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Lowe?s Fantasy Forecast

LOWE?S MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Coca-Cola 600, Sunday May 25, 2008

The longest race of the Sprint Cup circuit is on tap this Sunday as drivers tempt to tame Lowe?s Motor Speedway in the annual Coca-Cola 600. This Memorial Weekend tradition will feature 400 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 Saturday. I have compiled my ranking by analyzing drivers? success at this track and other intermediate tracks, such as Texas, Atlanta and Las Vegas, then adding momentum into the mix by including results from the last month of racing.

TOP TWENTY
1) 48 Jimmie Johnson
2) 99 Carl Edwards
3) 18 Kyle Busch
4) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5) 31 Jeff Burton
6) 8 Mark Martin
7) 20 Tony Stewart
8) 17 Matt Kenseth
9) 11 Denny Hamlin
10) 24 Jeff Gordon
11) 12 Ryan Newman
12) 07 Clint Bowyer
13) 43 Bobby Labonte
14) 16 Greg Biffle
15) 9 Kasey Kahne
16) 83 Brian Vickers
17) 1 Martin Truex Jr.
18) 29 Kevin Harvick
19) 28 Travis Kvapil
20) 2 Kurt Busch

Many NASCAR Sprint 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. Johnson has won five times at LMS, and has finished outside the top ten only twice in 13 attempts.

Carl Edwards combines past LMS success with a incredible record on intermediate tracks with the new car. Edwards? three 2008 wins ? Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas and Texas ? have all come on similar layouts. At LMS, Edwards has finished outside the top 10 only once (15th in last year?s Coca-Cola 600) and has two third-place finishes. Of course, there?s also Kyle Busch, winner of two of the last three races this season. Though his finishes at LMS haven?t been all that solid, his statistics have, so expect Mr. Excitement to put on a show.

SELECTED LOWE?S DRIVER STATS

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe?s Chevrolet)
? Five wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s
? Average finish of 6.8
? Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
? Series-best Driver Rating of 120.2
? Series-high 246 Fastest Laps Run
? 459 Green Flag Passes, second-most
? Series-high 1,956 (88.6%) Laps in the Top 15
? 298 Quality Passes, second-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
? Three top fives, five top 10s
? Average finish of 7.3
? Average Running Position of 15.0, fifth-best
? Driver Rating of 88.6, fifth-best
? 41 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
? Series-high 495 Green Flag Passes
? 1,225 (55.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
? 215 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M?s Toyota)
? One top five, two top 10s
? Average finish of 25.9
? Average Running Position of 14.4, fourth-best
? Driver Rating of 94.3, second-best
? 116 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
? Average Green Flag Speed of 177.051 mph, second-fastest
? 1,504 (68.1%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
? 279 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
? Four top fives, eight top 10s
? Average finish of 16.9
? Average Running Position of 17.8, 13th-best
? Driver Rating of 85.1, seventh-best
? 51 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
? 413 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
? Average Green Flag Speed of 176.548 mph, third-fastest
? 1,182 (53.6%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
? 208 Quality Passes, 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 11.9, second-best
? Driver Rating of 93.2, third-best
? 39 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 13th-most
? Average Green Flag Speed of 176.546 mph, fourth-fastest
? 1,664 (75.4%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
? 232 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
? One win, five top fives, seven top 10s
? Average finish of 15.8
? Average Running Position of 18.4, 14th-best
? Driver Rating of 87.0, sixth-best
? 76 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
? 1,200 (54.4%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
? Five wins, 14 top fives, 16 top 10s
? Average finish of 16.8
? Average Running Position of 6.4, fifth-best
? Driver Rating of 85.0, eighth-best
? 102 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
? 1,108 (50.2%) Laps in the Top 15, 12th-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
? Two wins, three top 10s
? Average finish of 15.8
? Average Running Position of 14.0, third-best
? Driver Rating of 92.9, fourth-best
? 163 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
? 430 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
? 1,171 (53.1%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
? 242 Quality Passes, third-most

LOWE?S HIGHLIGHTS
? The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960.
? There have been 98 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 point races held the week before the World 600. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
? Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead active drivers with seven poles each.
? Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon lead active drivers in wins with five victories each.
? Hendrick Motorsports has won 15 races at LMS, more than any other organization.
? A sweep has occurred eight times at LMS, including three of the past four seasons: Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005) and Kasey Kahne (2006).

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