Team 48 All-Star Race Preview

Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 travel to Lowe’s Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Nextel All-Star race. Johnson won this race in 2003 and has won five of the last six points races at the Charlotte area track. This week Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports and Lowe’s announced they will remain together through the 2010 season.

DRIVER JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:

ALL-STAR RACE: "I'm very excited about the All-Star event. Lowe's Motor Speedway is a special place for myself and the No. 48 team. We're excited to go back. We feel that the All-Star event is going to be a real good indication for us and where we stack up for the 600. We plan on working through some things during the All-Star event and really try to get everything right for the 600 the following weekend. In the years past, I felt like we came in and had our eyes set on the $1 million and were a shoe-in for it, but this year I think we've got a little bit of work in front of us. We plan on racing and competing for the win, but we just feel like we need to work just a little bit more in practice in the All-Star event to get ourselves ready for the 600."

WHY IS THE ALL-STAR EVENT SO EXCITING FOR YOU? "There are so many bragging rights that come with winning that event. I had the pleasure of winning the last Winston. There was a lot of build up before it. And after winning, it was worth every emotion. There are just a lot of bragging rights in the garage area, but also with the media and the fans to win our All-Star event. It's a special thing. The short format gets everyone all pumped up. We all do get serious when it's time to race. We just flip on that racing switch and get that race-mode going. But the fact that it's such a short format really pumps everybody up and you know you've got a short period of time to get it done compared to other races that are 500 or 600 miles in length.”

HOW IT FEELS TO HAVE PEOPLE LIKE RICK HENDRICK, JEFF GORDON AND LOWE”S BELIEVE IN HIM: "They believed in me before I believed in myself back when I was in my first season in Busch. They saw something there and I've really been with them since 2000 when I signed my first agreement with Hendrick Motorsports. I ran three races for them in 2001 and then 2002 was my first full time season for them.

“They brought me into this family and have given me the best equipment and surrounded me with the best people. With Lowe's being involved since the beginning, they have done the same as well. I feel very fortunate to know where I'm going to be for the next few years. It's a very comforting feeling to know where I'm going to be for the next five years. I think it sends a good message to the team and everybody involved that hey, there's a lot of stability here. It helps us to hang on to the quality people we have and attract other quality team members out there who are looking for jobs. We have a very stable environment. That's what everybody is after."

Race Notes

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