Jimmie Johnson is very comfortable at Lowes Motor Speedway. Out of 13 starts, his average start is 8.7 and average finish is 6.8, making him a good pick for a top ten driver.
Last year it looked as if Jeff Gordon had something on Kevin Harvick when he had a tire go down. Jimmie Johnson got a good run on Harvick on the final lap, but was not able to make the pass with Mark Martin in third. Oh to be a crew member for Harvick. He stated that if he won, he was going to share the prize of $1 million with them!
“Wild Thing” was caught up in a wreck with his own brother earlier in the day. He claimed it was Kurt’s fault and not his. Maybe it wasn’t this time. Kyle got a big run on his brother Kurt while he was passing another car, when Kurt didn’t give Kyle much room. After touching, Kyle lost it and when the backend of his car spun around knocked Kurt into the wall. Kurt did say in an post race interview “Maybe I should have given him a little room, but it’s the All Star race.” He also went on to say “ I will be talking to Kyle about this and I won’t be eating any Corn Flakes for a while.”
The speedway is considered the center of NASCAR, with 90% of NASCAR teams being based within 50 miles.
Along with the main oval, the speedway also has a 2.25 mile road course in the infield, an 0.6 mile kart course in the infield, a quarter-mile oval using part of the front stretch and pit road, and an 0.2 mile oval outside turn three. Also, across U.S. Highway 29 from the speedway is a 0.4 mile dirt track, opened in May 2000.
Other race notes:
Matt Kenseth won 2 segments, Kyle won 1 and Harvick the last one.
How they finished:
1 Kevin Harvick
2 Jimmie Johnson
3 Mark Martin
4 Jeff Burton
5 Tony Stewart
6 Johnny Sauter
7 Matt Kenseth
8 Ryan Newman
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10 Martin Truex Jr.
11 Jeff Gordon
12 Dale Jarrett
13 Brian Vickers
14 Kasey Kahne
15 Greg Biffle
16 Kenny Wallace
17 Denny Hamlin
18 Casey Mears
19 Kurt Busch
20 Kyle Busch
21 Bobby Labonte
The Track:
Length-1.5 miles (7,920 ft)
Frontstretch-1,980’
Backstretch-1,500’
Turns 1 & 2-2,400’
Turns 3 & 4-2,040’
Radius Turns 1 & 2-685’
Radius Turns 3 & 4-625’
Corner Banking-24 degrees
Straightaway Banking-5 degrees
Seating-165,000
Suites-113
Flagpoles-160
Toilets-1,900 (In case ya gotta go!)
Trash Cans-7,000
People and Hours-6,000 people and 100,000 hours are needed to carry out the UAW 500, twice the effort it takes to put on the Super Bowl.
Landscaping-$800,000 is spent each year to keep up the grounds.
A little history-The land the track sits on was once the site of a working plantation during the Civil War. George Washington ate lunch and rested in a house that once served as the speedway’s office.
Lights, Camera, Action-Motion pictures like “Days of Thunder”, “Speedway” and “Stroker Ace” have been filmed at this speedway. Music videos have also been shot there like Tracy Lawerence’s “If The Good Die Young”.
Eligible Competitors:
No. Driver Car Car Owner
07 Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Richard Childress
1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet Teresa Earnhardt
2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge Walter Czarnecki
5 Casey Mears Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet Mary Hendrick
8 Mark Martin U.S. Army Chevrolet Teresa Earnhardt
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Toyota J.D. Gibbs
12 Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge Roger Penske
16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford Jack Roush
17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford John Henry
18 Kyle Busch M&Ms Toyota Joe Gibbs
20 Tony Stewart The Home Depot Toyota Joe Gibbs
24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet Rick Hendrick
26 Jamie McMurray Crown Royal Ford Geoff Smith
29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet Richard Childress
31 Jeff Burton AT&T Chevrolet Richard Childress
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Texaco/Havoline Dodge Floyd Ganassi
43 Bobby Labonte Cheerios Dodge Richard Petty
44 Dale Jarrett UPS Toyota Michael Waltrip
48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet Jeff Gordon
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP/National Guard Chevrolet Rick Hendrick
99 Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford Jack Roush
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race consists of a minimum of 20 cars and drivers comprised of:
· Drivers and car owners who have won races in the preceding and current years
· Active drivers who have won the Sprint Cup Series championship during the past 10 years
· Active drivers who have won the Sprint All-Star Race during the past 10 years
· The winner and the second-place finisher of the Sprint Showdown
· A driver from the Sprint Showdown selected by the Sprint All-Star Fan Vote
Nascar All-Star Race Winners:
1985-Darrell Waltrip
1986-Bill Elliot
1987-Dale Earnhardt
1988-Terry Labonte
1989-Rusty Wallace
1990-Dale Earnhardt
1991-Davey Allison
1992-Davey Allison
1993-Dale Earnhardt
1994-Geoffrey Bodine
1995-Jeff Gordon
1996-Michael Waltrip
1997-Jeff Gordon
1998-Mark Martin
1999-Terry Labonte
2000-Dale Jr
2001-Jeff Gordon
2002-Ryan Newman
2003-Jimmie Johnson
2004-Matt Kenseth
2005-Mark Martin
2006-Jimmie Johnson
2007-Kevin Harvick
Before the race:
Drivers will prove who can do the best burnout and donuts during the inaugural Pennzoil Victory Challenge prior to the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night May 17.
The competition will be a timed event. It will include five drivers that must demonstrate four essential skills of a victory celebration. These include a tire-smoking burnout, spectacular donuts, precision driving into victory lane and most of all, speed!
President and General Manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway says “Just as Major League Baseball has the Home Run Derby and the NBA has the Slam Dunk contest, the burnout contest gives us a chance to highlight what has become an exciting part of race day. It also gives these drivers the opportunity to light ‘em up for the fans.”
The first official entry for this competition is Clint Bowyer. Other participants will soon be announced.
The Pennzoil Victory Challenge will take place on the frontstretch of the 1.5-mile superspeedway at 6:15 p.m., just prior to the start of the Sprint Showdown.
Each driver will be in similarly prepared Richard Petty Driving Experience cars wrapped with Sprint All-Star Race decals.
A $10,000 donation will be made to the winner’s designated charity.
How it will go down:
* The drivers will begin from a standing-start, triggering the electronic-timing system as they breakout of the “Start Box.”
* A full drag racing-style, tire-smoking burnout must be maintained from the “Start Box” to a designated transition point.
* Upon reaching the transition point, the driver will throw the car into full 360-degree spins without crossing onto the apron of the frontstretch or they will receive a time penalty.
* The driver then must maneuver out of the donut and sprint into a “Victory Lane” marked on either side with traffic cones and into the “Finish Box,” stopping the clock. A time penalty will be accessed for hitting lane marking cones or the end cone.
* The winner will be determined by the fastest time after penalties (if any) are accessed.
The inaugural Pennzoil Victory Challenge will be televised live during SPEED Channel’s pre-race coverage of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 17.
Some Notable History:
May 24, 1992: Dale Earnhardt avoids the watchful eye of NASCAR officials as he exceeds the 55-mph speed limit down pit road for his final stop, then outruns Ernie Irvan to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Earnhardt trails by more than three seconds entering the pit stop, but returns to the track 1.27 seconds ahead of his closest rival. Other contenders howl in protest after the race.
May 30, 1993: Dale Earnhardt overcomes three penalties, one for rough driving, to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earnhardt takes a 129-point lead in the championship chase over Rusty Wallace, who races despite injuries suffered at Talladega.
October 08, 1989: Ken Schrader runs down Mark Martin in the final laps to win the All Pro Auto Part 500 at Charlotte as Rusty Wallace take the points lead with an 8th place finish. A broken crankshaft on the 13th lap relegates Dale Earnhardt to a last-place finish and causes him to lose the points lead.
October 05, 1986: Dale Earnhardt romps to victory in Charlotte’s Oakwood Homes 500. Tire problems force Earnhardt to make two unscheduled pit stops early, dropping him two laps and more than four miles behind the leaders. Timely caution flags help Earnhardt make up the laps and sprint to the win.
June 19, 1960: Unheralded Joe Lee Johnson gallops to a four-lap victory in the inaugural World 600 at the new Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jack Smith, who had built a five-lap lead, sees his hopes dashed when a piece of debris slices a hole in his fuel tank. Six drivers, including Lee and Richard Petty, are disqualified for a variety of unapproved pit procedures.
Sit back, and get ready for smoke, and for fights under the lights!
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