Race 2 Win: UAW-GM Quality 500 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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UAW-GM Quality 500 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 Lowe’s Motor Speedway Preview

Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 bid for their fourth consecutive victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday night in the fifth of the 10- race NASCAR Nextel Cup “Chase for the Championship.” Johnson is fifth in the “Chase” 92 points behind leader Tony Stewart. Johnson will give fans a preview of his 2006 paint scheme this weekend. This new paint scheme will make its only on-track appearance this weekend. It will be Johnson’s regular paint scheme in 2006.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND YEARS OF THE CHASE: "I see that the teams are a little bit more relaxed in the first few races. Last year, everybody felt that the champion was going to be a team that made it clean through the final 10. This year, I think the teams are a little bit smarter and everybody has realized that last year everybody had a problem. So I don't see the intensity level as high as the first few races. Now as we get toward the half-way point in the Chase, the intensity level is going to ramp-up and catch up for everybody."

LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY: "I think over time we've all realized that if it's a ballgame or even racing, that there are certain stats they continue to produce. We look at those things and it helps us prepare for the race coming up. At Charlotte, I've been waiting for our success to slow down there. I thought it would be that way in the spring. We got off to a slow start but by the end of the night we made the right adjustments and ended up winning the race. Going to Charlotte, there is really only one direction for us to go and that's not winning. If that happens, so be it. But I really feel comfortable and confident about our chances there. We tested in the Busch car there and ran a 28.70 -- the fastest I've ever been around that race track. And that was on 50-lap tires at the end of a run. We had a great test there. It's really fast. Our teammates were testing there in the Cup car. I think we're going to go back there and definitely be in the top five."

1.5-MILE PROGRAM: "I think we're still climbing the hill and that's a good position to be in. We're still excited and getting ready to peak."

RACE NOTES

Chassis

Team 48 will race chassis 48329 Saturday night at LMS. This car won at Dover last month. Car No. 48202 will serve as the backup car. It last raced at Fontana last month.

Paint Scheme

Johnson will be driving his 2006 paint scheme in Saturday’s Nextel Cup race. The new design, one of six finalists, was the top choice of voters, including Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and more than 20,000 employees. The scheme was submitted by Bryan Turnmire, a production artist at Lowe’s corporate headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., a fact that was unknown to the voters. The new design is debuting at Lowe’s Motor Speedway as a reward for the hundreds of Lowe’s employees from the top stores who will be at the race. Johnson unveiled the new scheme in September at the Lowe’s store near his hometown of El Cajon, California.

If Jimmie Wins You Win

If Jimmie wins Saturday’s race (or any race up to and including Texas), one lucky Team Lowe’s credit card holder will win $48,000 of Lowe’s credit on the newly designed Team 48 credit card. The card shows Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet doing a burnout on the card. More details are available at lowesracing.com.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Johnson has completed 2,670 of 2,812 laps in his eight starts at LMS. He has an average starting spot of 9.2 and average finishing spot of 7.4. He has led 847 laps.

Streak

Johnson has finished seventh or better in the last seven races at LMS – the longest top ten streak among active drivers. He is also the only driver to lead in the last seven races.

History

The last driver to win four consecutive races on what NASCAR terms a “superspeedway” was Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Talladega (fall 2001 through spring 2003). Johnson and Jeff Gordon own the most points race wins at LMS – four.

Owner

Rick Hendrick’s 12 victories at LMS are the most of all car owners. Johnson and Gordon own four each, Darrell Waltrip two, and one for Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte.

Qualifying

Johnson won the May 2003 race at LMS starting 37th- the worst starting position for any LMS race winner in its 45-year history.

Top 10

Johnson has ranked among the top 10 in the points standings since Atlanta in March 2004, a string of 63 consecutive races – the longest of any driver.

Career

Johnson’s latest victory at Dover International Speedway in September was the 17th of his Nextel Cup career and ties him with Jeff Burton, Marvin Paunch, and Curtis Turner for 37th on the list for most wins since 1949. In 141 starts, Johnson has posted 50 top-5 finishes and 82 top-10 finishes. He has a top-10 finish at every track on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series circuit. Indianapolis and Kansas are the only two tracks where he has not posted a top-five finish.

Laps Led

Johnson has led 3,326 laps and driven 40,043 laps in his Nextel Cup career. He has a career average starting sport of 12.7 and finishing position of 12.8. He has finished on the lead lap 105 times.

Loves Superspeedways

All but one of Johnson’s career victories have come on superspeedways, with his win at Martinsville Speedway in October 2004, as the lone exception.

Career Poles

Johnson owns eight career poles, including one in July at Chicagoland Speedway. Johnson’s first career NASCAR Nextel Cup pole award came at Daytona in Feb., 2002. He is tied for the 57th most Nextel Cup poles since 1949.

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