JEFF GREEN
NO. 66 HAAS CNC RACING CHEVROLET
LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

MOST RECENT RACE AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In the May Nextel Cup Series event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, a crash during qualifying gave Jeff Green a 42nd-place starting position. Green was working his way through the field before being caught up in a crash that started on lap 53 when Jimmie Johnson cut down a tire. The crash, which eventually collected some 13 cars, left Green’s car too damaged to continue, and the No. 66 team was credited with a 42nd-place finish.

CHASSIS – HAAS CNC RACING CHASSIS NO. 028 – New to the Haas CNC Racing stable this season, this chassis is the same car Jeff Green drove at both Pocono Raceway races this season, as well as both Michigan (International Speedway) events. Green posted a 19th-place finish with this car at Pocono Raceway in August and a 22nd-place finish at Michigan two weeks later, then finished 23rd with this chassis at California Speedway last month.

Q&A WITH DRIVER JEFF GREEN:

You had a tough weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, with crashes in both qualifying and the race. Are you concerned you’ll run into the same situation this time around? “I think we’ve got a really good shot at a good run this weekend. I crashed during qualifying in May, which I honestly think is the first time that’s happened in my NASCAR career. The backup car was good, though. We were biding our time and making our way to the front, then Jimmie (Johnson) cut down a tire and a bunch of people got caught up in that wreck. It was frustrating, because the car was very fast.

“We’ve made some really good gains on our mile-and-a-half program, and this chassis has finished pretty well the past few times we’ve run it, so I have no reason to think we won’t do well this weekend.”

You’ve gained a points position or two over the past few weeks. Has that been helpful to the team’s momentum? “I think anytime you see things heading in the right direction, it’s a morale boost for the team. We should have three decent finishes in a row, if we hadn’t got caught up in that wreck with 15 to go in Dover a few weeks ago.

“It’s always important to run well, but with the news of the past week, it’s become even more crucial that we put together some good finishes. Like I said the other day on SPEED (Channel), I’d like to finish out my career at Haas (CNC Racing), but to do that, we’ve got to step it up over the remainder of the year. I haven’t forgotten how to drive and the fire is still in my belly to compete, so I’m hoping we can put together some good runs and show that we’ve got the potential to be a top-15 or top-10 team.”

BIG GAME: With the race being held in the Charlotte, N.C., area, where most NEXTEL Cup teams are located, most drivers are enjoying a week of sleeping in their own beds. Jeff Green isn’t among that group, as he’s currently hunting near Howlton, Maine. An avid hunter, Green is usually going after deer and turkey, but this week, he’s in search of bigger game – Moose. After 10 years of trying, Green was chosen in a lottery to receive a moose hunting permit from the state of Maine for this season. Green plans to return to Charlotte Thursday morning in time for first practice that afternoon at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – hopefully, with a great hunting story to tell.

Green: “I’ve been trying for a long time to get a permit, so I was pretty surprised when I got word that my name had come up. It’s my first time going after something so large, so I’m pretty excited. I haven’t been able to get into the woods much this season, so this is as much about enjoying the peace and quiet as it is about the hunting. My coach driver, Jack (Dyer), is going with me. He’s from that area, and we’ve never been able to do something like this together. It should be a lot of fun.”

LOCALS: Several members of the No. 66 Best Buy Racing team were born in North Carolina, including Front Tire Changer Adam Davis (Walnut Cove, N.C.), Tire Specialist Jeff Tucker (High Point, NC), Truck Driver Vance “Weasel” Howell (Concord, N.C.), Second Truck Driver Gary Buffkin (Whiteville, NC), and Joe Kluttz (Albemarle, N.C.), pit support.

JEFF GREEN’S HISTORY AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In 14 Nextel Cup Series starts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS), Jeff Green’s best qualifying effort was a fourth-place starting spot in the May, 1997, race, driving for team owner Gary Bechtel. Green’s best Cup finish at Lowe’s was an 11th-place finish in May, 2005, driving a Petty Enterprises car.

Last year, Green and his No. 66 team finished 16th in the October 14th NEXTEL Cup Series race at LMS.

In 18 Busch Series starts at LMS, Green has two wins (Green won the May race two years in a row, in 2001 and 2002, but the wins came with different teams. In 2001, Green won while working with Harold Holly and their Greg Pollex-owned team, but his 2002 victory came in a Richard Childress Racing entry), six top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes.

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In 10 Nextel Cup Series starts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Haas CNC Racing’s best starting spot was a fifth-place qualifying run by driver Jack Sprague in the May, 2003, race. The team’s best finish came in May, 2006, when driver Jeff Green finished 12th.