Team 48 Dover Speedway Preview
Lowe’s Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 visit Dover Speedway this weekend in Dover, Del.
Johnson led 500 of the 600 miles in Sunday’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte en route to his eighth career Nextel Cup victory. The highlight of the race might have been Johnson’s three-wide pass in the fourth turn late in the race as he worked his way back to the lead after a pit stop.
Johnson is five points behind point leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team 48 won both Dover races in 2002.
Jimmie Johnson:
Was Sunday’s Car The Best Car You Have Ever Raced?
“It was weird. The car was not easy to drive, but it was so rewarding when I would hustle it through the turn or I was on edge sliding through the corner. I’d look in the mirror and see that I was just pulling away from people. I wouldn’t say that it was my best feeling, most comfortable race car I have ever driven, but it was the best performing car that I have had.”
Can You Describe The Pass?
“As I went into turn three, Robby (Gordon) was up top and it looked like I had a ton of room. I committed to the pass and made it through there. It didn’t seem very close from where I was sitting. But, I watched a replay on television and there wasn’t a lot of room between the cars.”
Why Do We See Such Driver Dominance At Dover?
“I think Dover is so unique. There isn’t another track on the circuit that is remotely close to what you have at Dover. So, when you find the right setup with the race car and the driver has the right rhythm for it…it really just applies to (only Dover) so you can fine tune and hone in on it. A lot of people go to Kentucky and these other tracks, but you can’t take anything from there and apply it to Dover.”
Are You A Favorite To Win The Championship?
“I don’t think you can say that until eight of the (Chase For The Championship’s) ten races are gone. You look at guys like Ryan Newman who is down in points. You know he is going to be tough and all he needs to do is make the cut. And, you know he is going to be strong at the end of the season. I don’t think you have a favorite to win right now.”
Q&A’S WITH CHAD KNAUS:
Dover This Weekend:
“I’d like to go out there and run in the top-10 all day long. That’s kind of what you have to do at Dover. It is an interesting race because it is so fast-paced. It is a lot like what it was like last week. If you get somebody who takes off and goes out and runs hard and fast early on, he will put a lot of cars down a lap in a hurry. There are a lot of guys who are fast on a regular basis who really like that race track. If you miss your mark early in the race, you can get a lap down and it could get early.”
RACE NOTES
CHASSIS INFORMATION
Team Lowe’s Racing will bring car No. 4850 to Dover this weekend. Jimmie Johnson raced this car at Bristol in March, where he finished 16th. Johnson has raced this car in every Dover Nextel Cup race in which he’s competed.
STATS & FACTS
Hot
Johnson has five consecutive top-five finishes and six consecutive top-10 finishes.
Moving Up The Chart
Johnson’s eight career victories after just two full years are good enough for 54th best in the history of the sport. His Lowe’s Motor Speedway victory in May tied him with Kyle Petty.
Leading The Way
Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are the only drivers to lead at least one lap in nine of the 12 races in 2004.
A Year Ago
Johnson ranked fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top-10 at this point of the season one year ago.
Sweeps
Five of the last 10 seasons have produced sweeps at Dover. Rusty Wallace (1994), Jeff Gordon (1996), Tony Stewart (2000), Jimmie Johnson (2002) and Ryan Newman (2003) have swept both races at Dover in a season.
MOST RECENT 2004 RACE – LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Jimmie Johnson dominated the Nextel Cup Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, leading 500 of the event’s 600 miles. Johnson restarted the race in fifth-place with just 32 laps to go after getting new tires. He made a spectacular pass of Kasey Kahne and a lapped car before regaining the lead and claiming the victory. It was the eighth victory of Johnson’s Nextel Cup Series career.
MOST RECENT POINTS RACE AT DOVER SPEEDWAY:
Johnson started in fourth and stayed in the top-10 most of the race. The Lowe’s Chevrolet didn’t turn quite as well as Johnson wanted and that kept Johnson from contending for the victory. The eighth-place finish propelled him into third place in the points race.
