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LOWE?S MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Nighttime racing is back as Cup series drivers head to Lowe?s Motor Speedway this weekend for the running of the Bank of America 500. Saturday night?s race will feature 334 laps of high-speed action on this 24 degree, 1.5-mile quad-oval. They talk of Bristol being like a big fish bowl. Well Lowe?s Motor Speedway is like Bristol on steroids. The track is sunk deep, and the stands that encircle the track from turn four to the middle of the backstretch afford spectacular views of the racing action, even from row one.

As I see it, the following drivers have the best chance of pulling out a top finish this Sunday. I have compiled my ranking by analyzing drivers? success at this track and similar tracks such as Atlanta and Texas, then throwing ol? momentum into the mix by factoring in the last month of racing.

TOP TWENTY
1) 48 Jimmie Johnson
2) 99 Carl Edwards
3) 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4) 24 Jeff Gordon
5) 01 Mark Martin
6) 17 Matt Kenseth
7) 20 Tony Stewart
8) 07 Clint Bowyer
9) 25 Casey Mears
10) 16 Greg Biffle
11) 31 Jeff Burton
12) 2 Kurt Busch
13) 11 Denny Hamlin
14) 41 Reed Sorenson
15) 1 Martin Truex Jr.
16) 19 Elliott Sadler
17) 9 Kasey Kahne
18) 12 Ryan Newman
19) 43 Bobby Labonte
20) 26 Jamie McMurray

Many NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers can call Lowe?s Motor Speedway their home track, as most teams house their base operations in the greater Charlotte area. So when the traveling bands of pit crews and race drivers return home, they hang their helmets in Charlotte. Southern California boy Jimmie Johnson also lives in the Charlotte area, and many say he owns this track. Sure, he?s first on my top twenty list, but by a really really big margin. Carl Edwards and his fellow drivers are statistically so far behind JJ that they can nearly be dubbed also-rans before the race even begins. The unstoppable Johnson has won four of the last seven Lowe?s races and picked up two 2nds in that span.

?In general we’re excited to go back.? Johnson said of Lowe?s. ?It’s a track that regardless of
the surface and kind of the design of the track we run well, so I have a lot of excitement looking
forward at that race. When we get there to the track and we’re off a little bit, sometimes it
creeps into our heads ‘well it’s not working out, something’s changed’ and we put a little bit
more pressure on ourselves than if we’re having a tough practice. But leading into it we’re
typically excited about it and I am this year. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to possibility
get a win and score some more points in the Chase.”

SELECTED LOWE?S HIGHLIGHTS

Keys to Victory
? A good handling car is crucial. The team that can keep their car fine-tuned throughout the race will have a good opportunity to come out on top.
? Thursday and Friday?s practice sessions will be very important. Crew chiefs will need to develop their strategy based upon tire wear and other adjustments they?ll need to make and adapt accordingly during the course of the race. Making the right adjustments at the right time can mean less stress over pit-stop variables.

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe?s Chevrolet)
? Five wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
? Average finish of 6.2
? Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
? Series-best Driver Rating of 121.0
? Series-high 174 Fastest Laps Run
? 384 Green Flag Passes, second most
? Fastest Green Flag Speed
? Series-high 1,676 Laps in the Top 15 (89.6%)
? Series-high 291 Quality Passes
? Series-best ?Closer? ? 36 positions improved over the last 10% of LMS races

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
? Two top fives, four top 10s
? Average finish of 7.8
? Average Running Position of 15.2, fourth-best
? Driver Rating of 87.9, sixth-best
? 41 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
? Series-high 438 Green Flag Passes
? 1,014 Laps in the Top 15 (54.2%), ninth most
? 182 Quality Passes, seventh most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet)
? Four top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
? 16.8 average finish
? Driver Rating of 86.3, eighth-best
? 47 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
? Fourth-fastest Green Flag Speed
? 316 Green Flag Passes, 14th-most
? 1,023 Laps in the Top 15 (54.7%), eighth most
? 169 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
? Four wins, 13 top fives, 15 top 10s; seven pole
? Average finish of 17.3
? 64 Fastest Laps Run, tied for seventh-most
? Eighth-fastest Green Flag Speed

Casey Mears (No. 25 National Guard Chevrolet)
? One win, three top 10s
? 20.0 average finish
? Average Running Position of 15.4, sixth-best
? Driver Rating of 84.1, 10th-best
? 321 Green Flag Passes, 12th-best
? 12th-fastest Green Flag Speed
? 1,185 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4%), tied for third-most
? 190 Quality Passes, sixth most

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
? One top five, three top 10s
? 20.3 average finish
? Driver Rating of 88.3, fifth-best
? 64 Fastest Laps Run, seventh most
? Fifth-fastest Green Flag Speed
? 1,091 Laps in the Top 15 (58.3%), fifth most
? 162 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the Top 15 while under green), 11th-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge)
? Two wins
? 16.9 average finish
? Average Running Position of 12.9, third-best
? Driver Rating of 96.4, second-best
? 161 Fastest Laps run, second most
? 360 Green Flag Speed, fifth-most
? 1,082 Laps in the Top 15 (57.9%), sixth most
? 214 Quality Passes, third most

Other Lowe?s Highlights:
? The first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race was held on June 10, 1960.
? The first night race was in 1992.
? The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe?s Motor Speedway in 1999.
? Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven poles.
? Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers, with five victories at Charlotte.
? Rick Hendrick has won 14 races at Charlotte, more than any other car owner.
? A sweep has occurred eight times, including the past three seasons: Jimmie Johnson (2004 and
2005) and Kasey Kahne (2006).
? Thirteen LMS races have been won from the pole.

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