
• Average Running Position of 13.0, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 98.7, second-best
• 157 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 176.378 mph, second-fastest
• 1,885 (72.3%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 335 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 16.3
• Average Running Position of 16.2, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 89.7, fifth-best
• 106 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 495 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.905 mph, third-fastest
• 1,495 (57.3%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Three top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.6
• Average Running Position of 14.7, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 88.2, sixth-best
• 49 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 12th-most
• Series-high 597 Green Flag Passes
• 1,467 (56.3%) Laps in the Top 15, ninth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Five wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 9.1
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.7
• Series-best Driver Rating of 116.5
• Series-high 260 Fastest Laps Run
• 502 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
• Fastest average Green Flag Speed of 176.860 mph
• Series-high 2,307 (88.5%) Laps in the Top 15
• 388 Quality Passes, second-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Three wins, four top 10s
• Average finish of 14.1
• Average Running Position of 12.7, third-best
• Driver Rating of 98.4, third-best
• 227 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 516 Green Flag Passes, second-most
• 1,561 (59.9%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 296 Quality Passes, third-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 15.3
• Average Running Position of 17.6, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 87.6, seventh-best
• 79 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• 1,479 (56.7%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most

Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Four wins, 17 top fives, 21 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.1
• Average Running Position of 12.2, second-best
• Driver Rating of 91.5, fourth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.746 mph, fifth-fastest
• 1,943 (74.5%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 264 Quality Passes, sixth-most

At Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
History
• Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Lowe’s Motor Speedway was then known, in 1959.
• The 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 mid-season in 1994.
• The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999.
• The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at LMS was on May 16, 2003.
• The 2003 fall race was the first race at LMS to be run completely at night.
• The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.
Notebook
• There have been 99 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 three of the past four seasons: Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005) and Kasey Kahne (2006).
• Hendrick Motorsports has won 14 races, more than any other organization.
• 13 races at Lowe’s have been won from the pole.
• Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
Hot Fact
Hendrick Motorsports has won seven of the past 11 races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Three different HMS drivers have won there since 2002, including sweeps in 2004 and 2005 by Jimmie Johnson and a company sweep last season by Casey Mears and Jeff Gordon.

NASCAR in North Carolina
• There have been 507 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in North Carolina.
• 408 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

Driver NSCS NNS NCTS
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
Jimmy Pardue 2 0 0
Billy Myers 2 0 0
Brian Vickers 1 3 0
Phil Parsons 1 2 0
Donald Thomas 1 0 0
Richard Brickhouse 1 0 0
Buddy Shuman 1 0 0
Leon Sales 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
Stephen Leicht 0 1 0
Justin Labonte 0 1 0
Andy Houston 0 0 3
Shane Hmiel 0 0 1
Ricky Hendrick 0 0 1

Lowe’s Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 31 of 36 (10-11-08)
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 116.5
Kyle Busch 98.7
Kasey Kahne 98.4
Mark Martin 91.5
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 89.7
Carl Edwards 88.2
Matt Kenseth 87.6
Greg Biffle 87.0
Jeff Burton 86.6
Brian Vickers 86.1
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (7 total) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: Ryan Newman (189.394 mph, 28.512 seconds)
2007 race winner: Jeff Gordon, 125.868 mph, 10-13-07)
Qualifying record: Elliott Sadler (193.216 mph, 27.948 secs., 10-13-05)
500-mile race record: Jeff Gordon (160.306 mph, 10-11-99)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage.