Race 2 Win: Lenox Industrial Tools 300

Nextel Cup Series

Lenox Industrial Tools 300 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 New Hampshire Speedway Preview

Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 travel to New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Johnson leads Matt Kenseth by 48 points in the season point’s race. Before New Hampshire, the Lowe’s team along with 51 Nextel Cup teams will test for two days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

DRIVER JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:

NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY: “We put a lot into the Loudon race coming up. This race is really important because it gets you ready for the second one, which is the first race of the Chase. We've got our eyes on it. We didn't fare well there the last couple years, and we know that's a track where we need to pick up our performance. Hopefully we can do it this year.”

INDIANAPOLIS: “It's pretty unique. What you learn there doesn't really apply for any other tracks except maybe some stuff at Pocono. There's some things we've seen at Pocono that we can take to Indy and vice versa. Hopefully we're able to do that, but Indy is special in its own right. It's been a track that's been really tough on the No. 48 team. We're going to be there ready to go and eager and hopefully find what we need so we can be competitive when we go back to the race.”

WHAT MAKES INDY SO SPECIAL? “Well, the history speaks for itself. The track is kind of rectangular shaped and much different than anything else we run on, so it's unique in its own right, its own setup, and there's nothing that we can carry over from any other racetrack.”

HOW GOOD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP: “You've got to be good and not only the driver but the team, you've got to be the best out there. I think that this new format has shaken things up some, and it allows people who have had a rough part of the regular season a second shot at a championship. Unfortunately I haven't been in that situation, but once we get in the final ten, I think the way the championship has been determined, those guys have been the best guys in the Chase.”

Race Notes

Chassis

Team 48 will use chassis 48278 this weekend in New Hampshire. This chassis raced at Martinsville in April. Chassis 48264 will serve as the backup. It raced at Pocono in July 2005.

New Hampshire International Speedway

Johnson has completed all 2,307 laps in his eight starts at New Hampshire International Speedway notching two victories. He has an average starting position of 9 and an average finishing position of 8.6. He has led 73 laps.

Top 10s

Johnson is the only driver with 14 top-10 finishes this season.

Streak

Johnson has been among the top 10 for 87 consecutive races, since March 2004.

Career

Johnson’s victory at Talladega was the 21st of his Nextel Cup career. This win tied him with Benny Parsons, Bobby Labonte, and Jack Smith for 27th for most victories since 1949. Only five active drivers have more victories. Johnson’s pole at Martinsville was the ninth of his career.

History

In 165 starts, Johnson has posted 61 top-5 finishes and 100 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. Johnson has led 3,671 laps and driven 47,280 laps in his Nextel Cup career covering over 63,387.4 miles. He has finished on the lead lap 127 times.

Previous New Hampshire Race

Johnson got the 2005 “Chase” off to a good start posting an eighth-place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway. While some “Chase” drivers were involved in early accidents or fell down laps to the leader, Johnson avoided misfortune and left the tough mile oval less than 60 points behind leader Tony Stewart and within 35 of everyone ahead of him in the standings. .