Bank of America 500 ~ Lowe's Motor Speedway (10/13/07) - NASCAR Forum - NASCAR Space -Forums, Schedules, Race Results, News

mrsmopar12 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007, 04:18 PM

This weekend we have a night race at Lowe's Motor Speedway! Whoo~Hoo

With things being so wacky with the races lately, who knows what will happen, but no matter what this should be an awesome race!

mrsmopar12 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007, 04:20 PM

What: Race 31 of 36 on Nextel Cup circuit
Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
When: October 13, 2007
Laps: 334
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Race Length: 501.00 miles
Purse: $5,185,067

mrsmopar12 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007, 04:31 PM

Bank of America 500
Lowe's Motor Speedway
October 13, 2007
Race 31 of 36

CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN MAKE SPONSOR OWNER

00 David Reutimann* Zephyrhills, FL Toyota Domino's Pizza Calvin Wells, III
1 Martin Truex Jr. Mayetta, NJ Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Teresa Earnhardt
01 Mark Martin Batesville, AR Chevrolet U.S. Army Bobby Ginn
2 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, NV Dodge Miller Lite Roger Penske
4 Ward Burton South Boston, VA Chevrolet Morgan-McClure James Finch
5 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST Rick Hendrick
6 David Ragan* Unadilla, GA Ford AAA Mike Dee
06 Sam Hornish Jr. Bryan, OH Dodge Kenwood Walter Czarnecki
7 Robby Gordon Orange, CA Ford Motorola Digital Audio Players Robby Gordon
07 Clint Bowyer Emporia, KS Chevrolet Jack Daniel's Richard Childress
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kannapolis, NC Chevrolet Budweiser Teresa Earnhardt
9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, WA Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW Ray Evernham
10 Scott Riggs Bahama, NC Dodge Stanley Tools / Valvoline James Rocco
11 Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, VA Chevrolet FedEx Kinko's J D Gibbs
12 Ryan Newman South Bend, IN Dodge ALLTEL Roger Penske
15 Paul Menard* Eau Claire, WI Chevrolet Quaker State / Menards Bobby Ginn
16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, WA Ford 3M Jack Roush
17 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, WI Ford Carhartt 4 Women John Henry
18 J.J. Yeley Phoenix, AZ Chevrolet Interstate Batteries Joe Gibbs
19 Elliott Sadler Emporia, VA Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW Ray Evernham
20 Tony Stewart Rushville, IN Chevrolet The Home Depot Joe Gibbs
21 Bill Elliott Dawsonville, GA Ford Ore-Ida Glen Wood
22 Dave Blaney Hartford, OH Toyota Caterpillar Bill Davis
24 Jeff Gordon Pittsboro, IN Chevrolet DuPont Rick Hendrick
25 Casey Mears Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet National Guard / GMAC Mary Hendrick
26 Jamie McMurray Joplin, MO Ford Crown Royal Geoff Smith
27 Kirk Shelmerdine Winston-Salem-
, NC Chevrolet Lilly Trucking of Virginia Kirk Shelmerdine
29 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil Richard Childress
31 Jeff Burton South Boston, VA Chevrolet AT&T Mobility Richard Childress
33 Scott Wimmer Wausau, WI Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com Richard Childress
36 Jeremy Mayfield Owensboro, KY Toyota 360 OTC Gail Davis
38 David Gilliland Riverside, CA Ford M&M's Robert Yates
40 David Stremme South Bend, IN Dodge Target Felix Sabates
41 Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, GA Dodge Fujifilm Chip Ganassi
42 Juan Montoya* Bogota, Colombia Dodge Texaco / Havoline Floyd Ganassi
43 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, TX Dodge Cheerios Racing / Pink for the Cure Richard Petty
44 Dale Jarrett Hickory, NC Toyota UPS Michael Waltrip
45 Kyle Petty Randleman, NC Dodge Tire Kingdom Kyle Petty
48 Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, CA Chevrolet Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Jeff Gordon
49 John Andretti Indianapolis, IN Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America Elizabeth Morgenthau
55 Michael Waltrip Owensboro, KY Toyota NAPA Auto Parts Buffy Waltrip
66 Jeff Green Owensboro, KY Chevrolet Best Buy Joe Custer
70 Johnny Sauter Necedah, WI Chevrolet Yellow Trans. Joe Custer
78 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, FL Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing Barney Visser
83 Brian Vickers Thomasville, NC Toyota Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz
84 A.J. Allmendinger* Los Gatos, CA Toyota Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz
88 Ricky Rudd Chesapeake, VA Ford Snickers Robert Yates
96 Tony Raines La Porte, IN Chevrolet DLP HDTV Bill Saunders
99 Carl Edwards Columbia, MO Ford Office Depot Georgetta Roush
208 Carl Long Roxboro, NC Dodge E&M Motorsports John Carter

* Denotes Rookie

LOWES 48 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-10-2007, 11:21 AM

THESE 10 DRIVERS HAVE THE BEST AVERAGE FINISH AT LOWES MOTOR SPEEDWAY WITH A MINIMUM OF 5 STARTS

1..JIMMIE JOHNSON......3.2......WOW LOOK AT THAT
2..CARL EDWARDS........7.8
3..BOBBY LABONTE.......10.0
4..DENNY HAMLIN.........13.5
5.MATT KENSETH.........14.0
6.JAIME McMURRAY......15.8
7.TONY STEWART........16.3
8.MARK MARTIN...........16.7
9.JEFF BURTON............16.8
10.KASEY KAHNE..........16.9
FOR ALL THE OTHER DIEHARD 48 FANS JIMMIE GOT HIS FIRST START HERE OCT 7,2001 STARTED 15TH AND FINISHED 39TH..GOOD LUCK TO YOUR DRIVER BUT EVERYONE'S GONNA RUNNING FOR SECOND SATURDAY NIGHT BEHIND THE 48

moenemdown15 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-10-2007, 01:29 PM

New sponsor on the #21 at Lowe's: The Wood Brothers/JTG team welcomes a new sponsor as their primary partner for the Bank of America 500 event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Bill Elliott will be behind the wheel of the #21 Heinz Ore-Ida Ford Fusion this weekend. Heinz will also be the primary sponsor in the upcoming Texas and Phoenix events in November. The #21 team has slipped back out of the top-35 in points. They are now 51 points behind the #22 car of Dave Blaney and 53 points behind the #45 of Kyle Petty with six events remaining in 2007.(Wood Brothers/JTG Racing PR), see an image of the car on the #21 Team Schemes page.(10-10-2007)

mrsmopar12 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 08:23 AM

DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer

Qualifying at Lowe’s Motor Speedway has been a Dodge’s domain in recent years
.
Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, teammates at Penske Racing, swept the front-row spots in qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 27, and Scott Riggs swept the No. 1 starting spots for both points races in 2006. If you’re looking for favorites for THursday night’s Bank of America 500 qualifying, however, you might want to look at Riggs’ teammates at Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Kasey Kahne has never won a pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but he has won two poles this year and 10 top-five starting spots. Elliott Sadler hasn’t won a pole this year, but in his past 11 races here, he has started in the top five seven times.

Newman, of course, is never a bad pick when it comes to qualifying.

He has 41 Cup poles, and six have come here. The only track where he’s started first more often is Atlanta, where he’s won the pole seven times. Until last year’s Coca-Cola 600, when Newman qualified 18th, he’d never started worse than fourth in a Cup race at the 1.5-mile track. Newman’s average starting spot is 4.2.

Busch hasn’t had much success at the speedway, even given his No. 2 starting spot in May. In 14 starts, he has started in the top 10 twice. He also has two top-10 finishes here.

Dodges have earned all of the front-row spots and 10 of the top 15 spots available in the past three races at the speedway.

Casey Mears started third in this race in the No. 42 Dodge a year ago, then won the 600 on May 27 after starting 16th in the No. 25 Chevrolet he now drives for Hendrick Motorsports.

Mears’ victory broke a streak of seven races in which the track’s eventual winner had started in the top 10. In all, 75 of 97 Cup races here have been won by drivers who started 10th or better.

But only one of the past 18 races here was won from the pole – Jimmie Johnson started and finished first in the 600 in 2004. The fall race hasn’t been won by the driver who started first since Harry Gant did it in 1982.

mrsmopar12 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 12:13 AM

Bank of America 500
Lowe's Motor Speedway

Order Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed

1 Ryan Newman (12) Dodge 189.394 mph
2 Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevrolet 188.990 mph
3 Bobby Labonte (43) Dodge 188.363 mph
4 Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet 188.298 mph
5 Kasey Kahne (9) Dodge 188.088 mph
6 Jamie McMurray (26) Ford 188.075 mph
7 Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 188.016 mph
8 Kurt Busch (2) Dodge 187.898 mph
9 Casey Mears (25) Chevrolet 187.852 mph
10 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 187.585 mph
11 Denny Hamlin (11) Chevrolet 187.402 mph
12 Mark Martin (01) Chevrolet 187.214 mph
13 Kyle Busch (5) Chevrolet 187.188 mph
14 Scott Riggs (10) Dodge 187.078 mph
15 Ward Burton (4) Chevrolet 186.916 mph
16 Elliott Sadler (19) Dodge 186.884 mph
17 Paul Menard (15) Chevrolet 186.884 mph
18 Carl Edwards (99) Ford 186.819 mph
19 Michael Waltrip (55) Toyota 186.761 mph
20 David Reutimann (00) Toyota 186.748 mph
21 David Gilliland (38) Ford 186.703 mph
22 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) Chevrolet 186.516 mph
23 Johnny Sauter (70) Chevrolet 186.477 mph
24 Kevin Harvick (29) Chevrolet 186.419 mph
25 Clint Bowyer (07) Chevrolet 186.374 mph
26 Reed Sorenson (41) Dodge 186.323 mph
27 Jeff Burton (31) Chevrolet 186.149 mph
28 David Stremme (40) Dodge 186.034 mph
29 Tony Stewart (20) Chevrolet 185.842 mph
30 A.J. Allmendinger (84) Toyota 185.733 mph
31 David Ragan (6) Ford 185.701 mph
32 Martin Truex Jr. (1) Chevrolet 185.637 mph
33 Ricky Rudd (88) Ford 185.491 mph
34 Dave Blaney (22) Toyota 185.452 mph
35 Bill Elliott (21) Ford 185.433 mph
36 Juan Pablo Montoya (42) Dodge 185.427 mph
37 Jeff Green (66) Chevrolet 184.887 mph
38 Jeremy Mayfield (36) Toyota 184.672 mph
39 J.J. Yeley (18) Chevrolet 184.628 mph
40 Robby Gordon (7) Ford 184.559 mph
41 Tony Raines (96) Chevrolet 183.874 mph
42 Kyle Petty (45) Dodge 183.617 mph
43 John Andretti (49) Dodge 184.508 mph

Did Not Qualify
Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
Dale Jarrett (44) Toyota 184.370 mph
Joe Nemechek (78) Chevrolet 184.150 mph
Brian Vickers (83) Toyota 183.911 mph
Sam Hornish Jr. (06) Dodge 183.505 mph
Carl Long (208) Dodge 181.904 mph
Kirk Shelmerdine (27) Chevrolet 174.076 mph

mrsmopar12 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 12:21 AM

Ryan Newman climbs from his car after qualifying for Saturday's Bank of America 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007. Newman won the pole position with a speed of 189.394mph.
(AP Photo/Rick Havner)

By MIKE CRANSTON
AP Sports Writer
October 11, 2007

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Ryan Newman dominates qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson dominates the races.

The pair will start on the front row in the Bank of America 500.

Newman captured his seventh career pole at the track when he knocked Johnson off the top spot with a speed of 189.394 mph in qualifying Thursday night.

Johnson, who has won five of the past 12 races at LMS, will start second after a lap of 188.990 for Saturday night's race, which marks the halfway point in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.

Bobby Labonte qualified third, followed by points leader Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray.

Newman, who also won the pole for the May race at LMS, went out three drivers after Johnson's lap. With Johnson watching from pit road, Newman beat his speed on the first of two laps.

"It felt really good to knock off Jimmie,'' said Newman, who gave Johnson a friendly shove after climbing out of his car. "I knew he was going to be tough after practice. It's nice to finally do it.''

Newman's 42nd career pole followed a fifth-place finish Sunday at Talladega, some consolation after he failed to make the Chase.

"From my standpoint we've got a job to do on qualifying night and race day,'' said Newman, who hasn't won a race in more than two years. "Today it was all we had to do to be first. I don't look at it as doing something to get fame because we're not in the Chase.''

Johnson, meanwhile, put himself in position to move back into the points lead. He dropped nine points behind Gordon after his teammate won at Talladega.

"I couldn't have gone any faster,'' Johnson said of his lap. "I think we'll be in good shape (Saturday). It's probably one of the best qualifying spots we've had here in a while.''

Matt Kenseth qualified seventh, followed by Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Greg Biffle.

Bobby Labonte, driving a car with a pink color scheme to promote breast cancer awareness, held the pole before Johnson's run. It'll be Labonte's best starting position in more than a year.

Clint Bowyer, who enters the weekend third in the standings, 63 points behind Gordon, qualified 25th.

Dale Jarrett and Sam Hornish Jr. were among six drivers who failed to make the 43-car field. Jarrett, who has used up his provisionals, had the 42nd fastest time. Hornish, the 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion, dropped to 0-for-4 in Nextel Cup qualifying attempts.

Joe Nemechek, Brian Vickers, Carl Long and Kirk Shelmerdine also failed to make the race.

Michael Waltrip, who captured the pole last week at Talladega, made the race with a speed of 186.761. Waltrip will start 19th.

Ryan Newman, right, is congratulated by Jimmie Johnson, left, after winning the pole position for Saturday's Bank of America 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007. Newman won the pole with a speed of 189.394 mph. Johnson will start second after a qualifying speed of 188.990 mph.
(AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

mrsmopar12 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 07:36 PM

Bank of America 500
Lowe's Motor Speedway
October 13, 2007
Race 31 of 36
Practice 2

FIN CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND

1 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Carhartt for Women 180.935 29.845 Leader
2 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 180.862 29.857 -0.012
3 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 180.439 29.927 -0.082
4 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 180.307 29.949 -0.104
5 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot 180.222 29.963 -0.118
6 40 David Stremme Dodge Target 180.180 29.970 -0.125
7 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Mopar / Dodge Dealers / UAW 180.078 29.987 -0.142
8 15 Paul Menard* Chevrolet Rain-X / Menards 180.078 29.987 -0.142
9 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 179.988 30.002 -0.157
10 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 179.970 30.005 -0.160
11 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 179.898 30.017 -0.172
12 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 179.766 30.039 -0.194
13 6 David Ragan* Ford AAA 179.760 30.040 -0.195
14 66 Jeff Green Chevrolet Best Buy 179.372 30.105 -0.260
15 25 Casey Mears Chevrolet National Guard / GMAC 179.348 30.109 -0.264
16 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 179.307 30.116 -0.271
17 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet FedEx Kinko's 179.301 30.117 -0.272
18 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 179.289 30.119 -0.274
19 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW 179.200 30.134 -0.289
20 38 David Gilliland Ford M&M's / Susan G Komen for the Cure 179.158 30.141 -0.296
21 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 179.110 30.149 -0.304
22 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST 179.093 30.152 -0.307
23 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 179.069 30.156 -0.311
24 70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Yellow Trans. 178.962 30.174 -0.329
25 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Fujifilm 178.808 30.200 -0.355
26 49 John Andretti Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America 178.796 30.202 -0.357
27 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 178.796 30.202 -0.357
28 01 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 178.761 30.208 -0.363
29 00 David Reutimann* Toyota Dominos.com 178.749 30.210 -0.365
30 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's / Kobalt Tools 178.707 30.217 -0.372
31 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar /
CatUsed.com 178.560 30.242 -0.397
32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios Racing / Pink for the Cure 178.442 30.262 -0.417
33 10 Scott Riggs Dodge Stanley Tools / Valvoline 178.377 30.273 -0.428
34 4 Ward Burton Chevrolet Lucas Oil / State Water Heaters 178.071 30.325 -0.480
35 42 Juan Montoya* Dodge Texaco / Havoline 178.071 30.325 -0.480
36 84 A.J. Allmendinger* Toyota Red Bull 178.036 30.331 -0.486
37 18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 178.018 30.334 -0.489
38 88 Ricky Rudd Ford Snickers 177.918 30.351 -0.506
39 7 Robby Gordon Ford Motorola Digital Audio Players 177.819 30.368 -0.523
40 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Tire Kingdom 177.807 30.370 -0.525
41 36 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 360 OTC 176.846 30.535 -0.690
42 96 Tony Raines Chevrolet DLP HDTV 176.713 30.558 -0.713
43 21 Bill Elliott Ford Heinz / Ore-Ida 176.039 30.675 -0.830

* Denotes Rookie

mrsmopar12 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 08:00 PM

NASCAR team reports as the Nextel Cup tour prepares for the fifth race of the Chase for the Nextel Cup at Lowe's Motor Speedway:

Jeff Gordon

No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Back on top in the point standings with a nine-point edge over fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson, Gordon heads to the fifth race in the Chase hoping to solidify his bid for a fifth NASCAR Cup championship. Gordon has four wins, seven poles, 13 top-fives and 15 top-10s in 29 races at Charlotte, but Lowe's Motor Speedway has not been kind to Gordon recently — his last victory there was in 1999, and it has been three years since he's finished a race at the 1.5-mile oval, site of Saturday night's Bank of America 500. In May 2005, Gordon overcame damage to his Chevrolet (caused by a piece of sealer that became dislodged from the track) only to be caught up in a late race multi-car accident. Later that year, he hit the turn 4 wall while running sixth and retired from the event early. Then, in 2006, a broken hub in the 600-miler ended his race early, and a blown engine in the fall race with less than 35 laps remaining ended a top-five run. The misfortune continued in May of this year. Gordon started 32nd and was running fifth on lap 61 when he was involved in an accident with a lapped car. That DNF (Did Not Finish) is the only time Gordon has failed to finish a race this year. He has five wins, the series lead in top-fives (18) and the series lead in top-10s (24) and a 7.7 average finish. Second in that category is teammate Jimmie Johnson, who has a 12.1 average finish. "I just want to get to the finish of a race here — it's been a long time since we've done that," Gordon said. "The cars have performed well, it's just been one thing or another that has kept us from getting the good finish. I expect the guys in the Chase to have strong performances, but the guys not in it have nothing to lose and can gamble on setup or fuel mileage. Jimmie runs very well here, and I thought Tony (Stewart) was strong here in May, too. But we won't focus on the competition. We'll focus on making the No. 24 car the best it can possibly be — and making it to the end of the race. I've had some great moments at this track but, recently, I've only been to Victory Lane to congratulate teammates. Instead of visiting, I hope we're celebrating there on Saturday night. If we do our job right, I know we'll be in contention for the win."

Last week: Just call Gordon "The Master" at Talladega. In the past, the four-time Cup champion realized his best path to victory was from the front of the field. But Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 was the first restrictor-plate race with the "Car of Tomorrow." So with an unknown commodity on a track that size (2.66 miles), Gordon discovered the best way to the front was to stay in the back for the first three-quarters of the race. "Based on where we qualified, that answered our plan for today," said Gordon, who started 34th. "Based on that plan, I believed in it. But I told (team owner) Rick Hendrick we need to race and let the chips fall where they may. I changed that after talking to the guys. I don't like going out there riding in the back. I like to be battling for the lead and leading laps. I knew we could get up there, I just didn't know how far up there we could get. It was a great run with nine to go to work with our teammates there." Gordon, who was a non-factor for most of race, played it perfectly at the end to score his 80th career victory and his sixth at Talladega Superspeedway. In the process, he became NASCAR's all-time restrictor-plate winner with 12 victories on tracks that require the device on the carburetor (Daytona and Talladega). The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. held the previous mark of 11. After being penalized for running over an air-hose that dragged an air-wrench out of his pit area on lap 139, Gordon pulled off the race-winning pass when he blew past his teammate, Jimmie Johnson in the third turn on the final lap two sweep both Nextel Cup races at Talladega in 2007. It was his fourth Cup win at Talladega since 2004. The final lap was the only time Gordon led.

Etc.: Gordon's first career Cup victory came at Charlotte when he won the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. His first Cup pole also came at Charlotte, in 1993.

Jimmie Johnson

No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Johnson's record at Lowe's is spectacular, which could give him the edge in Saturday night's race. He has five wins, including sweeps of both races in 2004 and 2005, eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 12 Cup starts. "In general, we're excited to go back," Gordon said. "It's a track that regardless of the surface and kind of the design of the track we run well, so I have a lot of excitement looking forward at that race. When we get there to the track and we're off a little bit, sometimes it creeps into our heads, 'Well, it's not working out, something's changed,' and we put a little bit more pressure on ourselves than if we're having a tough practice. But leading into it we're typically excited about it, and I am this year. I think it's a good opportunity for us to possibly get a win and score some more points in the Chase."

Last week: Teammates aside, Johnson was passed by Gordon on the final lap at Talladega and finished second behind the four-time Cup champion. That leaves the two Hendrick drivers in a virtual two-driver battle for the title with six races left. "We put a lot of pressure, in a good way, on both of our teams in the friendly rivalry we have between the (Gordon) and (Johnson) shops," Johnson said. "I don't see that changing. When I see (Gordon) go by me I know that he is driving the same stuff. If he is driving by me, then I think I had better get up on the wheel and do something better. I think I do the same thing to him. There's still a lot of races left. But as things unfold here it could be a situation where we are racing one another. In some ways that is what we would hope for and in other ways it's going to be difficult. I am so proud of Hendrick Motorsports for putting three cars in the Chase. If it does come down to the two of us, it would be a good and bad problem all at the same time."

Etc: Johnson will make his third Busch Series appearance of 2007 on Friday night, driving the No. 48 Kobalt Tools Chevrolet. "It's always fun to drive the Busch car," Johnson said. "We raced here in May and had just about everything that could go wrong happen, but we had one of the fastest cars on the track at the end of the race. I'd love to win one of these races. It's going to be a busy weekend, but any race car driver wants to race as much as possible, so I am looking forward to it."

Clint Bowyer

No. 07 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Bowyer enters the LMS race 63 points out of the lead. He is the only other driver in the Chase within less than 154 points of first as he prepares for his third career Cup start at Lowe's. His best finish was 19th in the 2006 Coca-Cola 600. He was 23rd in this race last year and 29th in this year's 600. "Charlotte is not a race track where I've been particularly successful," Bowyer said. "We've always run well there — been up front and run in the top 10. We've just never finished like we've run. We've wrecked a lot there and gotten caught up in stuff. In the spring race we got caught up in that wreck. We just have to do better. If we can do what we've done everywhere else and improve on our finishes, we'll be just fine. I think you make a lot of your own luck. Obviously, in the spring race there was nothing anyone could do. The wreck happened and it collected a bunch of us. You go to a place like Talladega and I've crashed almost every time I've been there. Last weekend was by far the best I've ever finished at Talladega. A lot of times, I think you can throw luck out the window and start taking some of the blame yourself. I've been watching video and paying attention to the mistakes I've made, and I'm learning from them. The sky is the limit from here on out for (this team). Bottom line is we knew going into this thing we would have to step up our program in a big way, and I think we've certainly answered that call."

Last week: Bowyer is coming off an 11th-place finish at Talladega.

Etc.: Bowyer will drive a new Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS that he tested Oct. 3 at Nashville Superspeedway. This car will be obsolete next season, when the Car of Tomorrow becomes the Car of Today in every Cup race.

Tony Stewart

No. 20 Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing

This week: The two-time Cup champion is fading fast in the Chase; he trails by 154 points with three drivers ahead of him in the standings. That means all three must have a problem in order for Stewart to get back into serious title consideration. Stewart has just one win, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s in 17 starts at LMS. He finished 13th in this race last year and sixth in this year's 600. "All we can do is just do our job," Stewart said. "Even if we win the race for the next seven weeks in a row, there is still no guarantee that we could close the gap. All we can do is worry about ourselves right now. It really takes the pressure off of us. All we can do is go for broke now. It's been done. Jimmie Johnson did it last year. So for us, it's just a matter of not worrying about what everybody else is doing. We just need to go out and worry about winning races now and hope we are where we need to be at the end of the day." Last year, Stewart won three races in the Chase even though he wasn't one of the Chase drivers. "You don't really look at it any differently," he said. "You still take it one week at a time. That's how we've won championships in the past, no matter what division they were in. Our theory is take it one week at a time and go out and try to win the race, and if we can't win, then finish as high as we can and get the most points as we can. It sounds really simple and basic, but, really, that's how basic and simple we treat it. It's not a complicated system. It's not hard to try to figure out how to win the championship. If you win races, the points will take care of themselves. But if you can't win, you can't just throw it away trying to win the race. You've got to be smart and finish as high as you can and not take too many unnecessary chances that can give you the opportunity for having a bad day."

Last week: Stewart was not happy at all after finishing eighth at Talladega.

Etc.: Stewart has extra motivation in running on a Saturday night. "I enjoy having Sundays off," Stewart said. "The crew guys can have a day off. We as drivers can have a day off. Folks in racing can live like normal people for a day. When we race on Sunday, the crew guys don't get a day off on Monday. They have to be at the shop. Weekends where we have a Saturday night race give the crew guys a bit of a breather on Sunday."

Kevin Harvick

No. 29 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Harvick has only one top-five (second in the 2001 600) and three top-10 finishes in 13 starts at Lowe's. He's going to need to pick up the pace if he expects to overcome his 202-point gap with Gordon. He finished 21st in May at Lowe's. "Our approach hasn't changed," Harvick said. "We go and try to be as aggressive as we can every week and make our car run as fast as we can to put ourselves in a position to win. If you can't do that, then you have to make the best day possible out of the days that you're having. Charlotte seems to be a track where we just haven't had the finishes we need. We have always run pretty well there but just haven't been able to put everything together. During the Coca-Cola 600 we were running pretty good and just got caught up in a wreck. We have to find a way to keep everything together. If we can do that, I think we can leave Charlotte with a top-five finish."

Last week: Harvick had to overcome a sick engine to finish 20th at Talladega.

Etc.: Harvick and fellow teammate Clint Bowyer are the only two Chase drivers who have finished every race this season. Harvick has been running at the end of every race dating to Dover last September, a steak of 38 races.

Carl Edwards

No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing

This week: Edwards is 205 points out of the lead as he prepares for his fifth Cup start at Lowe's, where he has two top-five finishes (both thirds) and four-top 10s. "Charlotte is going to be a tough track but a lot of fun," Edwards said. "I'm really excited to get back to a track that I feel comfortable at, in an Office Depot Ford that I know will be fast."

Last week: Edwards was 14th at Talladega.

Etc.: Edwards will drive RK-320, the same chassis he raced to a second-place finish at Fontana in September. Crew chief Bob Osborne said, "We've lost some ground over the past couple of weeks, but we're still in the race and we're not going to give up."

Kurt Busch

No. 2 Dodge, Penske Racing

This week: Busch has no wins, two top-fives and two top-10s in 14 starts at Lowe's. In the last race there, the Coca-Cola 600 in May, Busch started on the outside pole and dominated the first quarter of the race. He led 102 of the first 112 laps (and 107 total to lead most laps) and enjoyed as much as a straightaway lead during the early portion of the race. But a flat right-rear tire and extremely loose handling conditions led to a 32nd-place finish when Busch tagged the backstretch wall after completing 296 of the 400 laps. "We want to put together a complete race where we are competitive from the beginning until the end," Busch said. "Over the last couple of years, it's been the case where we've had a really competitive car and led a ton of laps, only to see the handling go away during the race and end our chances for a win or a good finish. ... Charlotte has always been a track that continuously changes during the course of a race. It's certainly more prevalent during the spring race, when we start in the daytime and race on into the night. But even with starting under the lights like we do now in the fall race, it's a challenge to stay ahead of the curve in dealing with a changing track throughout the race." It may be too late to save his title hopes — he is 215 points out.

Last week: Busch finished seventh at Talladega.

Etc: Busch will be racing the PSC-109 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, which was raced for the first time at Chicagoland in July. It hasn't been raced since. Crew chief Pat Tryson said. "We think it will be a great car for Saturday night. We found that it's naturally a little bit on the tight side, so it should match up really well with the demands we'll be facing in the race." Busch started 35th at Chicagoland after having to change engines before getting only 18 total minutes of practice. The team made steady progress throughout the race, becoming a fixture in the top 10 with 100 laps remaining. He was running in the top five with 15 laps remaining but had to settle for a sixth-place finish.

Kyle Busch

No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Busch has just one top-10 (sixth in this race last year) in seven Cup starts at LMS. He was 30th in this year's Coca-Cola 600. "We will just go on to Charlotte and then go on to places where we don't run too good and do the best we can," Busch said. "We will just keep going — that is all we can do. The team wants to be optimistic and they want me to be optimistic, but I am sorry, it is just the realism of what has happened that sets in and you try to realize you are so far back, it is going to take a lot to get back in this deal. Especially when you have great racers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart who are up front in the points and haven't had much bad luck in this Chase deal."

Last week: Busch finished 38th after being involved in an 11-car accident on lap 144 of the 188-lap race at Talladega. He dropped to eighth in the Chase, 260 points behind teammate Jeff Gordon. "Just a product of restrictor-plate racing," Busch said. "Everybody bunched up in to a pack. I guess Bobby (Labonte) lost a tire or something like that. Nothing of his doing, just came right across the race track. We were the first one that hit him. It is a shame, not only for us but all the other guys that got involved in the wreck as well. ... We knew that Talladega was going to be our mulligan. We circled it on the calendar that this was the one we were going to wreck in because we were hoping that last week wouldn't happen, but it did."

Etc: After being nailed for an illegal intake manifold in the Busch race at Kansas two weeks ago, Busch was not surprised that he did not have any points taken away and was fined only $10,000. "They've seen that intake manifold before," Busch said. "We knew they had to do something. They haven't told us whether or not we're allowed to run that piece anymore. I guess if we want to run it and get fined $10,000 every time, we can. But that wouldn't be very smart. So I guess we've got to find a new intake manifold."